The First Intifada, which translates from Arabic to “shaking off,” began in December 1987 as a widespread, popular uprising against the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This sustained series of protests and acts of civil disobedience marked a significant shift in the nature of Palestinian resistance. The uprising was defined by a combination of popular action, economic resistance, and local coordination.
Context Leading to the Uprising
The uprising was not a sudden event, but rather the result of nearly two decades of occupation that followed the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians in the occupied territories faced increasing frustration due to intensified Israeli land expropriation, the expansion of settlements, and continuous military rule. The economic situation contributed significantly to the growing discontent, as the West Bank and Gaza Strip became dependent on Israel for employment while facing high rates of poverty and unemployment. Approximately 110,000 Palestinian laborers traveled to work in Israel daily, making the economy of the occupied territories structurally subordinate.
The daily friction of life under occupation, characterized by curfews, arrests, and repression of political activism, created a highly politicized and volatile environment. A specific incident served as the immediate catalyst for the mass mobilization that began on December 9, 1987. An Israeli military truck collided with two vehicles carrying Palestinian laborers from Gaza, killing four workers. Rumors quickly spread that the crash was an act of vengeance, causing protests to erupt immediately in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, which then spread throughout the territories.
Widespread Popular Resistance and Action
The primary tactics employed were characterized by popular, decentralized, and largely non-lethal forms of resistance, distinguishing the Intifada from previous armed confrontations. The most internationally recognized tactic was the widespread use of stone-throwing, particularly by youth, against Israeli soldiers and military vehicles. This action became a powerful symbol of defiance and a direct confrontation with the occupying forces. Street demonstrations were a constant feature of the uprising, often involving the burning of tires to create barricades and smoke screens that hindered the movement of military forces.
Palestinians also implemented various methods of economic resistance aimed at undermining the financial basis of the occupation and asserting self-sufficiency. Commercial strikes, which involved the general shutdown of shops and businesses, were frequently called and often lasted for set periods of time, such as opening only until noon. This was coupled with a widespread boycott of Israeli products, encouraging the consumption of locally produced goods to reduce economic dependence. A significant act of civil disobedience was the refusal to pay taxes to the Israeli authorities. This tax strike was met with Israeli countermeasures, including raids on shops and the confiscation of property in lieu of unpaid taxes.
Acts of civil disobedience extended to symbolic and communicative tactics that fostered a sense of national unity and defiance. Widespread graffiti and the distribution of leaflets, known as nida’at or communiqués, were used to convey political messages and instructions for action to the general population. Some Palestinians engaged in symbolic acts like setting their watches to “Palestinian time,” a different hour from the one enforced by the Israeli authorities. These collective actions, which involved men, women, and children from all segments of society, shifted the center of political gravity to the occupied territories.
Coordination and Local Leadership
The sustained nature of the decentralized tactics was made possible by a sophisticated organizational structure that emerged from the grassroots. The core leadership body was the clandestine Unified National Leadership of the Uprising (UNLU), formed by representatives from the four main Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)-affiliated factions operating locally: Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and the Palestinian Communist Party (PCP). The UNLU was responsible for issuing the communiqués that served as directives for mass action, instructing the population on when to strike, boycott, or demonstrate.
Local coordination was maintained through hundreds of grassroots popular committees that emerged in neighborhoods, villages, and refugee camps. These committees played a dual role: sustaining the resistance and providing essential services independent of the Israeli Civil Administration. Committees were established for specific needs, such as health, education, and agriculture, creating an alternative social infrastructure. For instance, when the military closed schools, local committees organized neighborhood schools to ensure continued education.
Immediate Political Consequences
The widespread, popular nature of the Intifada fundamentally transformed the political landscape, both domestically and internationally. The images of unarmed youth confronting soldiers with stones generated significant international sympathy for the Palestinian cause, leading to increased pressure on Israel to address Palestinian demands. The uprising also forced a reaction from the external PLO leadership, which had initially been caught off guard by the spontaneous eruption of the revolt.
Under pressure from the local uprising, the PLO leadership, based in Tunis, began to moderate its political program. In November 1988, the Palestine National Council, led by Yasser Arafat, made the historic decision to declare an independent Palestinian state and, implicitly, to recognize Israel’s existence by accepting relevant United Nations resolutions. This shift in political position, heavily influenced by the momentum of the uprising, paved the way for future diplomatic engagements. The tactics of 1987 influenced the political process that led to the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the subsequent Oslo Accords.