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Award of Excellence
Dominic Nahr Polaris Images
"When Brothers Fight"
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In January 2006, Hamas won a majority of seats in
the Palestinian parliament. The surprise victory of Hamas dealt a significant
blow to the Fatah, the early Palestinian militant resistance against Israeli
occupation. The power shared between these two opposing forces became an
issue which often resulted in violent and deadly clashes. In August 2006, the
Israelis completed their military and settlement withdrawal from Gaza, giving
Palestinians sovereignty over their own affairs. Instead of this resulting in
the unification among the Palestinians, Gazans are pawns in a power struggle
between the ruling parties. Fatah, Hamas, and various other small political
and militant elements cannot agree on a common domestic approach nor a
compromise with regards to Israel. While Gaza continues to be plagued by
Israeli military incursions and economic strangleholds, much of the anguish
is largely self-inflicted. Tensions are mounting daily and kidnappings of
prominent party members occur with great regularity. The awful reality is
that the struggle for statehood has torn families apart, often pitting
brother against brother in a savage conflict for identity and power.
A young Palestinian boy looks back at the camera as
others gather around a grave and hold up green flags during a Hamas funeral,
5th January 2007, Beit Lahia, Gaza Strip.
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