What is an intifada?

Tension is rising between Israel and Palestine. Two Palestinian attacks took place in East Jerusalem, one of which caused seven deaths on Friday January 27 near a synagogue. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, before traveling to Jerusalem and Ramallah to try to ease tensions. On the spot, in Israel, several elected officials fear that we are coming to a new intifada. What is an intifada?

“War of the Stones”

Intifada is an Arabic word. It means “uprising” and designates the two revolts against the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. The first broke out in 1987. It was called stone war, in reference to the rain of projectiles launched by young Palestinians at the Israeli soldiers. In 1993, the Oslo accords put an end to the violence. The handshake between Yasser Arafat and Itzhak Rabin is historic.

But seven years later, when the peace process fails, the leader of the Israeli right, Ariel Sharon, goes to the esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem. The Palestinians accuse him of provocations. The area ignites, explosive belts and rockets replace the stones. Israel responds with a major offensive. The violence stopped in 2005, with a toll four times heavier than the first intifada, 4,700 dead, 80% of whom were Palestinians.