Hitler, Castro and Saddam Hussein walk into a bar. It may sound like the beginning of a joke, but in the Palestinian territories it is actually possible
Sending a message to Israelis
Hitler Abu Hamad is not proud to carry the name of a man responsible for the slaughter of millions. “When Abu Hamad was born in 1976, his father wanted to send a message to the Israelis, though in perhaps the most offensive way possible: picking the name of the man who systematically murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust,” according to AFP. “My father gave me the name to provoke the occupation,” the 41-year-old school teacher was quoted as saying by AFP
Burdening their kids
Palestinians often name their children after celebrities or backers of their cause. But at times, they pick controversial names and the children have to live with the consequences. Other Palestinian names include Castro, Guevara and Chavez—after the Latin American figures who supported their cause, AFP adds
Saddam Hussein changes his name
In Hebron, there is a Carter Abu Isneyna, named after former US president Jimmy Carter, who tried to get Israel to end the occupation. Qais Hussein Omar was born in 1976 under a different name—Saddam Hussein. He alleges he was harassed at checkpoints by Israeli soldiers
Who’s Benjamin Netanyahu Nicola?
It’s not just the Palestinians. Arab Israeli Christian Waheed Nicola named his son Benjamin Netanyahu after the right-wing Israeli leader won elections in 1996. Delivery man Benjamin Netanyahu Nicola, 21, has said the name has caused him no end of problems when he delivers goods in Arab areas. Naji Obeid, a Christian Arab who tries to encourage members of his community to join Israel’s army, named his son after former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin