By/ Salam Al-Ostaz

"In Jerusalem, everyone is there but you", in his poem " in Jerusalem" Tamim Al-Bargouthi describes the story of millions of homeless Palestinians who have been forced to live in exile since 1948, and he keeps repeating that line many times as in an indication that the Zionist constant intention to Judaize Jerusalem through deporting the Palestinian from their land using all kinds of violence. This exactly what is happening now at Al-Shiekh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem; Israeli occupation forced Palestinian families to flee their homes. Consequently, "Sword of Jerusalem Operation" in Gaza have been launched in order to defend Jerusalem. Israel hits Gaza with all war tools: airstrikes, warships and toxic gases and civilians suffer the most casualties. In this war against the Gazans, Isarel has committed war crimes neglecting and flouting all international laws. It can be said that it is an unprecedented wave of violence and a hysterical attack against civilian in the Gaza strip; hundreds have been killed and injured, most of them are children, women, elderly and even people with special needs.

In Gaza, everyone fights in his own way, photographers in media keep taking photos to show the whole world the Israeli crimes and to document the Palestinian suffering and determination as well. In this context, I seek to use my own way of fighting and struggling. It is through reading the pictures of Gazans taken during the Israeli attack and analyzing them under the eye of semiology.

In fact, picture is stronger than words in conveying a message, so it is time to raise the visual awareness and promote the culture of image. Visual semiotics or pictorial semiotics works on this level. It makes a comprehensive reading for the picture focusing on details included in it and brings hidden messages into surface.

In this article, I showed some pictures of Palestinians during the war against them in Gaza. From my perspective as a human and as a Palestinian, I analyzed them semiotically investigating the symbol of each picture as its "title", then presenting indications hidden in the each one. Each picture works as a sign that consists of as signifier "the content of the picture" and the signified " the indications included in the picture".

Picture 1

Title: Jerusalem

I see that this boy as Jerusalem. He resembles Jerusalem in his white face, blue eyes and golden hair, so colors of Jerusalem are presented in his face. Our Jerusalem has a golden dome, colored decorations with the blue is the dominant. The Palestinian boy also represents Jerusalem in his sadness; Jerusalem is sad due to the Zionist acts against people in Al-Sheik Jarrah neighborhood. Moreover, the sight of the boy seeks help of others, exactly as Jerusalem that seeks help from the Gazans and other Arabs. The eyes of the boy are full of depression as the Arab leaders withdraw him and left him behind, and this the case of Jerusalem.

Indications included in this picture: beauty, sadness and depression.

Picture 2

Title: Revenge

In this picture a Palestinian boy is giving away his father who has been killed by the Israeli occupation during the war against Gaza. Many messages manifest in his eyes; His eyes do not only tear, but also threaten. They threaten the Israel and they say I will never forget; my father right will return sooner or later. Psychologically, I see the boy tries to be strong, to control himself as he will take the responsibility instead of his father, in other words it is the shift to move from a childhood to a manhood.

Indication included in this picture: revenge, threat, grief and strength.

picture 3

Title: Determination to Live

In this picture features of life are presented despite the destruction surrounding the place. This is a two-pronged picture one related to the Israeli, and the other for the Palestinian, it reflects the savage acts of the Israeli occupation through committing massacres and genocides. The second pronged of the pictures depicts the Palestinian daily life that is continuing in spite of everything they seem striking up a conversation, others are sleeping. Also, the picture includes a strong message such as" we belong to our home; this is our land and we are entitled to it. Moreover it depicts the Palestinian infinite faith in Allah and satisfaction.

Indications includes in the picture: insistence, persistence, love of life, strength, courage, confidence, belonging, faith in Allah, satisfaction, in addition to the occupation's severity and oppression.

picture 4

Title: The Unbroken Soul

This picture, in particular, cannot be described in words It shows a Palestinian under the rubble of his house after the Israeli occupation bombed it. At least I can say that it reflects the unprecedented power of the Palestinian, he wants to say to Israel "you cannot scare or destroy me", "if our bodies destroyed, our souls survive", "our determination is stronger than your missiles". The sign of victory means "I am still alive and I will fight you back.

Indication included in the picture: revival, power, renewal, determination, steadfastness, victory, resistance.

In light of the previous pictures, I can say, with full confidence, the Palestinian is like the phoenix, he is the real version from this fictional bird. The phoenix is a long-lived bird associated with Greek mythology that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. It rises from the ashes of its dead predecessor, and it symbolizes renewal, progress, end of oppression, eternity and thus hope, in brief it is the Palestinian.

I would like to say that one day Tamim Al-Barghouti will write a poem saying " no one is there but you"