Waiting for the next intifada

Palestinians have never waited for an intifada. They never wasted their energy speculating about the next uprising. They did not watch their TVs anticipating one to start. When the last two intifadas started, they were unexpected. No one predicted them, and no one could encourage or deter them. The intifadas of the past were spur-of-the-moment.

When the Aqsa intifada did start in 2000, many stayed sceptical about what was happening. Not until weeks later, breathless, terrified and exhilarated by events, did they whisper to each other: “it’s an intifada!” Several factions did not even join in the protests , waiting for the situation to calm, waiting to see if it was a real intifada.

Today, Palestinians are taking to the streets again, clashing with Israeli forces and calling for a new intifada. But even as they protest and act out an intifada, they still talk about waiting. Every side appeals to the others to start

The refrain wayn al-malayeen? (“Where are the millions?”) has became dull and desperate.

the uprising. But everyone waits. Gazans appeal to West Bankers, West Bankers appeal to Gazans, and they both appeal to the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. And before that, the Palestinian citizens of Israel appealed to all of them and were themselves the subject of repeated appeals.

The situation has escalated over the past days. Palestinians in Jerusalem have increased the intensity and urgency of what had become a routine call for an uprising. Since waiting is an idle act, one can afford the time to think about the reasons for the delay even though, or so say observers, all the preconditions are in place.

None of the Palestinian factions want an uprising, or at least they are incapable of starting one. They have neither the will nor the ability. This is too obvious to be denied. Large numbers of the youth who follow the various factions want an uprising. They carry out individual operations that force their relevant factions to issue statements in support, reluctantly and late.

As for Gaza, how can its people start an intifada? Launching rockets and carrying out operations behind enemy lines may be resistance, but it does not constitute an uprising. Nor can the resistance in Gaza fight a war every two months. Protesting in front of the Erez Crossing requires approval from Hamas, but first those who launch the rockets must be convinced that protesting there is worthwhile.

In the West Bank, an uprising seems to require a spark, or at least permission from the Palestinian Authority (PA) for protesters to walk a few kilometres to the nearest checkpoint to protest there.

Jerusalem seems an orphan these days. It has its own intifada, but the protesters are waiting for someone to join them. This is the same discourse the Palestinians have been using for decades to appeal to other Arabs. But the refrain wayn al-malayeen? (“Where are the millions?”) has became dull and desperate. The simple truth is that anything said before the uprising becomes meaningless when it does happen, because every uprising takes a different path.

What is happening today reduces the possibility that anything will happen. The martyrs who have given their lives thus far did not think of the next step, nor did they wait for a more opportune moment. They took action once they saw they had an opportunity, no matter how small their chance of success. They did not hesitate and they did not think about a new intifada.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition