Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Structured Response

Although ultimately unsuccessful, the intifada was an undeniably major part of the Palestine-Israel conflict.

The intifada in Palestine had some lasting effects. The movement mobilized and empowered the people of Palestine. If nothing else, by challenging the traditional norms, the patriarchal type society was questioned and therefore typical roles of women were reassessed. Women became even more involved in the nation's struggle, and took on public roles including leadership roles, where they could be seen by their community as a skilled contributor. It is these seemingly small but greatly important effects of the intifada that left the greatest impact.

The intifada allowed Palestinians to feel even more capable of working in masses to defend themselves.  As sovereignty was the goal, Palestinians were able to connect to make this goal reality by establishing their own institutions. Although not technically official, the creation of such institutions reflects the current spirit of autonomy seen throughout the region today.

Israel was affected in a much less obvious way. During the time of intifada, at least 50 peace organizations were created, using non-violent protest methods to get their message across. Some groups even had Palestinian support networks. Even Zionists became bothered by the occupation, seeing it harmful to Israel, and joined peaceful organizations such as "End the Occupation"

Overall, the effects from the intifada are not obvious nor extraordinary, but they are there and they are important.

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