Israel Can Prevent Third Intifada By Ending Occupation
Israel should address the root cause of Palestinian anger — occupation — if it truly wants to prevent a third intifada.
I received the following email Thursday, Sept. 26:
Intifada Youth Coalition (IYC-PAL) invites the media to report on our protests across Palestine on Friday, Sept. 27, designated "Al-Aqsa Friday," against Israel's gross violations of human rights and continued brutal occupation of Palestine. –Third Intifada of Anger against the Occupation in all #Palestine
This call for public demonstrations, which ended with a link to a Facebook account, is certainly not new in Palestine. Nor is the fact that it originates from the youth, the largest demographic among the Palestinian population, or its dependence on new media rather than traditional media.
What is new is that the call comes at a time when Palestinian negotiators are participating in talks that aim to find a permanent solution for all outstanding issues between Israelis and Palestinians. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas alluded to this in his first ever address to the United Nations as the president of Palestine, saying that the Palestinian objective is to achieve a permanent and comprehensive agreement and a peace treaty between the states of Palestine and Israel. Abbas insisted that such an agreement will “resolve all outstanding issues and answer all questions, which allows us to officially declare an end of conflict and claims.”
