A few weeks back I finally moved my library from San Antonio to McAllen & have had fun going through my old friends & putting them back on shelves. I came across a 2001 Verso book titled “The New Intifada: Resisting Israel’s Apartheid”, a powerful collection of articles written during the Second or Al Aqsa Intifada which began in September 2000 & lasted until early 2005. It was before the Palestinian call for BDS in 2005. Chomsky wrote an excellent introduction, Edward Said (who died in 2003) has a couple excellent essays, among several others including Mouin Rabbani, Omar Barghouti, Robert Fisk, & Ali Abunimah. There is discussion of the Oslo Accords, Palestinian refugees, the 1982 Sabra & Shatila massacre, a comparison of the 1987 Intifada with the Al Aqsa Intifada, the presentation of Palestinians as terrorists in media.
In rereading the book, I am struck by the extremes of violence which Palestinians have always sustained at the hand of Israel & that the abhorrent tactics used against unarmed protesters at the Great Return March in Gaza like killing little kids & emergency medical personnel were employed against protesters in the 1987 & 2000 uprisings. The internet & social media make that reality much more available to us whereas in 2000, with only mainstream media reporting, that information was not easily come by.
I recommend the book for its analyses but I warn you it is hard to read. The Palestinians have endured so much & lost so much at the hands of Israel & its supporters, especially the US, but still they resist with all their might. It will inspire you to redouble your commitment to Palestinian justice & to building BDS.