An early pilot · A community project
QADIYA is an independent, noncommercial community project: an archive of Palestine’s history, built for the cause and open to everyone.
This is an early pilot. Its records were gathered with AI help from cited sources and are still being checked, so don’t rely on them yet, and tell us if something is wrong.
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الانتفاضة الأولى
Date qualified9 December 1987 – 13 September 1993
Gaza Strip · Jabalia Refugee Camp · Palestine · West Bank
A popular uprising across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, from 9 December 1987 to the signing of the Oslo agreement on 13 September 1993: mass demonstrations, strikes and civil disobedience, led on the ground by a clandestine unified leadership.
Among the seven who decided, on 9 December 1987, to create Hamas, soon a major force in the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Founded Hamas with other Islamic activists in Gaza after the uprising broke out
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Among the most prominent leaders of the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Deported by Israel on 1 August 1988, accused of a central role in organising the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Took part in the uprising and in Beit Sahour’s civil disobedience
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
One of the principal architects of the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Helped organise it from exile in Amman
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities
Composed verses for the uprising; called “the voice of the Intifada” by Yasser Arafat
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography)
Defended human and legal rights, and was repeatedly arrested
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities
Helped set up technical committees across the West Bank
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities
Linked context in the legacy record
Linked context in the legacy record
Linked context in the legacy record
Linked context in the legacy record
The spark was an incident in which an Israeli military truck crashed into cars carrying Palestinian workers from Gaza, killing four. Demonstrations broke out on 9 December 1987 in Jabaliya, the largest refugee camp in Palestine, and spread through the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and the West Bank. Within two weeks its communiqués were signed by the clandestine Unified National Leadership of the Uprising, drawn from the four main factions of the PLO.
Link to this chapterPalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · section: Escalation
Editorial paraphrase · enDemonstrations broke out on 9 December 1987 in Jabaliya after four workers from Gaza were killed by an Israeli military truck; the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising signed its communiqués within two weeks.
Link to this citationThe uprising organised general strikes, school and shop closures and public resignations. The Israeli army fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters and, under instruction from Yitzhak Rabin, adopted a policy of breaking bones; according to the encyclopedia, 18,000 Palestinians were arrested in the first year alone.
Link to this chapterPalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · section: Governance
Editorial paraphrase · enStrikes and closures organised the uprising; the army adopted a policy of bone-breaking under Rabin’s instruction, and 18,000 were arrested in the first year.
Link to this citationThe encyclopedia dates the uprising’s formal end to 13 September 1993, when Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo agreement on the White House lawn.
Link to this chapterPalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · section: The Outcome of the Intifada
Editorial paraphrase · enArafat’s signature on the White House lawn on 13 September 1993 formally ended the Intifada.
Link to this citationSources & evidence
Contextual sources are further reading. Precise supporting passages appear alongside the chapters.
photograph · Wikimedia Commons
The photograph shown with this event: A demonstration in the Gaza Strip, 21 December 1987.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): shown with its credit.
article · PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies
Overview by Roger Heacock, Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question (Institute for Palestine Studies).
Reference metadata and an original summary only. No permission to copy or host the source’s text, photographs, audio or video is asserted.
9 December 1987 – 13 September 1993 · duration
EVERY RECORD IS PART OF A LARGER STORY
PersonAbd al-Aziz Rantisi participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Among the seven who decided, on 9 December 1987, to create Hamas, soon a major force in the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “Rantisi was one of the seven leaders of the Muslim Brothers who met in the house of Shaykh Ahmad Yasin on 9 December 1987 and decided the creation of the Movement of Islamic Resistance (HAMAS), which soon became a major force in the Palestinian intifada.”
Evidence version:palquest-abd-al-aziz-rantisi-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonAhmad Yasin participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Founded Hamas with other Islamic activists in Gaza after the uprising broke out
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “After the first Palestinian intifada erupted in December 1987, Yasin and a group of Islamic activists in Gaza created an Islamic organization to struggle against Israeli occupation; they called it Movement of Islamic Resistance”
Evidence version:palquest-ahmad-yasin-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonFaisal al-Husseini participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Among the most prominent leaders of the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “In 1987 he set up the Palestinian Human Rights Center and the Committee Against the Iron Fist, and he was one of the most prominent leaders of the popular intifada during that period.”
Evidence version:palquest-faisal-al-husseini-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonFathi Shiqaqi participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Deported by Israel on 1 August 1988, accused of a central role in organising the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “On 1 August 1988, before the end of his time in prison, the Israeli military deported him, accusing him of playing a central role in organizing the intifada.”
Evidence version:palquest-fathi-shiqaqi-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonJamal Bannoura participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Took part in the uprising and in Beit Sahour’s civil disobedience
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “Bannoura participated in the first intifada that erupted in December 1987 and in the acts of civil disobedience that the residents of Beit Sahour came to be famous for during that uprising.”
Evidence version:palquest-jamal-bannoura-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonKhalil al-Wazir participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: One of the principal architects of the uprising
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “Khalil al-Wazir was one of the principal architects of the first popular intifada, which broke out in December 1987.”
Evidence version:palquest-khalil-al-wazir-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonMarwan Barghouti participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Helped organise it from exile in Amman
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities.
Palestinian Personalities: a biographic directory ↗
PASSIA, the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs · supports · section: played a role in the organizing the first Intifada from his Amman exile
Evidence version:passia-palestinian-personalities:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonRajeh al-Salfiti participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Composed verses for the uprising; called “the voice of the Intifada” by Yasser Arafat
Attributed to Institute for Palestine Studies (Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, biography).
PalQuest · Institute for Palestine Studies · supports · section: “Palestinian President Yasir Arafat gave him the title of “the voice of the Intifada.””
Evidence version:palquest-rajeh-al-salfiti-biography:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonRaji Sourani participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Defended human and legal rights, and was repeatedly arrested
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities.
Palestinian Personalities: a biographic directory ↗
PASSIA, the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs · supports · section: was an outspoken advocate of human and legal rights during the first Intifada, for which he was repeatedly arrested
Evidence version:passia-palestinian-personalities:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.
PersonSari Nusseibeh participated in EventThe First Intifada
Role: Helped set up technical committees across the West Bank
Attributed to PASSIA, Palestinian Personalities.
Palestinian Personalities: a biographic directory ↗
PASSIA, the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs · supports · section: helped in setting up technical committees throughout the West Bank during the first Intifada
Evidence version:passia-palestinian-personalities:v1References show the basis of this connection; their count is not a measure of independent corroboration.