18 January 2018•Update: 18 January 2018
By Meryem Goktas
ANKARA
Fawzi al-Juneidi, the 16-year-old Palestinian who has become a symbol of Palestinian opposition to U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, paid a visit to Anadolu Agency’s Ankara headquarters on Thursday.
The celebrated Palestinian teen, who arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for a three-day visit, was welcomed to the premises by Anadolu Agency Director-General and Board Chairman Senol Kazanci and Deputy Director-General and Editor-in-Chief Metin Mutanoglu.
Al-Juneidi also received a hearty welcome from members of Anadolu Agency staff, who greeted him with flowers after a group picture was taken.
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received al-Juneidi at the presidential complex in Ankara.
Earlier the same day, al-Juneidi visited the set of Payitaht Abdulhamid, a popular Turkish television series that depicts the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II.
Al-Juneidi was arrested on Dec. 7 in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) after being dragged and blindfolded by heavily armed Israeli soldiers.
He was finally released on bail -- following three weeks in detention -- and returned to his family on Dec. 28.
Last month, a photo of the blindfolded youth became a symbol of Palestinian protests against the controversial U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital -- a move that drew widespread condemnation from across the Arab and Muslim world.
Taken by Anadolu Agency photojournalist Wisam Hashlamoun, the photo won the agency's 2017 Photos of the Year competition for the news category.
Although al-Juneidi is currently out on bail set at 10,000 Israeli shekels (roughly $2,860), he is set to appear before an Israeli military court on Feb. 19 to face charges of throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
According to estimates, about 6,500 Palestinians -- including roughly 300 minors -- are currently held in Israeli prisons.
