LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Intifada
built 640 days ago
The first Intifada (1987 - 1993), was a spontaneous explosion of popular resistance to the Israeli occupation, a resistance which had begun some fifty years before. The Palestinian people made a conscious and determined choice to consolidate their efforts in the struggle toward independence, regardless of the cost. The coordination of resistance activities through a body called The United Leadership of the Intifada, illustrated the depth and breadth of Palestinian aspirations for freedom. The force with which the Intifada began and continued for eight years stunned not only Israel, but indeed, all countries of the world.
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Intifada is an Arabic word for [S]haking off, though it is generally translated into English as rebellion. As the Washington Post explained, 'intifada' in Arabic is a "valid term for popular resistance to oppression." [1]
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The current Intifada has extremely severe consequences for both Palestinian and Israeli populations. The military incursions into the Occupied Territories, as well as the imposition of curfews and restrictions of movement, including the frequent blockade of cities and sealing off of the West Bank and Gaza, have made existence practically unbearable for the entire Palestinian civil population, impeding social, economic and political life in the territories. Economic activities have practically ceased, and the majority of Palestinian workers were prohibited from entering Israel. Consequently, two of the three million Palestinians live under the poverty line, and the unemployment rate has risen to 60 %. The wall that is currently under construction intensifies significantly the difficulties daily faced by Palestinians and reinforces the “carving up” of the West Bank into segments with no contact between each other.
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While relatively few houses were demolished in the years before the Intifada, house demolitions then "appeared to have deterrent value" to Israel. After the start of the Intifada, and after the PLO began compensating affected families, demolitions "were transformed into a stimulus to further escalation of resistance."[6] In addition to the political and national sentiment, further causes to the Intifada can be seen in the Egyptian withdrawal from their claims to the Gaza Strip as well as the Jordanian monarchy growing weary of supporting its claims to the West Bank.
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It must be said... in criticism, that in many aspects the Intifada has yet to transcend the limitations of a national movement. The PLO and the Islamists are selling different brands of the same product: the dream of a Palestinian Arab national state. The PLO has abandoned its call for a secular, democratic state in all of Palestine in favor of accepting an Israeli-backed bantustan. The Islamists, at least some of them, reject any compromise with Zionism, but want to substitute an Islamic state for the Jewish state. Clearly neither option holds out much hope for either Arab or Jewish Palestinians. Neither does either endeavor have much chance of succeeding.
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Before the Intifada broke out on September 28, 2000, life in the Occupied Territories was not exactly heaven on earth. True, the economy was picking up again after years of negative growth rates until 1998, mainly owing to Israel's policy of closures in the mid-1990s. Unemployment was stabilizing at 11% and the GDP per head was at US$1,650 in line with that of a developing to lower middle-income economy. Yet, numbers can be treacherous and should be treated with extreme caution. Firstly, most jobs created since 1994 were created by the public sector at a very fast pace, creating an armada of low-paid civil servants. Second, the Palestinian GDP per head was quite modest compared to that of Israel, which stands at $18,000 per year.
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Intifada