Syd,

Here’s a link to a blogger, Kim, who describes herself as “an Australian activist living in West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is an account of my time here”:

http://livefromoccupiedpalestine.blogspot.com/

I always wondered how the “Handala” image originated, and Kim did a post on 24 July, 2007 entitled “The Life and Death of Naji al-Ali: voice of a nation” about its Palestinian creator:

“Palestinian cartoonist Naji Salim al-Ali was shot in London on July 22, 1987 by an unknown assassin. He lapsed into a coma and died five weeks later on August 29, 1987………

………At 10 years of age, al-Ali and his family were forced to flee Palestine to Lebanon, when Israel invaded and seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Lebanon, he like thousands of others Palestinians, were forced to live in poor and over crowded refugee camps. This experience gave birth to his most famous creation, Handala (sometimes spelt Hanthala or Hanzala).

The cartoonist christened his 10 year-old boy creation, who never spoke but was the guardian of the Palestinian cause, after a short bitter bush which can be found throughout all of Palestine. The bush although weak, if cut, has the reputation of growing back, time and time again.”