Non-violence and the Palestinian Intifada

In response to: As you know by now, 'non-violent' struggle is not about sitting around in circles singing Kumbaya. Quite the contrary, it's a highly strategic enterprise that usually entails significant risks to personal safety for those who take part. Zunes gives several examples of non-violent struggle in the MENA region while Dajani discusses the effectiveness of non-violent resistance in the first Palestinian Intifada. As we know twenty-five years later, the Intifada didn't lead to a resolution of the conflict. What did it achieve, if anything? What impact did it have on both the Palestinian and Israeli societies?

Twenty-five years later, the Intifada does not seem to have achieved anything. Rather, it seems to have widened the chasm between Israeli and Palestinian societies. Although Zunes seemed to find the intifada in Palestine a success, Dajani openly admitted that “adherence to nonviolent methods was never totally uniform nor disciplined” (63). This lack of consistency, caused by frustration, hurt the Palestinian cause, leading to today’s downward spiral.

If anything, it would seem that the intifada has left a negative legacy. Dajani states, “Palestinians have themselves contributed to the widening social distance by using more violent methods in their attacks against Israelis. Ultimately, the indiscriminate and deliberate force used against Palestinians by Israeli soldiers and police created a situation of mutual hatred and distrust” (61). “Indiscriminate” perfectly describes how Israelis act toward Palestinians today. If Hamas or other terrorist organizations attack Israelis, the Israeli soldiers often respond by attacking the Palestinian community as a whole. Photojournalist Dick Doughty, in his book Gaza: A Legacy of Occupation, recounts the crackdowns on the Palestinian community after attacks on Israeli soldiers. Palestinians are prevented from going to work, must deal with early curfews, are subjected to late night searches, and often lose their homes to bombing attacks. The small pockets of Palestinians that use force reap repercussions for the entire Palestinian community, leading to a vicious cycle of attacks on Israeli soldiers and Israeli retaliation against innocent Palestinians.

This obviously oversimplifies the conflict, as there are several other mitigating factors. However, as Dajani points out, consistency and discriminate action would go a long way in providing a more positive impact on Israel and Palestine.