Divided loyalties in Nablus

[oberliner]

The deep division between the Hamas and Fatah parties is not only confined to the Palestinian political arena.

It often comes much closer to home, dividing families.

Ahmad and Hamid know how that feels.

They are brothers, and both rising figures in their local political scene. But one is climbing the ranks of Fatah, and the other, Hamas.

The great Palestinian party political fault line runs through the home they share.

They live in a village near the West Bank city of Nablus, and these are difficult, sometimes dangerous, times for the area's Hamas supporters. The West Bank is Fatah's stronghold, and the brothers had insisted on changing their names so that they could speak frankly.

As they began to talk, it became clear how badly politics and personal relationships have become entangled in the village.

"My brother was arrested by security agents who came to the house," said Ahmed, the Fatah supporter. "And some of them were relatives and even friends of his."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8402326.stm

Note the author of this piece, Alan Johnston.

[LeftishBrit]

1. Interesting and rather sad article.