Hebron -

A group of Palestinians who called themselves the "Tafranin Group" have turned into a cause of public opinion in recent days, after 3 of them gained widespread solidarity after their arrest by the Palestinian Authority.

The interests and concerns of these simple young men met together in light of a complex Palestinian political and economic situation, and they found in social networks a window to express their conditions, reality and opinions.

The term "Al Tafran" in Palestine expresses bankruptcy, boredom, and fatigue in earning a living.

The group members say that they express the reality of a large segment of Palestinian youth.

The arrest of the two mutants

A joint force from the Ramallah Security Authority arrested 3 members of the group: Jihad Al-Shahatit, Abdullah Al-Amayreh and Muhammad Asfour, after they participated in a car rally that went out to celebrate the victory of the Islamic bloc in the Bizet University Student Council, on Wednesday evening, May 18th.

Although the arrest lasted only hours, the "Al-Tafranin" case occupied public opinion and communication networks after forcibly photographing them inside a security headquarters with Hamas banners in front of them, and distributing their photos.

Two of the released detainees told Al Jazeera Net that they were surprised by the extent of interaction with their case, and the communication with them from human rights organizations, and the size of their presence on the communication networks.

The group’s members work in many fields, all of them are from the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the West Bank, and their number does not exceed 10, but in general they receive an income that is almost sufficient for them and their families.

Jihad Al-Shahatti, a member of the Al-Tafranin group (Al-Jazeera)

sarcastic expression

Al-Shahatit says that the group was formed of friends on social networks without prior planning, but their interests converged, especially in the sarcastic expression of political and social issues.

And their virtual company turned into realistic and strong friendships, to the point of meeting daily, and then developed into participating in social events and major events at the level of the West Bank, according to Al-Shahatit.

Al-Shahatit, who is a humorist, adds that the satirical publications outweigh the serious publications of most members of the group, "for example, if one of us wants to express his opinion on a political issue, he comments using the name or picture of his friend instead of the political figure."

Al-Shahatit owns a modest shop that sells birds and ornamental fish, and says that trade and market movement are weak and he hardly saves his daily expenses.

Abdullah Al-Amayreh, itinerant coffee seller from the Tafranin group (Al-Jazeera)

Expression of reality

As for his friend Al-Amayreh, who is a father of 4 children and works as a traveling coffee seller, he sees that their group reflects the reality of a large segment of young people who do not find enough work and provide for their livelihood through fatigue and hardship.

He added that the members of the group often meet almost daily after the end of their work, but they do not like parks, public gardens or cafes, and they go together to eat sweets or sit in the yard of someone's house to make "sajieh", a dish of tomatoes and onions prepared in "iron iron sheets" and on a wood fire. .

Al-Amayra says that by selling coffee, in the street or in shops, he provides an income that meets the minimum needs of his family.

He points out that the image of his arrest and his friends provoked widespread anger, pointing to an unexpected wide interaction on Facebook in particular, and that wide solidarity contacts they received from friends and political figures inside and outside the country.

But the young man does not forget that they were beaten and humiliated during their arrest, "and what is most painful is that this happened by people we know and from the same town as us."

spontaneous posts

Regarding their interaction with community issues, Al-Amayreh says that they participate in national events, sometimes without prior planning.

He explains that they were arrested when they went out spontaneously with a march expressing joy at the results of the Birzeit University elections, but they had previously participated spontaneously in receiving released prisoners, including members of the security services.

Al-Amayreh adds that participation in events, whether receiving those released from Israeli prisons, patients, weddings or mourning homes, has become obligatory, "and any member of the group represents the rest."