First Intifada

The First Intifada was a widespread popular uprising that began on 8 December 1987 after an Israeli truck driver deliberately drove his vehicle into a car carrying Palestinian workers near the Beit Hanun (Erez) checkpoint in northern Gaza Strip, killing four Palestinian workers. The uprising quickly spread from Gaza to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Beginning in the final days of 1987, this prolonged rebellion took the form of mass participation in civil resistance including demonstrations general strikes boycotts and local organization against Israeli occupation and lasted until the start of the Oslo negotiations in 1993.

Historical Background

The Palestinian Question and the Refugee Crisis After 1948

The background to the Palestinian question includes the Zionist movement that emerged in the early 20th century demographic and land reorganization policies during the British Mandate the 1947 partition plan and the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948. As a result of the 1948 wars Palestinians suffered large-scale territorial losses and hundreds of thousands became refugees. This process was termed by Palestinians as the Nakba catastrophe and marked the beginning of a prolonged refugee crisis.

Between 1948 and 1967 the West Bank remained under Jordanian control and the Gaza Strip under Egyptian administration. During this period Palestinian refugees were forced to live in surrounding Arab countries and camps and the Palestinian cause became one of the central elements of Arab states foreign policy and regional power dynamics.

The 1967 War and the Expansion of Occupation

In the 1967 War Israel occupied the West Bank East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip as well as the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Thus occupation rapidly expanded and a significant portion of Palestinian territory came under direct Israeli military administration.

After 1967 Israel pursued a settlement policy in the occupied territories aimed at reducing the Palestinian population increasing the Jewish settler population and altering land ownership. New settlements were established and Palestinians’ access to agricultural land homes and water sources was restricted through various military regulations.

During this period Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza began living under military rule with freedom of movement work permits tax obligations and public services directly determined by Israeli military authorities.

The 1970s and 1980s: Political Organization and Land Struggle

From the 1970s onward the Palestine Liberation Organization PLO was recognized across the Arab world and at the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1974 the UN General Assembly granted the PLO observer status making the Palestinian cause more visible at the international level.

In Israel during the 1976 Land Day events Palestinian citizens of Israel protested against land expropriations resulting in deaths; the fear of land confiscation became a central element of Palestinian nationalism.

The Arab-Israeli wars of 1948 1956 1967 and 1973 resulted in Arab states failing to achieve their objectives through military means. After 1973 the Palestinian issue increasingly became the subject of diplomatic processes and negotiation initiatives.

By the 1980s Jewish settlements in the occupied territories had increased control checkpoints administrative permits and mechanisms of economic dependency had become widespread and both nationalist and Islamic resistance movements gained broader grassroots support within Palestinian society.

Causes of the First Intifada

Socio-Economic Conditions

Between 1967 and 1987 Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza were integrated into the Israeli economy as low-wage laborers while simultaneously facing the burdens of taxes and movement restrictions imposed by the occupation. Palestinian workers were concentrated in construction agriculture and low-wage industrial jobs and employed under more precarious conditions than Israeli workers in these sectors.

Unemployment income inequality limited public services and the mechanisms of occupation control created a cumulative sense of discontent within Palestinian society.

Political Stalemate and Representation Issues

By the late 1970s and early 1980s the PLO had become geographically distant from Palestinians in the occupied territories due to the Lebanese Civil War and regional power dynamics and had transformed into an exiled organization based in Tunis. This situation widened the physical and political gap between the PLO leadership and Palestinians living under occupation.

Divergences emerged over time in Arab states approaches to the Palestinian issue. The military defeats suffered in the 1967 and 1973 wars made it more difficult for Arab states to address the Palestinian cause independently of their bilateral strategic calculations.

Settlement Policies and Land Loss

Israel’s settlement policy encompassed a series of measures aimed at altering the status of Palestinian land. New settlement units were established in the occupied territories; Palestinian villagers were forcibly displaced from their agricultural land vineyards and orchards; in some cases homes were demolished and forced evictions carried out under the supervision of Jewish settlers or security forces. Throughout this process Palestinian land losses continued and the physical presence of settlements shaped both daily life and the framework of future political solution debates.

The Events of 8 December 1987

The outbreak of the First Intifada is linked to the incident on 8 December 1987 near the Beit Hanun Erez checkpoint in northern Gaza Strip when an Israeli truck driver drove his vehicle into a car carrying Palestinian workers killing four of them. While Israeli authorities described the incident as a traffic accident some Palestinian eyewitnesses claimed it was a deliberate act in retaliation for earlier killings of Israeli soldiers.^【1】 The following day violent clashes erupted between crowds attending the funeral in Gaza and Israeli soldiers; these clashes quickly spread to other areas of Gaza then to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Thus the First Intifada began.

Chronology and Course of the Intifada

Initial Phase: Spread from Gaza to the West Bank December 1987–1988

In the early days demonstrations in Gaza took the form of street clashes burning tires erecting barricades and stone-throwing. Broad segments of the population including students workers merchants women and different age groups participated in the protests.

Within a short time similar actions emerged in cities and refugee camps across the West Bank; demonstrations general strikes and civil resistance activities became widespread in centers such as Nablus Ramallah and Hebron as well as in refugee camps.

Throughout 1988 clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters intensified curfews mass arrests and an increase in the number of checkpoints severely disrupted daily life.

Forms of Action: Demonstrations Stone-Throwing General Strikes Boycotts Nonpayment of Taxes

The Intifada developed as a mass popular movement based primarily on civil resistance practices with mass participation as its defining feature. The main forms of action included:

• Mass Demonstrations and Stone-Throwing: Groups gathered in the streets responded to Israeli military interventions with stones and slingshots; soldiers used live and plastic bullets tear gas and batons.

• General Strikes: Palestinian workers and merchants closed their shops and workers employed in Israel did not report to work; these strikes significantly reduced production especially in construction and agriculture.

• Boycott of Israeli Goods: Intifada leadership encouraged the refusal to purchase Israeli products and services; significant declines were recorded in sales of industrial agricultural and textile goods. In 1987 industrial goods sold in the occupied territories amounted to $850 million; by 1988 this had dropped to $250 million; agricultural sales fell by approximately 60 percent and exports in some sectors declined by 20–30 percent.

• Refusal to Pay Taxes: Palestinians collectively stopped paying taxes to the Israeli civil administration; in response Israeli authorities introduced new practices linking the provision of certain services to proof of tax payment. For example Palestinians were required to present tax payment receipts to travel to Jordan.

• Local Committees and Alternative Arrangements: Local committees established in neighborhoods and villages organized strike schedules boycott lists and community solidarity activities; alternative arrangements were implemented in health food and education sectors.

Israeli Measures to Suppress the Resistance

During the Intifada Israel implemented intensive security measures in the occupied territories:

• Curfews and Checkpoints: Prolonged curfews were imposed in many cities and camps; new checkpoints were established; intercity movement for Palestinians became dependent on administrative permits.

• Mass Arrests and Prisons: Tens of thousands of Palestinians were detained or arrested during the Intifada; some endured prolonged detention without trial under administrative detention orders.

• Home Demolitions and Expulsions: Israel demolished homes of some families citing security reasons and expelled certain individuals from the occupied territories.

• Use of Violence: In confrontations with protesters Israeli soldiers opened fire resulting in deaths and injuries among demonstrators. Between 1987 and 1993 Palestinian fatalities exceeded 1000 and many more were injured.

Education Universities and Daily Life

The Intifada directly affected the education system. Especially in the West Bank schools were closed for extended periods by military orders and students and teachers frequently encountered soldiers at checkpoints along school routes or inside school premises:

• In 1988 all 1194 schools in the West Bank were closed for nine months by military order; in 1989 they were closed for eight months; approximately 310000 students were affected by these closures.

• Schools were raided tear gas canisters were thrown into classrooms and damage was inflicted on buildings and materials.

• Universities frequently faced closure orders as they were viewed as centers of resistance; access to campuses was restricted and students and academics were arrested.

During this period Palestinians developed alternative educational methods such as holding classes in mosques homes and gardens; local education networks operated when the official school system was shut down.

In daily life movement restrictions checkpoints strikes and clashes frequently disrupted transportation healthcare services commerce and family life.

Economic Dimension: Impact on the Israeli Economy

The general strikes boycotts tax refusal campaigns and increased military expenditures during the Intifada imposed significant costs on the Israeli economy:

• Strikes by Palestinian workers particularly in agriculture and construction reduced production in these sectors. In 1988 total employment in Israel’s agricultural sector decreased by 9 percent compared to 1987.

• Boycotts led to sharp declines in sales of industrial agricultural and textile goods to the occupied territories; some local Palestinian businesses sustained their activities due to increased demand during this period.

• The reduction in tax payments resulted in the Israeli civil administration deliberately cutting back on certain services; proof of tax payment became a requirement for many administrative documents used in daily life.

• Military expenditures increased; reserve duty periods were extended; new military units and checkpoints were established in the occupied territories; these measures required additional budgetary allocations.

Organizational Structures and Key Actors

Unified National Leadership of the Uprising UNLU

In the early phase of the Intifada spontaneous actions soon became more coordinated through statements and directives issued by the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising UNLU. The UNLU emerged as a local leadership mechanism composed of representatives from Palestinian factions in the occupied territories and published texts on strike days boycott calls and forms of action.

The UNLU did not directly reject the authority of the PLO; instead it emphasized the PLO’s role as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and maintained the understanding that grassroots organization occurred in the occupied territories while external representation remained with the PLO.

Palestine Liberation Organization PLO

At the outbreak of the Intifada the PLO operated as an exiled organization based in Tunis. The eruption of the Intifada transformed into a resistance movement of greater scale than the PLO leadership had anticipated; during the process the PLO provided political support to the Intifada and intensified its diplomatic initiatives internationally.

During the Intifada years the PLO maintained relations with Arab states while also seeking contact with the United States and Western countries. In 1988 the U.S. government’s acceptance of direct talks with the PLO exemplified this diplomatic engagement.

Islamic Movements and Hamas

The Islamic movement in Palestine had been organized along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood since the 1940s; in the 1980s it built broad grassroots support through social welfare networks mosques student associations and charitable institutions.

The structure that institutionalized under the name Hamas in 1987 became an active player on the ground during the First Intifada. Although Hamas did not formally join the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising established by the PLO it played a significant role in protests religious messaging and organized actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas was defined as an organization that combined an Islamic orientation with resistance to occupation; it developed a discourse rejecting the existence of Israel and based on jihad and Islamic references.

Students Women and Local Committees

In the First Intifada youth particularly students were among the primary actors in street demonstrations and stone-throwing actions. Palestinian youth actively participated both in schools and in local committees established in neighborhoods and camps.

Women participated in the Intifada through food provision healthcare support care for the wounded organization of local aid networks and direct involvement in protest actions in some areas. They provided logistical support alongside local people’s committees.

Local committees assumed multiple functions at the neighborhood level including security food distribution alternative education healthcare assistance and action coordination thereby providing an organizational framework for the continuity of the Intifada.

Israel and Security Institutions

The Israeli Defense Forces IDF police and intelligence units operated in the occupied territories to ensure the security of Israeli settlers and suppress resistance. Military measures included extending reserve duty periods creating new units establishing special units to protect settlements setting up checkpoints and imposing curfews; these policies produced various outcomes in both the occupied territories and within Israel regarding security and the economy.

Diplomatic and Political Developments 1988–1993

International Public Opinion and Media

Images emerging from the occupied territories during the First Intifada particularly scenes of children throwing stones against heavily armed soldiers received extensive coverage in the international press. The use of force by Israeli security forces against civilians became a focal point of global public debate.

During this period European countries the United Nations and various international organizations issued resolutions and statements on the Palestinian issue; Palestinian demands became more frequently addressed on diplomatic platforms.

U.S.–PLO Contacts and the Turning Point of 1988

In December 1988 the U.S. administration for the first time accepted direct talks with the PLO. This step was interpreted as a consequence of the Intifada’s ground-level impact and growing international public interest in the Palestinian issue; this direct contact between the PLO and the United States marked a turning point in the diplomatic framework of the Palestinian issue. These talks laid the groundwork for peace conferences and negotiation processes initiated in subsequent years.

Madrid Conference 1991

The Madrid Conference convened in 1991 was a multilateral peace conference on Arab-Israeli relations initiating direct talks between Israel Arab states and the Palestinian delegation. The Madrid Conference emerged as a result of the political environment following the First Intifada.

The Madrid process is recorded as a diplomatic stage during which the status of the Palestinian delegation land and security issues were discussed but no final resolution was reached.

Oslo Process 1993 and the Official End of the Intifada

In the early 1990s secret negotiations conducted in Oslo Norway’s capital produced a framework agreement recognizing mutual legitimacy between the PLO and Israel. Under the Oslo Accords signed in 1993 Israel agreed to withdraw from certain areas of the occupied territories while the Palestinian side recognized the State of Israel; it was decided that the Palestinian National Authority would be established in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The First Intifada is known to have spanned approximately six years from its beginning in 1987 until the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and officially ended with the implementation of these agreements.

The Legacy of the Intifada

The First Intifada has entered collective memory in Palestinian history as a mass popular movement known as the “stone intifada.” The effectiveness of civil resistance methods and the strengthening of social cohesion and national identity are among the defining characteristics of this period.

Moreover the Intifada played a decisive role in the political socialization of the Palestinian youth generation and became a reference point for shaping both the Second Intifada and subsequent Palestinian political movements.