First intifada

The First Intifada was the 1987 to 1993 Palestinian uprising against Israeli control in the occupied territories. In Intro to Judaism, it comes up when studying modern Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity.

What is the first intifada?

The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising that began in December 1987 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, areas occupied by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War. In Intro to Judaism, it is usually discussed as part of the modern history of Israel and the conflict that shapes Jewish life, identity, and politics today.

The word intifada means something like "shaking off" in Arabic. That gives you a clue about how people understood it at the time, not just as isolated protests but as a broad attempt to resist military occupation. The uprising spread through streets, schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces, so it was not limited to formal armies or political elites.

It began after a traffic accident in Gaza in which an Israeli military vehicle killed four Palestinians, but the deeper causes were already there: anger over occupation, limited political rights, economic pressure, and years of frustration with negotiations that seemed stalled. People used strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, stone-throwing, and other forms of resistance. That mix matters because the First Intifada was not only a violent clash. It also had a strong grassroots and non-cooperation side.

For Jewish studies, this period is often taught alongside Zionism and the creation of Israel because it shows how the story does not end in 1948. After independence, Israel became the Jewish state, but the unresolved status of Palestinians and the territories captured in 1967 became one of the central issues in modern Jewish history. The uprising forced many Israelis, Palestinians, and outside observers to confront the daily reality of occupation.

The Israeli response included curfews, arrests, military force, and attempts to restore control. At the same time, the uprising pushed international attention toward the Palestinian cause and helped move Israeli and Palestinian leaders toward negotiations. That process eventually fed into the Oslo Accords in 1993. So when you see First Intifada in a Judaism class, think of it as a turning point in the modern history of Israel, not just a protest event.

Why the first intifada matters in Intro to Judaism

The First Intifada matters in Intro to Judaism because it sits at the center of any serious discussion of modern Jewish identity and the role of Israel. Once you study Zionism, the British Mandate, the declaration of Israel, and the wars that followed, the Intifada shows the next stage of the story: what happens when statehood exists, but borders, sovereignty, and Palestinian rights are still unresolved.

It also helps you see that Jewish history in the modern era is not only about religion or ancient tradition. It includes nationalism, statehood, conflict, diaspora politics, and moral debate. Many Jewish communities around the world reacted to the Intifada in different ways, so it becomes a useful case for talking about how Jews relate to Israel, whether through support, criticism, grief, or activism.

If you are writing about Israel in a paper or class discussion, the First Intifada gives you a concrete turning point. It marks the shift from a conflict that was often discussed mainly in terms of war between states to one that centered on occupation, protest, and negotiations with a national movement. That makes it a strong example for essays about the modern Middle East and Jewish political history.

How the first intifada connects across the course

Oslo Accords

The First Intifada helped create the pressure for negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords. If you are tracing the conflict chronologically, the uprising is part of the path from open resistance to formal diplomacy. Oslo matters because it shows how protest and international attention can shift a conflict toward bargaining, even if the deeper issues remain unresolved.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

The PLO became more central as the First Intifada developed, because it was one of the main political voices claiming to represent Palestinians. In class discussion, this connection helps separate grassroots uprising from leadership abroad. The Intifada was not simply controlled by the PLO, but it changed the group’s leverage and visibility.

Six-Day War

The First Intifada cannot be understood without the 1967 Six-Day War, since Israel’s victory left it in control of the West Bank and Gaza. That occupation is the direct background for the uprising. When you see these terms together, think cause and consequence across two different periods in modern Jewish and Israeli history.

Settlements

Settlements are part of the territorial and political setting that made the First Intifada so charged. Their presence in occupied areas intensified disputes over land, rights, and long-term control. In an essay, you might connect settlements to the daily realities of occupation that fueled Palestinian anger and shaped Israeli policy choices.

Is the first intifada on the Intro to Judaism exam?

A quiz or essay prompt might ask you to place the First Intifada on a timeline, explain why it broke out, or connect it to the Oslo peace process. You should be ready to identify it as a Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories from 1987 to 1993, not as a full-scale state-to-state war. If a passage or discussion asks about modern Israel, use the Intifada to show how occupation, protest, and negotiations changed the conversation around Jewish identity and the future of the region. A strong answer names both the grassroots resistance and the Israeli response.

The first intifada vs Second Intifada

The First Intifada and Second Intifada are easy to mix up, but they happened in different periods and had different political settings. The First Intifada began in 1987 and is often associated with grassroots protest and the move toward Oslo. The Second Intifada began in 2000 and was far more deadly, with a different mix of tactics, leadership, and diplomatic fallout.

Key things to remember about the first intifada

• The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza that began in 1987.

• It was driven by long-term frustration over occupation, political rights, and stalled negotiations, not just by one single event.

• The uprising mixed civil disobedience, strikes, boycotts, stone-throwing, and other forms of resistance, so it was both political and highly visible.

• In Intro to Judaism, the term matters because it shows how modern Jewish history includes Israel, conflict, and debates about power and responsibility.

• The First Intifada helped set the stage for the Oslo Accords and changed how many people talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Frequently asked questions about the first intifada

What is the First Intifada in Intro to Judaism?

It is the Palestinian uprising that began in 1987 in the occupied territories and lasted until the Oslo period in the early 1990s. In Intro to Judaism, you usually study it as part of modern Israel’s history and the conflict that shapes Jewish identity and politics today.

Why did the First Intifada start?

The spark was a fatal traffic accident involving an Israeli military vehicle, but the deeper causes were years of anger over occupation, lack of political rights, and economic pressure. That is why historians treat it as a broad social and political uprising, not just a spontaneous protest.

How is the First Intifada different from the Second Intifada?

The First Intifada began in 1987 and is often remembered for widespread grassroots resistance, while the Second Intifada began in 2000 and was much deadlier. If you are comparing them, focus on timing, tactics, and how each one affected peace talks.

How does the First Intifada show up in a Judaism class?

You might see it in a reading about Zionism, the state of Israel, or modern Jewish identity. It often comes up in essays and discussions about how Jews relate to Israel, how the conflict developed after 1967, and why the Oslo process mattered.