Media coverage
Le Monde · 2011-04-16
It began on Facebook with a manifesto calling for the reunification of the Palestinian movement, then grew in Gaza through what became known as the “March 15 movement.” After the March 15 rally in Al-Katiba Square—the largest gathering since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007—one of the movement’s spokesmen said activists were accused of collaboration and feared for their lives and families, while Ismail Haniyeh’s government sought to learn more by sending officials to meet the youth.
It began on Facebook with a manifesto calling for the reunification of the Palestinian movement, then grew in Gaza through what became known as the “March 15 movement.” After the March 15 rally in Al-Katiba Square—the largest gathering since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007—one of the movement’s…
It all began on Facebook, with the publication of a manifesto calling for the reunification of the Palestinian movement. “It was before the Tunisian revolution,” specifies Mohammed Abu Yazan, one of the spokesmen of this “March 15 Movement” that is trying to assert itself in Gaza.
A first group was formed, then another, and the mobilization gathered momentum. “Our message to the leaders of Hamas and Fatah (the backbone of the Palestinian Authority) was simple: ‘We voted for you to obtain real change. Nothing happened: you betrayed the Palestinian cause.’”
Mohammed Abu Yazan is in his twenties. This is not his real name; neither his appearance, nor his background, nor his family will be described, though his family has been exemplary in the support it gives him.
Since tens of thousands of people gathered on March 15 in Al-Katiba Square, making this event the largest gathering since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, it has hardly been prudent to dissent.
Although Mohammed Abu Yazan insists that “people are speaking freely now,” that “people are no longer afraid,” his attitude says the opposite. Besides, he is quick to acknowledge it: “As soon as we speak, as soon as we criticize, we are accused of being collaborators, of Israel, and of Fatah. We carry enormous frustration within us, and we know that we are risking our lives, and those of our families.” Concerned, the government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas) first tried to find out more.
It dispatched envoys to the young people: Fawzi Barhoum, the movement’s spokesman, Ismail Alashqar, head of the security services, and even the moderate Ghazi Hamad, Deputy Foreign Minister, took turns.
Their remarks were insidious, Mohammed Abu Yazan recalls: “‘Are you a political party? Who is funding you? Beware of Fatah. We are your intermediaries; we wish you no harm.’ We replied that we are a social movement, that our only struggle is that of Palestinian reunification, that we are not against Hamas.”
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Text © Le Monde — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source