What is Intifada?
1.
civil disobediance or resistance; uprising
This is an Arabic word meaning "to shake off". Contrary to popular belief, engaging in or initiating an intifada does not neccessarily mean violence. There are many nonviolent ways to take part in an intifada.
For example, in protest of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Palestinians often boycott Israeli products, and those who work in Israel have often either quit their jobs or staged peaceful strikes. There are peaceful demonstrations by the Palestinians almost everyday, however they don't get covered by many biased US news agencies such as Fox News. Instead, only only Palestinian youths throwing rocks (which are obviously a lot less deadlier than the guns used by the Israeli soldiers to shoot/scare those rock-throwers) and horrific suicide bombings are shown.
The Intifada was initiated in response to Ariel Sharon's right-wing policies on illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.
2.
Intifada (also Intefadah or Intifadah) is an Arabic term for "uprising".
This word came into common usage in English as the popularised name for two recent Palestinian campaigns directed at ending the Israeli military occupation. These two uprisings have been significant aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years:
The First Intifada began in 1987. Violence declined in 1991 and came to an end with the signing of the Oslo accords (August 1993) and the creation of the Palestinian National Authority.
The al-Aqsa Intifada (also known as the Second Palestinian Intifada or the Second Intifada) was the violent Palestinian-Israeli conflict that began in September of 2000 {when Israeli prime minister entered a holy site with 1,500 bodyguards}
It came into common usage in English as the popularised name for two recent Palestinian campaigns directed at ending the Israeli military occupation." Wikipedia enyclopedia.
Any civil uprising against military occupation is considered intifada.
Uprising usually happens when the situation start boiling and pressure start building up and the whole situation explodes when the civilians all at once from all ages and all backgrounds up rise against the occupier.
This is not a guerrilla war, it is not a revolution, it is not civil disobedience, it is civilians fed up with the occupation and willing to face their occupiers regardless the price that they would pay. Intifada can turn violent if the occupation forces don’t leave in reasonable time.
Example: Palestinians (Moslems and Christians) under the Israeli occupation did not have a Palestinian ID, no passport, their national flag was outlawed and banned, no access to any official job, no access to public services, thrown and kept in jail without court orders, etc. etc.. until one day the pressure build up was too high and people preferred to face the Israeli soldiers rather living under these conditions.
Other intifada in history are:
* American against British (1763-66)
* Algerians against French (1950's)
* Indians' uprising against English settlements (1675-1678)
See
3.
The second intifada, in which terrorism and suicide bombings have been used against Israeli civilians, was started when Arafat (leader of the PLO) rejected a deal by Israel in which Israel offered to give 93% of the PLO's land demands. The next night, Arafat would begin an armed rebellion against Israel rather than accepting a treaty which would have given him all the land he wanted. The Palestinians are using more than rocks, although stonings can be very violent too, causing death and serious injury. They have Qasem rockets. They have grenades. They have M-16's and Kalashnikovs Ed.: Russian made assault rifles. Arafat demanded weapons claiming he needed an armed police force to keep order. Those guns, provided by none other than Israel, have been linked with numerous terrorist attacks. Many weapons have been smuggled in from Egypt as well. The Palestinian police ARE the terrorists such as Fatah and Al Aksa. Currently the Palestinians, have self-rule under the Oslo accords yet persist in attacking Israel.
The intifada is not a noble uprising, and is most definetely not a way to create a peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
