Just a quick notice, before I dip into the chants and the roaring throats of yesterday’s protesters and before I come to a point where I could be misinterpreted, there is actually, at least in my point of view, a two-way definition to the popular demand to “end the Palestinian internal division.” One is the ostensible call for a national reconciliation or “unity” as banners say; a call that requires the opponent parties of Fatah and Hamas to give up hatred, forget each other’s political scandals and reunite. A solution that appears to be desired by many people but would absolutely fail to bring about 6 million Palestinian refugees back to their confiscated lands in 1948. The other way of definition is as simple as demanding both ruling parties, Hamas and Fatah, in Gaza and the West Bank respectively to step down; a definition that I highly endorse, where fair elections can be held and the Oslo Accords can be relinquished forever.
At 10 o’clock in the morning of March 15, I headed to The Unknown Soldier Square along with Nalan, Seba and Lara, my best friend. Each of us carried the one flag of Palestine to join thousands of comrades who in one voice sang for a united Palestine.
Hamas also joined the demonstration but they carried either green flags that represent their party, or flags that were made up of two pieces of cloth sewn together: the Palestinian flag and the green “Hamsasian” flag! They kept throwing us with speeches, claiming their will to end the division and the intention to abide by the people’s legitimate demand. But the claim was soon refuted when they attacked my camera. I was trying to shoot a security man; he was unarmed and seemed to be nonviolent. But when I aimed my camera at him he hit his fist against it and began shouting at me; I shouted too, he had no right to do what he had done. Guys from the demo hurried to help the situation and in a matter of moments peace was restored.
Some protesters danced, some were held on the shoulders to lead a new chant, and other protesters carried paper-made coffins, on which was written: “Conspiracy” and “Siege.” And we all sang the Palestinian national anthem.
Dancing at the Unknown Soldier Square
Paper-made coffins
Some banners read: “Gaza and The West Bank are stronger by unity” and “Even concessions never bring the rights of the refugees down.”
Even concessions never bring the rights of the refugees down
First four lines say the same the last says: "Just tell us what language you speak"
We marched, we cried, and once again we fell in love with Palestine.
As we raised our flags up, those Hamas affiliates infiltrated themselves amongst us in an attempt to turn the protest into one that functions in their favor. A bus for Hamas tried to pass when I, Nalan and Lara intercepted its way; they would have had to run over our bodies if they insisted to go. Other youths tore the Hamas part of the aforementioned pieces away, turning them back into the one flag of Palestine.
Hamas joins
Later on, the dominance of Hamas’s followers over the Square became unbearable; we were told to move to The Al-Kateebah Square, a larger one that was not yet taken over by Hamas. When I arrived with a group of people, there were already tens of thousands protesting, and a huge Palestinian flag was already stretched proud across one of the buildings.
The Al-Kateebah Square
I was overwhelmed by the view; people were driven to tears, others to anger, and so mixed patriotic sentiments in one bowl. A young girl sat on the ground in a circle with others her age. She volunteered to draw our flag on their faces, hands or arms – a phenomenon that attracted all cameras and softened the atmosphere.
Here, keep scrolling down, to see how girls dressed themselves in the national Palestinian embroidered dress and how they covered their heads with Kufeyyehs. Here in Palestine, you inhale the aroma of history and exhale a revolution!
As night peacefully descended, protesters lit fires here and there to avoid the biting cold from creeping into their bodies. Tents were set, ready for a quiet sit-in night demonstration but unfortunately, not for long.
I was at home, on Twitter, reading the most recent updates from the Square when suddenly someone posted the following: “Tents are set on fire and protesters are being beaten up by the Hamas forces.” A few minutes later, I was informed that the forces were in plain clothes and that even women and girls were not spared the attack. Male youth were arrested as well as a number of journalists who were documenting the incident. The square was totally emptied.
I was ashamed of myself, feeling the disgrace of being at home and the pain that had occupied my chest. And without leafing through the 6th chapter of “My Father was a Freedom Fighter” I went to bed.
The next day –which is today-, everything looked calm as if nothing had taken place the night before. I took a taxi to The Islamic University, my university, and on the way I asked the driver if anything was happening in The Al-Kateebah Square. He said: “they were forcibly quelled yesterday, nobody is there, the uprising is finished!”
But he was mistaken! At 11:00 in the morning, thousands were protesting at the campus of The Al-Azhar University. It was soon encircled by the regime’s forces and student girls and boys were again beaten with clubs.
When I heard about the escalation, I called my friends who study there, I could hardly understand what they were saying due to the noise around them. They only thing I could get was: “if you want to protest come to our university!”
When I arrived, there were crowds and crowds of young students being expelled from their own university and hit harshly with batons. Others were receiving threats and an ambulance was evacuating a causality. Actually a couple of ambulances were outside but people were talking about only one casualty.
And running away
It was the most difficult time for pictures. Whenever they found out that someone is documenting, they would attack him/her at the moment. My camera was sneaking quietly, quickly and carefully to steal a picture here of a plain-clothed Hamas policeman and a picture there of a jeep! They were cutting down branches from a tree to beat the youth with them! Students who were able to see it, asked me to stop taking pictures or “I will be dead.”
Cutting branches
All tension I had seen was nothing compared to the girl who fainted in front of my eyes as The Hamas Security Forces kept beating her on the legs.
- “You’re Zionists” I told one of the security men.
- “Are we?” He replied sarcastically.
A while later they caught me taking pictures… They chased after me with guns and clubs, two men or three… I unleashed my feet to the air, I ran hysterically until I was able to mislead them, and I was safe again!
I might look foolish now, but I came back later again, only this time with my cell phone’s camera. I approached a jeep full of armed men, I asked them: “Are you really the wise policemen who protect the noble citizens as you claim?” A man aimed his machine gun at me and the other said: “We are on the right.”
I stepped back, turned on the phone’s camera, shot a couple of pictures, and then I was caught again…
-”Hand me your phone now” The man ordered.
-”No, I will not” I answered.
- “Well turn it off and get out of here now” he intimidated.
- “I’m not moving away, the road is not yours!” I shouted.
And this time, a group began waging their clubs and hurried after me. I ran breathlessly, unconscious of where I was going, but I misled them again, and my tears were no more stubborn; they broke out and rolled on my cheeks…
The above was what I witnessed in the first two days of the uprising. What I’m going to witness in the coming days might be the same less or more, but in any case, here’s my advice to any Zionist or pro-Zionist who’d dare to say something about me, the writer of this story, or post a filthy arrogant comment: Do not think twice, but tens of times before you say a word about Hamas, simply because the armed resistance against the occupiers of this land will remain legitimate and needed whether Hamas stayed or left. The most repressive regimes across the globe are not worse than “the only democracy in the Middle East” that recently passed a bill criminalizing Israelis and Palestinians in Israel who call for cultural, academic and economic boycotts against Israel and in the 08/09 war on Gaza used phosphorous bombs. And in the face of Israelis we always unite.
Relative Links:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/bill-to-punish-anti-israel-boycotters-passes-first-knesset-hurdle-1.347734
