Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is making its debut to audiences in the Gaza Strip with a distinctly Palestinian twist.Rather than the traditional love story of Renaissance-era European aristocracy, the star-crossed young couple in Gaza's version of the play is divided by politics stemming from the deep internal Palestinian split between two rival movements.Yousef, a son of a member of Gaza's ruling Islamic group Hamas, falls in love with Suha, the daughter of a fanatical member of the rival Fatah party.Dubbed "Romeo and Juliet in Gaza," the performance has brought a rare taste of foreign culture to this conservative and isolated territory. On the other hand, it is even more noteworthy for its critical look at the political rift that has crippled life in Gaza for nearly a decade."It's a call for love; to give a space for love and for young people to dream of a beautiful future away from the current state in Gaza; especially the youth and their suffering," said director Ali Abu Yassin.In 2007, Hamas routed forces that were loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and ousted his Fatah party in a week of deadly street battles. Since then, Abbas' rule has been confined to the West Bank, while Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The measures which Israel says are needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, have brought Gaza's economy to a near standstill.Attempts by Hamas and Fatah to reconcile, meanwhile, have repeatedly faltered. The rift is so deep that today some families may even reject a marriage proposal based on the political affiliation of the suitor.The "great resemblance" between the feuding families in Shakespeare's original tragedy and "the reality of Gaza" inspired Abu Yassin and Atef Abu Saif, a renowned novelist, to come up with play, according to Yassin.The play was performed eight times last month, just as the Hamas-controlled police prevented academics and national figures from holding a conference calling for unity with Fatah.Recently, audience members laughed and clapped at an evening performance at the Al-Mis'hal Cultural Center in Gaza City; occasionally even giving a standing ovation for the 70-minute performance on the theater's modest stage.After the Palestinian national anthem was played, the black curtains opened to a scene depicting a cafe shop in a refugee camp neighborhood where young people were talking and playing cards.For the 350 audience members, it was an accurate depiction of Gaza's reality: in a territory where unemployment is over 40 percent, cafes are often crowded with idle young men who have little else to do.The same cafes are also packed with Fatah members, who continue to collect their salaries from the West Bank government under the condition that they do not work for the Hamas administration.In the play, as Suha's father, a local doctor, enters the cafe, it is clear from his shaven face that he is from Fatah.Yousef's father Awni, a bearded merchant representing Hamas, also frequents the cafe, where he quarrels with the Fatah doctor. At times they scuffle, prompting the cafe owner to kick them out."Don't reconcile! Keep cursing at each other," the owner yells at them."We will leave this land to you and go," he adds, drawing a burst of applause from the audience.Then, laughter erupted when the doctor asked the cafe owner if he was following the reconciliation news between Hamas and Fatah. The two parties have held dozens of negotiation rounds and announced several agreements, but none have been implemented. Abu Yassin, the 54-year-old director, said the warm reception reflects the public discontent that surrounds the situation."They feel that the play represents them, expressing what they can't express. They live with the story because it's exactly like them," said Abu Yassin.Aware of the consequences he faces, the old cafe owner advises Yousef to change his mind and not fall in love with Suha because their families won't accept each other.However, in the Gaza version of Shakespeare's famous story, the ending is different.Yousef, like hundreds of young Gaza men, attempts to flee by getting aboard an illegal migrant boat navigated by smugglers promising a better life in Europe, as Suha screams for his return. His fate is never revealed, reminding audience members of the dozens of Gazans who disappeared when a migrant boat sank in 2014.The European families in the original tragedy reconciled after the deaths of the star-crossed lovers but in the Gaza version, they remain enemies. Mohammed Zoghbor, a doctor who watched the play, says the ending reflects the lack of hope in the bitterly divided Palestinian society."The home remains divided, the families remain divided, the young people are divided and attempts to engage in talks are made without results," he said.Abu Yassin said it is a coincidence that the play is being performed around the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, saying that the play will be performed again soon in part of a series of activities organized by the British Council, a U.K.-backed cultural organization, to mark the anniversary of his death.Abu Yassin has directed dozens of plays in Gaza, which does not have a national theater, but "Romeo and Juliet in Gaza" was the most important and most successful, he says."What makes Shakespeare's work distinguished is that it fits all the times and all the places. It's universal," he said. "The theater here of course is not like the theater Shakespeare used to perform in, but it's still important to try to keep it operating."