The Palestinian Tamarrud Protest Movement Aims To Bring Down The Hamas Government In Gaza

Introduction

Recently, the Gaza-based Palestinian Tamarrud movement has been waging a campaign on social networks to bring down the Hamas government in Gaza. The movement's activity is mainly in Gaza, but it also has members in the West bank and among the Palestinian diaspora. The spokesmen of the 90,000-strong movement say that it is apolitical and that its members do not belong to any Palestinian faction. However, several characteristics of the movement clearly show a connection to Fatah – including the involvement of Fatah members in its activity; its setting of its official founding date and the date its activity begins as November 11, 2013, which is the ninth anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death; and the similarity of its messages to those of Fatah.

Hamas is aware of the impact that protest movements in Arab countries have had on the Palestinian public's state of mind, and the risks that they pose for its regime. It therefore deals harshly with any protest initiative against it – including Tamarrud activists, whom it persecutes, arrests, and threatens.

In advance of November 11, Tamarrud has made it clear that if the Hamas government will not announce that it is willing to hold elections, the movement will take to the streets, to protest and even to launch civil unrest. It also denied reports that it had no intention of carrying out these steps because of fears that Hamas would "massacre" its activists.

It appears that Hamas, which is determined to retain its rule and is rejecting the demand for elections, will prevent Tamarrud activists from conducting protest activity, for fear of a reprise of the events of Fatah Day in Gaza in January 1, 2013. At that time, Hamas, which had allowed Fatah activists to mark the day of their organization's founding, was taken by surprise when these events turned into a huge show of strength against it.

Unlike the Egyptian Tamarrud movement, which won the support of the military there for the ouster of president Muhammad Mursi, the Palestinian Tamarrud has no military backing. Therefore, its activists' chances of actually bringing down the Hamas regime are not very good.

The Palestinian Tamarrud movement's emblem (source: Facebook.com/tamradgaza)

What Is The Gazan Tamarrud Movement?

The movement's full name is Harakat Tamarrud 'Ala Al-Zulm Fi Ghazza ("The Movement For Rebellion Against the Injustice in Gaza,") and its activists started the campaign to bring down Hamas in Gaza on July 1, 2013, the day after the June 30, 2013 Tamarrud protests in Egypt (though, as mentioned, the campaign's official launching date is November 11, 2013).[1] It has about 90,000 supporters, and activists in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Tamarrud's general supervisor is 'Abd Al-Rahman Abu Jami', and its spokesman is Iyad Abu Rok; some of its leaders live abroad. The movement has made public the names of some of its coordinators inside and outside the Palestinian Authority (PA), among them Fatah members such as Ihsan Al-Jamal, who coordinates Tamarrud operations in Syria and Lebanon. The names of its Gaza coordinators are kept secret so that they are not persecuted.[2]

The movement's spokesmen, headed by Iyad Abu Rok, are careful to portray the movement as apolitical. According to Abu Rok, Tamarrud is not associated with any Palestinian political element, but is a purely independent youth movement; some of its activity is conducted in secret in an organized manner, and it also maintains contact with the Palestinian diaspora. He also said that the movement "is not considering taking up arms."[3]

Tamarrud's Motives For Anti-Hamas Protest

Tamarrud's accusations against Hamas, which were the backdrop for its founding and form the basis of its demands, are similar to the accusations found on Fatah websites and in PA dailies. The movement says that it aims to "expose the actions of Hamas and of [Hamas prime minister in Gaza] Isma'il Haniya's government against the Palestinians, such as arbitrary arrests, murder, and preventing [Gaza] residents from exercising freedom of expression." The movement also accuses Hamas of providing poor public services, as manifested primarily in extended power outages, and of responsibility for various ills in the Gaza Strip: the increase in drug use and addiction, restrictions on journalists, a Hamas monopoly on jobs and appointments to public posts, expropriation of residents' property, taxes on all aspects of Gaza life to fatten the Hamas government's coffers, Hamas' rejection of any initiative for reconciliation with Fatah, Hamas's reneging on its promise to hold elections, creation of a schism in society, and marginalization of Gaza citizens. Iyad Abu Rok said that Tamarrud was born as a consequence of "the injustice and tyranny in the Gaza Strip; the suffering of the Palestinian youth, which has fallen victim to Hamas' policy of political ignorance; unemployment; and [the dissemination of] stimulants [i.e. drugs]." He added: "Tamarrud is an independent youth movement that defends the oppressed in the Gaza Strip."[4]

A writer calling himself Kanar Filastin stated on a website close to Fatah: "Gaza residents increasingly doubt whether Hamas is truly a jihad movement that aims to liberate Palestine, or whether it is the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood [MB] that clearly aims to support the MB's political plan, which is backed by the Zionist-American administration... The Zionists are not assassinating Hamas leaders, and in return [the Hamas leaders] are securing the [Gaza-]Israel border and are getting a Hamas-MB emirate in Gaza and parts of the Sinai near the [Israel-]Gaza border." He added that Hamas is working "to suppress anyone in Gaza who attempts to take to the streets and express his opinion freely and clearly."[5] Kanar Filastin also claimed that Hamas is not carrying out its obligation to provide security and services to the Gaza residents, and that it is ignoring "the youth, who, with their pure blood, lit the candle of liberty and honor, justice, and equality, to declare the birth of the new Palestine – free of injustice, discrimination, and cronyism."[6]

Tamarrud's Goal: To Topple The Hamas Regime And Hold Elections

The Tamarrud movement, which is inspired by the eponymous Egyptian movement, aims to bring down the Hamas regime and to set the stage for elections for the PA Legislative Council and PA presidency. According to spokesman Iyad Abu Rok, "on November 11 we will launch civil actions and a popular rebellion to topple the regime of the Hamas movement."[7]

The members of the Palestinian Tamarrud set November 11, 2013, the ninth anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat, as the movement's founding day. Tamarrud operations coordinator Hind Al-Arabi, who is based in Egypt, stressed that November 11 is only the date when its activity will officially begin, and that the activity planned for that day will be followed by sit-down strikes in public squares in Gaza. She added that the activity would also involve residents of the West Bank as well as Palestinian diplomatic representations worldwide. According to her, it will not be easy to topple Hamas, and it will not happen quickly; the movement's role is to call for the establishment of an interim government until elections can be held.[8]

The movement's activity currently focuses on symbolic measures such as blowing horns, releasing balloons, waving flags, spraying graffiti on walls and fences, and distributing forms for members of the public to sign up for participation in its campaign.[9]

Abu Rok also stressed that the movement would remain nonviolent, "so as not to give Hamas any pretext to claim that we are sowing chaos, [and to make it clear that] we are demanding rights nonviolently. Everyone in the world is entitled to express his opinion."[10]

As part of their fight for freedom of expression, Tamarrud representatives paid a solidarity visit to employees of the Ma'an news agency in Gaza, whose offices were shut down by Hamas, and gave out stickers saying "No to silencing, no to closing media organizations."[11]

Earlier this month, Abu Rok denied rumors that Tamarrud had cancelled its plans for November 11 marches, for fear of bloodshed. He stressed that the protest would take place as planned, and accused Hamas of "releasing false information and rumors in order to undermine Tamarrud and the Palestinian public, and to prevent public protests."[12]

At the same time, Tamarrud activist Ahmad Hamamra issued a communique that included an offer "to suspend the protest if Hamas signs a document by the evening of November 8 that will include an agreement to hold free and fair general presidential and Legislative Council elections." Under this offer, the elections would have to take place within three months, with no option for postponement, and they would be under international, Islamic, and Arab oversight. In addition, Hamas would be required to facilitate the operation of the Gaza election committee.[13]

Tamarrud: We Have Ties To Political Elements – But We Act Independently

The movement's adoption of the same name as the Egyptian protest movement, and its setting of the anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death as its official founding date and the date of the beginning of its activity, lend it a definite political tinge. However, despite this, its activists routinely stress its independence.

Regarding the movement's ties with the PA and Fatah, Abu Rok said: "We do not belong to any faction or organization, but many in Fatah support us and perhaps even participate in our activities. Fatah is the largest organization in Palestine. We cannot distance ourselves from its members or from those of any other faction, or marginalize them... [But] the PA has no role [in Tamarrud]... Its officials support us as individuals, not as part of their roles in the PA."[14]

He explained that Tamarrud is in contact with all the human rights organizations, in order to expose what is going on in Gaza to the world and to condemn Hamas activity. It coordinates with the Palestinian diaspora in Arab countries and in Europe in order to join efforts to create an opposition to the Hamas regime and to demand that Hamas leaders be brought to justice in an international court.[15]

On the movement's relationship with the Egyptian Tamarrud, Iyad Abu Rok said: "There is solidarity with Tamarrud in Egypt, Sudan, and Tunisia, [but] there is no coordination with them and they do not intervene in our internal affairs; all coordination [between us] is via the media."[16] He added that the connections with the Egyptian sister movement were aimed at "familiarization with and learning lessons from the experience of Tamarrud in Egypt in toppling the MB regime."[17]

Hamas Attempts To Intimidate, Terrorize Tamarrud

Hamas is well aware that it is sitting on a powder keg in Gaza because of public disappointment in its government. For that reason, it is taking the Tamarrud movement seriously and has stressed repeatedly that it will not allow its protests to take place. Indeed, the Hamas apparatuses have been arresting Tamarrud members, monitoring their online and social media activity, and warning that anyone participating in the movement activities can expect to be killed. Some Hamas officials have engaged in psychological warfare, including downplaying Tamarrud's importance and urging rebellion against Israel instead of against Hamas.

Following are some Hamas actions and testimony by Tamarrud members on this matter:

Downplaying Tamarrud's Importance

Hamas political bureau Member Moussa Abu Marzouq claimed: "Tamarrud Gaza is a joke, and cannot compare to the Egyptian Tamarrud... It has no influence or weight. It is run from without, and has no supporters among the Palestinian resistance factions, including Fatah. Thus far, there has been very little compliance with all its activity... We need rebellion against the occupation and siege, not amongst ourselves. We are the resistance. The people chose us, and we are under siege. Our brothers in the West Bank are [also] dealing with the occupation, and therefore we must unite against the occupation and establish our homeland, instead of vying for power." He also dismissed the possibility that the Egyptian military would intervene on behalf of the movement.[18]

Other Hamas officials argued that the movement was "a fictitious movement in a virtual world." Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan called it an Internet movement that is not active in the field.[19]

Claiming Egypt, PA Are Behind Tamarrud

Hamas accused Tamarrud of being a political move by Fatah as part of its political struggle against Hamas. A Hamas spokesman claimed that Fatah sought to divert attention from its own embroilments following Hamas's release of documents revealing Fatah involvement in anti-Hamas incitement. "Fatah will not succeed in removing the shame that has stuck to it because it schemed with some Egyptian elements against the Palestinian people."[20]

The Hamas Interior Ministry also claimed that Tamarrud was an Egyptian creation, and that the administrators of the Tamarrud Facebook page are Egyptian citizens and are based in Egypt... It added that, during the interrogation of one of these administrators, at Hamas's national security office, it had emerged that he was collaborating with Israel.[21]

Hamas Interior Minister: Anyone Who Comes Out Against Our Government Will Be Shot In The Head

Alongside attempts to dismiss Tamarrud and to downplay its importance, the Hamas government took practical steps to thwart its activity. Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Isma'il Haniya warned: "I am in favor of tamarrud (i.e., rebellion), but [only] against the occupation, humiliation, contempt, and the siege... Do not follow [Tamarrud's] path and its dangerous direction."[22]

Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad called on his men to treat Tamarrud protestors brutally: "I want you to shoot in the head anyone who comes out against our government. I don't want anyone [merely] wounded. This is a direct order from the interior minister."[23]

Palestinian Tamarrud's coordinator in Egypt Hind Al-Arabi said that movement members were being threatened every day, that her family in Gaza had been attacked more than once, and that she personally had received death threats by phone more than once.[24] Iyad Abu Rok said: "[In 2009] Hamas killed Sheikh ['Abd Al-Latif Moussa] in a mosque and sprayed the mosque with bullets just because he expressed his vision. They see us [too] as damned demons; they will clearly not treat us as angels."[25] On another occasion, he said that activists have been receiving text messages with "death threats for anyone who participates in Tamarrud or even mentions its name."[26] Several people, among them reporters, received messages saying "Tamarrud = treason; treason = punishment; punishment = death. Stay away if you value your life."[27]

Tamarrud also posted on its Facebook page a flyer threatening its members that had been distributed by Hamas (see below). The flyer says: 'Rise up, rebel, and get a free wheelchair plus medical and funeral expenses; those who participate in Tamarrud will receive a free cemetery plot overlooking the garbage dump in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood."[28]

Hamas flyer posted on Tamarrud's Facebook page

Hamas Shows Of Strength, Arrests Of Tamarrud Activists

Hamas apparatuses have been arresting Tamarrud activists; in addition, representatives of professional unions and human rights organizations reported that youths, including journalists, have been summoned for interrogation and accused of belonging to Tamarrud and participating in its activities.

Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan did not deny these reports, but claimed that the interrogations were for security purposes. He explained that some of the detainees were questioned and released, and others were held for "security reasons."[29]

Hind Al-Arabi described the security apparatuses' response to the protest: "On the first Friday [of our activity, which involved blowing horns and] was called 'Warning Sirens,' we operated among youths and received a large response... That day, after the Friday prayers, Hamas members carried out a military display to drown out the sound of the horns. Many [who identified with us] were arrested. The protestors were threatened, and many Gaza residents were beaten…"

She continued: "On the second Friday, which was called 'Allah Akbar,' protestors took the streets after the evening prayers, and when they began chanting Allah Akbar, Hamas responded with blows... One youth, Muhammad from Khan Yunis, was arrested and his legs were broken simply for chanting Allah Akbar... We know that Hamas will not give up power easily."[30]

Iyad Abu Rok said that Hamas has begun to fear, and that this is why it arrested protestors. "If Hamas's claim that Tamarrud does not exist is true, why are there more than 300 people in its prisons whom it calls Tamarrud activists?!"[31]

Monitoring Of Tamarrud Online Activity, Surveillance Of Print Shops

Hamas's anti-Tamarrud measures also included monitoring the online activity of the movement and its activists and supporters. Interior Minister Hammad demanded that he be constantly updated on Tamarrud activity, and that his ministry closely monitor activists' social media in order to familiarize itself with those behind the campaign.[32]

Iyad Abu Rok said that Hamas was playing foul ball in order to blacken Tamarrud's image in the eyes of the public, but added that the Gazan street knows very clearly that Hamas' only aim is to remain in power. "Hamas has begun trampling people and establishing websites similar to Tamarrud's in order to hunt down supporters of the campaign," he said.[33] He added that all print shops in Gaza are monitored by Hamas and that the prisons are full of youths."[34]

A Tamarrud activist calling himself "Qaws Al-Baroudi" described Hamas' social media monitoring: "Its men are trying to hack into the personal computers of some visitors to the [Tamarrud] website. They do immoral things that violate minimal ethical standards of freedom of expression. Hamas' security administration sent out an internal memo demanding that our Facebook pages be monitored day and night... and that activity in the squares and streets of Gaza be monitored, as well as other gathering places such as coffee shops and Internet cafes."[35]

Hind Al-Arabi added that Hamas had managed to hack into the movement's website and that the movement was therefore working on building a new, more secure one. She added that, so far, the movement has collected 600,000 signatures via email, and noted that the movement has representatives abroad as well. She said also that on November 11, the movement would set out to topple the Hamas regime.[36]

 

*C. Jacob is a research fellow at MEMRI.

 

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