Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
8 November
SNIPER KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD FARIS ODEH
On this day in 2000, an Israel soldier shot Faris Odeh in the neck while the 14-year-old was throwing stones at an Israeli tank during a demonstration against occupation forces. AP had photographed Faris ten days earlier and the image became iconic. His mother had repeatedly gone to the sites of the worst fighting in search of her son, often finding him nearest the Israeli troops. She berated him, 'Why do you have to be at the very front, even farther up than the older kids?' And he said, 'I'm not afraid.'
8 نوفمبر
قناص إسرائيلي يقتل فارس عودة البالغ من العمر 14 عاماً
في مثل هذا اليوم من عام 2000 ، أطلق جندي إسرائيلي النار على فارس عودة في رقبته بينما كان الشاب البالغ من العمر 14 عامًا يرشق دبابة إسرائيلية بالحجارة خلال مظاهرة ضد قوات الاحتلال. كانت وكالة أسوشيتد برس قد صورت فارس قبل عشرة أيام وأصبحت صورتة رمزا . كانت والدته تذهب مرارًا وتكرارًا إلى مواقع أسوأ المعارك بحثًا عن ابنها ، وغالبًا ما كانت تجده بالقرب من القوات الإسرائيلية. لقد وبخته ، "لماذا يجب أن تكون في المقدمة ، حتى أبعد من الأطفال الأكبر سنًا؟" فقال: لا أخاف.
Santa Fe, New Mexico Navajo artist, Remy, after a visit to Palestine:
"I read how Faris would skip school to target state of the art U.S. tanks bought by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) that killed his people and destroyed homes of Gaza. I read how his mother would plead with him to not skip school and despite being severely punished and locked in his room, how he would escape through his window and climb, down the drain and be back out on the streets resisting the only way he could, with stones. What resonated with me more than anything was when his mother recalled of Faris, “It wasn’t the fame he loved,” she said. “In fact, he’d run away from the cameras.” She begged of him, “Okay, you want to throw stones? Fine. But at least hide behind something! Why do you have to be at the very front, even farther up than the older kids?” And he told her, “I’m not afraid.”10 days after this famous photo was taken, it would be this very tank that would ultimately take his life when he was shot in the neck from it. He laid there bleeding out for over an hour with help not being able to respond because he was so close to the tank."
US Government expresses "deep respect" for child killers
The US government has reaffirmed its “deep respect for the Israeli army’s moral code” days after video emerged of the cold-blooded sniper killings of two Palestinian boys - 17-year-old Nadim Siam Nuwara and 16-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Thahir. The boys were killed at a Nakba Day protest near the Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank village of Beitunia on 15 May.
The comments, from US State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki praising the Israeli army, came as Associated Press journalist Matt Lee pressed her on her earlier call for Israel to investigate the killings. Lee asked Psaki about Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman’s rejection of the US call for an investigation and denigrating comments about Psaki herself.
Psaki responded by backing down from any serious demand for accountability. She said Israel should be in the “lead” on any investigation because the incident occurred “on their soil". In fact, the incident occurred in the occupied West Bank which no country recognizes to be part of “Israel” and which is subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention – what Israel does there is an international. not an internal, matter.
Reporting Israel's shedding Palestinian children's blood is 'anti-semitic', claims pro-Israel academic: