Palestinian Youth Activism in the Internet Age by Albana S. Dwonch;

Author:Albana S. Dwonch;
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781838600662
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK

The 15 March movement: People want the end of the division

As much as the winds of the Arab Spring stirred the hopes and dreams of young Palestinians for unity and freedom, they also exposed several contradictions in the Palestinian context. One of these contradictions was that for the first time an impressive mass mobilization of young Palestinians were protesting not against Israel’s occupation but against their own political parties. Before delving into the verbal interview accounts, it is important to briefly summarize here the 15 March movement in the West Bank in order to better understand the stories of the involvement of the activits from the West Bank. Despite the different trajectories that the movement followed in Gaza and the West Bank, there was strong agreement between the majority of activists as originally proposed by members of PFD, about their main political demand: “The people want the division (between Fatah and Hamas) to end.”

While there was no clarity about what the alternative vision exactly was, or what the strategy for a longer-term political change would be, it was apparent that these youth groups were moved to engage in protests, to publicly confront the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.

In verbal accounts from at least ten of twenty-two interviewed Palestinian activists from various cities and villages of the West Bank, they mentioned the events that were leading up to the 15 March movement.

The first was a support event for the Tunisian demonstrations on January 20, 2011.28 The second was a gathering in the Al-Manara Square to support the inspiring events underway at the time in Egypt.29 In each case, the PA responded by first banning any form of protest in solidarity with the Tunisian or Egyptian Uprisings.30 In addition, the presence of many Mukhabarat (secret police) was reported later to have infiltrated the crowd in order to break up the protests.

One activist31 recalls how the PA police did not allow the youth to carry the Tunisian flag in support of the Tunisian people, nor the Egyptian flag in support of the Egyptian people. He told me that one particular PA tactic angered them the most. Whenever they organized a solidarity rally in support of the Arab Uprisings, the PA would outnumber them by sending large groups of supporters of the ruling Fatah party, at the same time and place, to stage a demonstration in support of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. It was during these events that the core group of organizers faced, in full force, the brutality of the PA security forces.

For the first time in my life, I saw our own people turning against us. I will never forget seeing my friend being beaten in front of me—by our own people! It was very humiliating, disempowering and frightening. You are used to seeing an Israeli soldier putting his knee on your chest, beating you with cruelty—but you take it—because you know he is your enemy. But this time this was devastating and very personal. (Personal Communication,

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