The family moved to nearby East Jerusalem when Abu Sarah was 16 due to his difficulty in obtaining an Israeli identity card in al-Eizariya.[1] He attended the Al Rashidiyeh School, and soon after joined the Fatah youth movement, which had a strong presence at the school.[2] Abu Sarah refused to participate in the required Hebrew language instruction out of spite.[1] As editor of the youth organization's magazine, he contributed many angry and vengeful articles.[1] He wrote political pamphlets, a crime that would have gotten him 6 months imprisonment under the Israeli Civil Administration.[2]