Speaking exclusively to Yeni Şafak, Hashlamoun recounted the story behind the iconic photo taken in the city of al-Khalil by saying that he had no idea it was such a powerful frame
Palestinian journalist Wisam Hashlamoun has spoken to Yeni Şafak about the powerful photo he took of a blindfolded Palestinian boy, who was arrested by 22 Israeli soldiers, which became a symbol of the Palestinian people’s third intifada that erupted following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Journalists are working under tough conditions amid the escalating clashes in order to try to tell the world the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories. Among the stream of photos and news stories that demonstrate the Palestinian people’s resistance, the photo taken by Palestinian journalist Wisam Hashlamoun became the most iconic symbol of the third intifada.
Intifada meaning to “shake off,” refers to the Palestinian attempt to shake off Israeli occupation and gain independence.
The photo, which shows a blindfolded Palestinian 14-year-old boy, who was arrested by the Israeli army in the West Bank’s Hebron by 22 soldiers, demonstrated to the world how much Israel fears the Palestinian people.
Speaking exclusively to Yeni Şafak, Hashlamoun recounted the story behind the iconic photo taken in the city of al-Khalil by saying that he had no idea it was such a powerful frame.
“Close to 50 Israeli soldiers were viciously attacking Palestinian youths during the clashes. It doesn’t matter to them if you’re a journalist. They attack everyone viciously. During the clashes I came closer to the soldiers. That boy fell to the ground and wounded his head. They pulled him to his feet and encircled him. At that moment I was trying to escape their attacks,” Hashlamoun said.
After being on the ground to cover the events in the West Bank since their eruption, Hashlamoun is glad he took such a powerful photo, saying, “It definitely didn’t occur to me that this photo would become a symbol. All I was thinking about was exposing Israel’s violence against Palestinians that doesn’t discriminate between child, woman or the elderly. With God’s help, this photo garnered a great deal of attention.”
The boy in the photo, identified as 14-year-old Muhammad Fawzi al-Juneidi, is still under arrest.
Speaking to the press, al-Juneidi’s uncle said his family had no information about his well-being or whereabouts, noting that that the family was immensely pained.
“An unarmed 14-year-old boy was arrested like a criminal. We learned he was injured from those who saw him being detained. They’re not letting us see him. His parents are very ill. His father has undergone five surgeries. He was the sole breadwinner for his family. He went out to get medicine and food for his family,” Al-Juneidi’s uncle said, vowing to continue the fight against the occupation.
“We’re the children of Palestine. We will never accept this decision. We instilled the fact that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine in the minds and hearts of our children. They will never be able to erase it,” he concluded.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S.’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capital and said the U.S. embassy would relocate from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The dramatic shift in Washington’s Jerusalem policy triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and other Muslim countries.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
