A masked Palestinian youth rests by a tree in the West Bank, May 1, 2001. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Especially for those born into it, resistance against structures of oppression does not have to be taught. It is automatic and natural. These Palestinian youth are driven not by hate but by love – of life, family, community, and continuity.
Jan Grarup, a Danish photographer, spent time in the West Bank during the early months of the Second Intifada. He focused largely on everyday boys and their interaction with the violent environment created around them, profiling what he calls their split lives between family and the front line.
Although this collection is over two decades old, it remains apt. Today, as the number of youth killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip continues to skyrocket, many wonder what will happen to the surviving children and whether or not the terror unleashed by Israeli soldiers will subdue their will to resist in the future. I think not.
To see more of this award-winning collection, visit World Press Photo. Read the essay titled The Boys from Ramallah to learn more about the subjects profiled here.
Palestinian boys in Ramallah play and pose, December 1, 2000. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Palestinian boys join a funeral procession for a Fatah party member in the West Bank, December 1, 2000. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Two young Palestinians wrestle playfully, May 1, 2001. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Loved ones attend a funeral for a Palestinian youth in Ramallah, December 1, 2000. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Palestinian boys train with the older generation of youth, December 1, 2000. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)
Mohammed, armed with rocks and a sling, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli sniper hours after this photograph was taken on December 1, 2000. (Photographer: Jan Grarup)