Hamas and Fatah in the dock in Gaza drama

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Crowds throng the hall to hear the court's decision. In the dock are Gaza's Hamas rulers and their secular rivals Fatah. The verdict, with no right of appeal, comes late and after passionate and stormy debate: "All are guilty of killing the people and the nation."

But the dramatic verdict is just that -- drama. The judges and the accused are all actors in a satirical play, "The Nation," which has enjoyed great success in a land where culture is often noticeable by its absence.

More than 1,500 people flocked to the Shawa cultural centre in Gaza to see the play, forcing the organisers to add extra seats to the auditorium to meet demand.

"The Nation" is the work of Palestinian dramatist Said Suirki and the "trial" is tagged with the number...