Naji al-Ali

Who is Naji al-Ali?

Naji al-Ali was born in the village of al-Shajara in northern Palestine in 1938. His family became refugees in Lebanon after the 1948 Nakba, and he grew up in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon. He became a political cartoonist for Arab newspapers including As-Safir and Al-Qabas, publishing tens of thousands of drawings over his career. He created the enduring character Handala, a barefoot ten-year-old refugee boy shown from behind with his hands clasped, who became one of the most recognized symbols of Palestinian steadfastness and the refugee experience. His cartoons sharply criticized Arab regimes, Israeli occupation, and factional Palestinian leadership alike, making him a controversial figure across the political spectrum. He was shot in London in July 1987 and died five weeks later; his killer was never conclusively identified, and the case remains disputed among Palestinian factions and investigators to this day.

Sources: Naji al-Ali, A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali (Verso, 2009) · Joe Sacco, introductory essays on Naji al-Ali · Institute for Palestine Studies, biographical archival profile