Sana'a - Saba:
Palestinians commemorate the Intifada Day, the 37th anniversary of the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada, the "Stone Intifada", which began on December 8, 1987, to be a prominent turning point in the path of the national struggle of the Palestinian people against the Zionist enemy and its forces and military mechanisms.
That Intifada constituted a turning point in Palestinian history, as Palestinians gathered in all the occupied territories, from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Jerusalem, in popular resistance to the practices of the Zionist enemy, represented in demonstrations, strikes, and refusal to cooperate with the enemy forces.
The Intifada of Stones began in Jabalia in the Gaza Strip, following the martyrdom of four Palestinian workers at the Beit Hanoun (Erez) occupation checkpoint in 1987, after a Zionist settler ran them over with his truck. They were: the martyr Taleb Abu Zeid (46 years old) from Al-Maghazi, the martyr Issam Hamouda (29 years old) from Jabalia Al-Balad, the martyr Shaaban Nabhan (26 years old) from Jabalia Al-Balad, and the martyr Ali Ismail (25 years old) from Al-Maghazi.
The next morning, anger spread throughout Jabalia camp, and spontaneous angry demonstrations erupted, turning into violent confrontations with the Zionist enemy forces, leading to the martyrdom of the young man Hatem al-Sisi, who became the first martyr in the blessed uprising.
Rolling from Jabalia camp to Balata camp and Nablus, the uprising reached its glory and height, and on December 10, 1987, the young man Ibrahim al-Aklik (17 years old) was martyred, followed on December 11, 1987 by the young woman Suhaila al-Kaabi (19 years old), and the young man Ali Musaed (12 years old) from Balata camp, then the uprising erupted, ignited and flourished with hundreds of martyrs, and tens of thousands of wounded and prisoners.
The Intifada continued for seven years, revolving in every home, family, Alm, platform, wall, street, neighborhood, district, city, camp, and village in the West Bank, Gaza, occupied Al-Quds, and the 1948 territories, as the revolutionary song says: "In every village, home, and neighborhood, our Intifada continues to revolving." Data from the Foundation for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and Prisoners indicate that: 1,550 Palestinians were martyred during the Intifada, and 100-200 thousand Palestinians were arrested during the Intifada. Data from the Palestinian Wounded Foundation also indicate that the number of wounded in the Intifada exceeds 70 thousand wounded, about 40 percent of whom suffer from permanent disabilities, and 65 percent suffer from cerebral, hemiplegic, or upper-limb paralysis, or paralysis in one of the limbs, including amputation or severing of important limbs.
Statistics prepared by the International Solidarity Foundation revealed that 40 Palestinians were martyred during the uprising inside Zionist prisons and detention centers, after investigators used torture and abuse to extract confessions.
The Foundation today recalled the heroic efforts made by the Palestinian people in confronting the Zionist enemy, stressing the need to renew the pledge to continue the struggle to achieve legitimate national rights, most notably the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On this anniversary, the Palestinians affirm their commitment to continue the national struggle until freedom and independence are achieved, renewing the pledge that resistance will always be their primary option in confronting the occupation.
The first Palestinian uprising began on December 8, 1987, after a Zionist settler ran over a number of Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip, which led to the martyrdom of four of them. As a result, popular protests erupted in various Palestinian cities and villages against the Zionist enemy.
It is noteworthy that the Intifada continued until September 13, 1993, when the Oslo Accords were signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Zionist enemy government, which witnessed the beginning of a new phase of negotiations and political understandings. Although the Intifada officially stopped with the signing of the Oslo Accords, its effects are still present in the Palestinian memory.
During the years of the Intifada, approximately 1,100 Palestinians were martyred, in addition to thousands of wounded. In contrast, the number of Zionist dead reached about 160.
The first Intifada constituted a turning point in the history of the Palestinian-Zionist conflict, and contributed to increasing international awareness of the Palestinian cause, and to strengthening the Palestinian national identity.
Abdulaziz Al-Hazi
M.M
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