Jerusalem and the West Bank, a Third Intifada?

During the last month security measures in Jerusalem have escalated, affecting different areas within the West Bank. Protests and clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli Security Forces (ISF) were reported on a daily bases. Simultaneously, pre-planned attacks were conducted in the WB and Jerusalem- by both Israelis and Palestinians.

The attacks were conducted by either groups or individuals, which created a challenge for the ISF. Lone wolf attacks are impossible to detect on an early stage (Planning stage), and therefore the ISF resources to a random stop and search policy in Arab neighborhoods- in hopes of minimizing the attacks. The ISF also, noticeably, uses violence on suspected people of interest and lethal countermeasures to stop potential attackers.

People and various news platforms are now referring to the recent events as “ Third Intifada” (Third Uprising). This “Intifada” is no different than the previous two Palestinian Intifadas- It includes violent as well as nonviolent components.

During an uprising, It is believed that a well laid mass protest strategy would result in the reduction of pre-planned attacks. Pre-planned attacks are a lower-grade, less effective form of struggle, especially when it addresses the international community. This case might have been correct during the First Palestinian Intifada in 1987, On the other hand the Second Intifada in 2002 proved to be the exact opposite: The frequency of pre-planned incidents and the increase in the number of casualties, during such events, indicated that the Second Intifada did not have a distinct strategy of struggle but a mixture of several methods of struggle, including pre-planned attacks.

Today we are witnessing a random public movement that lacks a recognized leadership and collective goals and collective decisions. However, it still has not reached a culminating point; to an Intifada.