Yet another Intifada is in the making in Palestine, which reflects a deep-seated frustration on the part of the Palestinians under occupation. To be sure, the current wave of violence is not circumstantial. After almost a decade of diplomatic void — no one filled this vacuum with any genuine and realistic peace plan — it is not unnatural for the Palestinians to protest.
Over the last decade, Israel has intensified its settlement activities while the United States — whether under Republican or Democratic president — has been complicit. Now, with the current Israeli offense in Jerusalem and the provocative tactics and harassment by the settlers, the Palestinians took to the streets to express their anger toward the occupation. Seen in this way, I argue that short of an international pressure on Israel to move genuinely to the two-state solution, the volcano will most likely erupt in Jerusalem and other Palestinians cities. Perhaps, it is not too late to put an end to this vortex but this entails leadership, which is a rare commodity these days.
Explicit in the current wave of protest is the Palestinians determination to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israel’s attempt to change the ground rules in the occupied old city. Interestingly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in denial. Just a few days ago, he said: “This wave of attacks is not a result of (a) lack of political horizon and not because of settlements wave. There is no such wave.” By saying this, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians.
I think Netanyahu does not have the courage to admit that the Palestinians plight has been aggravated by Israel’s policies. It is true that the regional context has recently changed but the Palestinian predicament has continued. What makes this current wave of protests unique is the fact that no one seems to be in charge. Obviously, Abbas is not the one who calls the shots. Crowd of teenagers see one thing: Israel is consolidating its grip on the occupied territories and particularly in Jerusalem and no one is doing anything to stop that. Neither Abbas nor Hamas leaders can stop this generation. This should set the alarm bells ringing everywhere.
I suspect that the question whether Hamas or Fatah is behind this round of violence is misleading. Indeed, the conditions that gave rise to this violence are easy to figure out. Every time, the Palestinians see no future for them or no control over their living conditions, they resort to violence. Chances of ending up with a new type of Intifada are high given the impact of the ubiquitous social media. Interestingly, some have already referred to the current violence as the “smartphone Intifada.” With the spread of this new mobilizing means, it will be difficult for even the Palestinian leaders to censor the live transmission of Israeli provocative actions in Jerusalem and elsewhere.
Not surprisingly, many Palestinians feel the urge to act swiftly to check the Israeli actions on the ground. The messianic statements made by some radical settlers about the “third temple” must have added to the fears and suspicions of the average Palestinian citizen. Rumor has it that Israel is taking advantage of the regional turmoil to create a new reality in Jerusalem.
Is the intifada inevitable? Of course not, but Israel is yet to stop cracking down harshly on the Palestinians and to rein in settlers. The Palestinians also need to realize that they made their point but they also need to understand that any Intifada amid the Palestinian political divisions can be hurtful.
