Two Incidents Drive Anger Against Fatah in Palestine and Lebanon

Reports of attacks against students and academics at the An Najah National University in the West Bank by security forces affiliated with the Fatah movement have been driving growing anger towards the leading political movement in Palestine. In Lebanon, news of a rape case by several members of the same group in a Palestinian refugee camp has worsened the situation even more for Fatah.

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Earlier this week, a sit-in by students and teachers at the An Najah National University in Nablus to protest the latest decisions by the university administration including the suspension of students based on political views.

As the sit-in started, armed individuals believed to be affiliated with the Fatah movement which controls that part of the West Bank, aided by university security officers attacked the crowd, resulting in several injuries among both students and academics.

In response, Fatah accused students affiliated with its political rival, Hamas of inciting violence in the university, without addressing the use of force on campus by its affiliates.

Yet, reports emerging out of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, the largest in Lebanon, aggravated online backlash against Fatah, after news of gang rape by several of its members targeting a mentally disabled girl, resulting in her pregnancy. 

According to some tweets, the rapists were 9 individuals who are members of the Fatah movement which controls the refugee camp. Some also said a relative of the victim was one of her rapists. No official statements have been issued by Fatah in this regard so far.

Translation: "News of the rape of a mentally disabled girl from the Burnawi family in Ain al-Hilweh near Sidon came to the light today. The family confirmed the news and the attempts of covering up the crime where members of the Palestinian security affiliated with Fatah are involved." 

Translation: "Family of a mentally disabled girl in Ain al-Hilweh has found out that she's pregnant and that she was raped by 9 security officers working for Fatah. They handed in two to the Lebanese army for investigations. This is not the first crime against camp's women."

Using the hashtag #عناصر_فتح_يغتصبون_لاجئة (Fatah members rape a refugee), online people shared details of the story and demanded full accountability for the criminals, some of whom have been handed to Lebanese forces outside of the refugee camp to face trial. 

Social media users expressed their fears that political powers could agree on a cover-up for the crime considering their political influence in the refugee camp.

Moreover, several commentators noted that this crime is not the first against women in refugee camps, hoping to see future action that better protects women residing under military control.