GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Arab Spring model, represented by the sweeping Arab revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, has failed to free the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from the political division between Fatah and Hamas. The trouble started in June 2007, when the latter took control of the Gaza Strip by force of arms. It has also failed to bring down the existing regime and build a new one.
Indeed, it was not long before the popular movement, which erupted in 2011 against the backdrop of a wave of Arab revolutions, lost momentum. The small outbursts of popular protests that broke out in subsequent years, such as the April 29 movement in 2015, have been futile as well.
These outbursts of protests are happening once again today in Palestine, but this time they are directed against the Israeli forces in intense confrontations that have been ongoing since Oct. 1.
Social media sites have been at the heart of these clashes, documenting the people’s anger and despair. They have served as platforms for people to publicly criticize major parties, such as Fatah and Hamas, which are no longer sacred in the eyes of the 1990s generation, seen as the driving force behind the current uprising. Today, these young Palestinians are rising against the Israeli forces on their own, without orders from any political party or leader.
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