handala

A character created in 1969 by political cartoonist Naji al-Ali as a personification of the Palestinian people, identity and resistance. He is depicted as a bald child with few hair strands, wearing a patchwork shirt, and always facing away with arms behind back.

The name comes from the Arabic word for the colocynth (حنظل, ḥanẓal), a perennial plant native to the Levant which bears bitter fruit, grows back when cut, and has deep roots.

See also

• with Handala pose