Ibrahim Saqr Alzaeem
On December 8, 1987, the first Intifada broke out after an Israeli truck driver ran over Palestinian workers killing four of them. That incident was the last straw enraging the Palestinians who had been suffering from assaults, harassments, theft of riches, and poverty due to the occupation.
The Intifada started in the Gaza Strip but soon after broke out in the occupied West Bank. Both parts played an essential role in the Intifada as they engaged with the occupation’s forces. The primitive tools were developed into armed resistance until the occupation realized the importance of putting an end to the Intifada. Oslo Accords were signed and the PA was established in 1994.
Six years later, the Palestinian people witnessed another turning point after the political way had failed. The main factor was Ariel Sharon’s break-in of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.
This time, the people of the West Bank were the ones to initiate the action, and were later supported by the Gaza Strip. The Intifada witnessed a huge development as armed and martyrdom operations were carried out and rockets were launched. The results had the bigger impact on Gaza from where the Israeli occupation withdrew in 2005 – the year the Intifada ended.
Nevertheless, Gaza had to face more challenges. The withdrawal of the forces proved the success of the resistance, but the occupation continued its theft of lands, oppression and Judaizational attempts in the West Bank and Al-Quds.
That resulted in the third Intifada, the second to start in the West Bank, so it was called Al-Quds Intifada to reflect how much the Palestinians were clinging to Al-Quds and refused all the occupation’s attempts to Judaize it.
In 2015, Al-Dawabsha family was burned in Nablus – hence the Intifada broke out. It started with individual work (stabbing and run-overs) and was supported by the resistance in the Gaza Strip.
The question, now, is: Will the West Bank witness a new Intifada?
The West Bank has room for daily contact with the occupation’s soldiers, and suffers from the Israeli crimes: the settlements, murders, arrests and harassments.
The answer to this question is connected to what the previous Intifadas have brought to the Palestinian people. Looking closely at each Intifada, we realize that intifadas and revolutions erupt when:
- The Israeli assaults on the holy lands and people escalate.
- The political way fails.
It is also noticed that the two factors are present. The break-ins, the excavations threatening the foundations of the Masjid, the settlements surrounding the city, the murders, and arrest campaigns in every city in the West Bank continue every day.
As for the occupation’s violations in the West Bank, Vision for Political Development Centre states that the number is too great to be counted. In 2019 alone, however, the number of assaults the settlers carried out on the people reached 533, the approval of 5,491 settlement units was signed, 14,556 donums were bulldozed, the number of settlers reached 700,000 and the number of settlements in the West Bank and Al-Quds reached 150.
The Judaizational attempts have turned the West Bank into unconnected and isolated areas, which completely terminates the two-state solution that is continuously called for by the UN. Adding to that the Israeli-American plan to put an end to the Palestinian cause, it seems unlikely for the West Bank to stay the same.
So many times in the second Intifada, it seemed that the resistance was killed off in the West Bank as the fighters were either assassinated or arrested. Surprisingly, the resistance cells were formed, and the revolution was restored. Despite the current situation there, I find it likely for the revolution to spring from the people’s sufferings and the occupation’s atrocities that push the Palestinian people to defend their existence.
In order for any revolutionary act to succeed, it is important to identify its aims, diversify its tools, and back it up financially, politically and journalistically. Above all, it is important to protect it from anyone who tries to steal its accomplishments. It is time for the Palestinian people to direct their revolution’s successes towards regaining their national rights.