The First Intifada

            The first Palestinian Intifada was launched in December 1987 and is distinguished by its largely non-violent character. Given the harsh laws and enforcement measures under Israeli occupation, the movement built on the grassroots civil society organizations to meet the emerging needs for an uprising against repression.

The most significant achievement of the first Intifada was challenging the dominant international perception of Israeli occupation. In social movement theory, discursive opportunities and constraints are the ability of movement to counter the hegemonic discourse that provides legitimacy to the status quo. According to Dajani, the first Intifada was consciously and deliberately envisioned as a universal unarmed civilian struggle. The stark images of stone-throwing Palestinian youths pitted against armed and often-brutal Israeli soldiers undermined the dominant narrative in international media coverage and political discourse.

Israel had constructed an image of a defenseless victim, but the Intifada drew attention to the brutal measures used by the Israelis against the Palestinians. Israeli secret services infiltrated and executed Palestinian grassroots organizers (BBC 2000). The movement gave the Western public a window into repression and Israel's violations of international law, such as collective punishment. Ultimately, the Intifada were an important factor that brought Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table, even though the end result of Oslo peace process failed to deliver true change for the Palestinians.

The Intifada affected Palestinian and Israeli societies. For the Palestinians, Dajani argues that the “very act of resistance transformed the resistors.” Non-violent resistance gave the Palestinians a sense of their own power. The movement, at least initially, restored a sense of pride to the Palestinians after 20 years of economic and political repression. It was a social movement jiu-jitsu, using the Israeli strength to their advantage. The Intifada was one of the first instances of the Palestinians coalescing and unifying to achieve a common goal. This unity did not last. Years of harsh Israeli crackdowns ultimately wore down the movement. The growing sense of frustration led to fractures and increased violence, actions that undermined the international narrative of peaceful resistance.

In Israel, the intifada initially shaped the public’s perception of security. Many Israelis felt that the West Bank and Gaza Strip were important geographical security buffers. The Intifada, a movement in Israeli’s own back yard, created additional concerns about national security. Furthermore, non-violent uprisings put the military in a bind. It forced members of the military to question their motivations and loyalty before gunning down unarmed Palestinians. The movement also gave rise to nearly 50 Israeli peace organizations and polarized segments of Israeli society regarding the issue.

Although the movement impacted and challenged the dominant paradigm, the Intifada did not achieve the initial goals rendering the Occupied Palestinian territories ungovernable by Israel and achieving independence for a future Palestinian state. Even though the international discourse changed, it did not force enough international supporters to either abandon Israel or to support the Palestinians.