Clashes spark fears of new Palestinian uprising
Amid rising violence in the West Bank, many young Palestinians are losing faith
A new generation of angry, disillusioned Palestinians is driving the current wave of clashes with Israeli forces that some fear could be setting the stage for a Third Intifada.
Too young to remember the hardships of life during Israel’s clampdown on the last major uprising, many young Palestinians have lost faith in statehood through negotiations, distrust their political leaders and believe Israel only understands force.
Some say they want to emulate those killed or wounded in confrontations or attacks on Israelis — like Mohannad Halabi, the 19-yearold law student from the West Bank who stabbed to death two Israelis in a bloody rampage in Jerusalem’s Old City over the weekend before being shot dead by police.
“We are all impressed with what he has done,” said Malik Hussein, a 19-year-old friend and fellow law student at Al-Quds University near Jerusalem. “The day after the attack, university students took to the streets and clashed with Israeli soldiers. Mohannad’s way is the only way to liberate Palestine.”
The current wave of clashes erupted three weeks ago at the start of the Jewish new year and have turned more violent in recent days. Four Israelis were killed last week in shooting and stabbing attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, while Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, amid violent protests.
Despite the rise in violence, it’s not clear if conditions are ripe for a new uprising, which in previous cases have had widespread backing across Palestinian society.
The First Intifada — the word literally means “shaking off” — began in 1987 and lasted until the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accords. More than 2,000 Palestinians and 160 Israelis were killed during the violence. Marked by Palestinian bombings and shootings, the Second Intifada erupted in 2000 and was even deadlier. It ebbed after Mahmoud Abbas, an opponent of violence, replaced the late Yasser Arafat as Palestinian president in 2005. Abbas now walks a thin line. He is trying to prevent an escalation that he believes will cost the Palestinians international sympathy, but can’t be seen as cracking down on what Palestinians view as legitimate resistance to occupation.
On Tuesday, speaking to senior officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas said he has told the Israelis that the Palestinians don’t want “military and security escalations.” He said the message had been delivered to Palestinian security forces and activists but added that, “at the same time, we will protect ourselves.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, vowed Tuesday “to break this wave of terror like we broke previous waves of terror,” and said Israel will deploy ground and aerial cameras along major West Bank roads to help prevent attacks like the shooting of a Jewish settler couple who were ambushed while driving their four children.
During the Second Intifada, Israel imposed unprecedented restrictions on daily life in Palestinian territories to try to end attacks on Israelis. Troops sealed off communities, keeping many from jobs and schools. Long waits at Israeli checkpoints became common, and in the darkest days, tanks rolled through Palestinian cities and Israeli troops carried out mass arrest sweeps.
Many older Palestinians who lived through those hardships don’t want to go through them again, focusing instead on personal goals, such as getting good jobs and sending their children to college.
The bloody past seems to be less of a deterrent for young Palestinians who hold little hope for a better future, including Palestinian statehood.
The March re-election of Netanyahu, who has taken a hard line on the peace process, to a fourth term deepened the sense of paralysis.
A major Jerusalem shrine that is central to the national identities of both sides and sparked major bouts of violence in the past also looms large in the rising tensions.
Many Palestinians are convinced that, despite Netanyahu’s denials, Israel is trying to expand its presence there by allowing more Jews to visit and restricting the access of Muslims. The compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is revered by Muslims as the spot where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and by Jews as the site of the biblical Temples.
Home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the compound was the scene of frequent clashes in recent weeks between Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli police, and young Palestinians routinely refer to perceived threats to Al-Aqsa in explaining their frustration.
Ahmed Halabi, a 22-year-old cousin of the Jerusalem assailant, Mohannad Halabi, said he hopes a new uprising will erupt.
“What’s going on here is unbearable,” he said. “Al-Aqsa, the settlements, the killing in the streets. We have to move. We cannot stay silent.”
Many of the recent protests appeared to be spontaneous, or arranged informally via social media, rather than by the two main Palestinian factions, Abbas’ Fatah and its main rival, Hamas.
Bassel Obeida, a 21-year-old protester, said the unrest would continue regardless of the decisions of the Palestinian leadership. “If Abbas is against us ... we will reject his words and start the intifada,” he said. “We don’t want any leaders here to show us what to do.”