Anatomy of another rebellion

Abstract

Anyone watching the widespread clashes that engulfed the Occupied Territories in October and November 2000 must experience a sense of deja vu. The dramatic elements seem like a restaging of events twelve years ago. Young men armed with stones face the mightiest army in the Middle East, mothers mourn, nationalist symbols abound at martyrs’ funerals — all covered instantaneously by the international media. Even the parades of masked youth carrying guns recall the chaotic ending of the first intifada. But in this second intifada, the various stages are more condensed, the killing more brutal, the reactions swifter and the media coverage more intense. The language of the uprising has already become the idiom of everyday existence — for participants and observers alike. Speaking on November 2 to the Voice of Palestine about besieged Bethlehem’s need for food, the city’s parliamentary deputy said: “We have to adapt ourselves to intifada days and non-intifada days.” Non-intifada days? Mass insurrection has once again been superseded by quotidian life.