Structured Response 10/26

      The Palestinian Intifada of the late 1980's and early 1990's can be judged to have mixed success but is generally viewed as a failure. In addition to analyzing the failure or success of the Intifada, it can also be useful to examine its impacts on the Israeli and Palestinian communities.
      The Intifada was a classic example of a non-violent movement, as explained by both Zunes and Dajani. The movement centered around the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza strip territories. A popular misconception in the West is that it was highlighted by violent actions (exemplified by the few and far between violent acts that actually occurred). This misconception over the Western misconception if Islam's  violence can be traced back to the 7th century spread of Islam, which Westerns still view as a militaristic conversion process even though it was quite peaceful (Zunes 41). This misconception, along with a failure to understand the true meaning of Jihad (its actually a struggle of an individual muslim to improve himself, especially in terms of self sacrifice (Zunes 42). After realizing this we can then look at the actual Intifada. It was based around a four-point plan that was based in the Palestinian realization of a grand strategy against Israel : 1. Palestine has the advantage in numbers, 2. The best strategy is to make occupation unbearable, 3. Destroy the occupying morale, and most importantly 4. create sympathy for the Palestinian cause globally and within Israel. These methods were carried out quite effectively over a course of several years and brought Israel to the negotiating table. Ultimately they failed to get a two-state solution, but some would argue this goal is unattainable that the struggle will continue until Israel fully withdraws. In this view the question of whether or not the Intifada achieved anything then is a relative answer.
        In terms of its impact on Palestinian society, some of the more notable aspects were the promotion of women's rights and a spirit of community. Women began to play an active non-violent part and question their own rights, they called themselves 'feminists' and endured the jeers of the religious extremists  who blamed them for the Palestinian defeat. A strong spirit of community also developed amongst the Palestine territories at first, as neighbors were encouraged to work together in the spirit of non-violence. Non-violent protest is only effective in large numbers, and thus large numbers were required, entire communities even, and in this sentiment strong community ties were temporarily built.
       Finally there is the impact on Israeli society. The Israelis were stunned and confused by the Intifada  and certainly felt offset by the new non-violent actions. Any lingering effect of this was balanced out by the media promotion of the few isolated incidents of violence that did actually occur. Israel was put thoroughly on the defensive and forced to adapt to such a concept. There was also the actual cost of fighting the Intifada, which strained the Israeli budget and Israeli-Palestinian relations.
      The effect of the Intifada has a relative answer, but for the most part the impacts of the first Palestinian Intifada can be palpably measured in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities.