Stories from the Intifada
A look at the 1987-1993 Palestinian uprising, or first Intifada, through the eyes of those who lived through it.
Twenty years after Israel captured the Palestinian territories in the 1967 Six-Day War, massive protests erupted across the occupied territories.
Half a million Palestinians took to the streets to demand an end to the Israeli occupation, while 80,000 Israeli soldiers were ordered to contain the uprising. As weapons, the Palestinians used not guns or bombs, but stones.
In the six years between 1987 and 1993 – what became known as the first Intifada – more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed, 120,000 wounded, and 600,000 jailed.
In this two-part series, Al Jazeera tells the story of the first Intifada seen through the eyes of political figures and ordinary people who lived through it.
The two films use archive footage, but most of the personal stories and historical events are illustrated by contemporary monochrome and colour stills, the majority shot by Lebanese-American photographer George Azar, who covered the uprising.
In the first part, the contributors describe the conditions that led to the Palestinian uprising and the tactical methods adopted in the West Bank and Gaza to combat Israeli occupation.
In the second film, they describe how the Intifada became a new form of Palestinian resistance – and conclude by talking about the possibility and viability of a new Intifada today.
WATCH PART TWO: