Memories Of An "Intifada" Insider

Saed Bannoura, first Intifada, Palestinian, martyrs

It's true, I will live my life on this wheelchair, paralyzed...but what they could not take and will never be able to take away is my internal strength, my will and my love of my country.

Saed Bannoura , Palestine

Date Posted: 08/15/06

Reader Rating:

In 1987 the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis hit a new high. A series of violent incidents escalated into full-blown riots originating the First "Intifada", or Palestinian uprising. This grassroots movement marked a new era in mass resistance in Palestine, signaling an end to years of passivity. Lacking the necessary arms to face the Israeli military, people in the occupied territories invented their own ways of fighting back. Many young men took to wearing masks and ambushing the Israeli army with a rain of stones.

A few years later, Saed Bannoura would be one of the millions of victims of the struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians, one of the most enduring and explosive of all the world's conflicts.

Here's his story in his own words.

On April 22, 1991, I was only 18 years old. I was out with some of my comrades planning to conduct a march and rally in the streets of our town, Beit Sahour, against the Israeli occupation of our land. This march was one of many peaceful protests held as part of what had become known as the "First Intifada" (popular uprising), which had begun in 1987.

That particular day seemed somehow strange to me, and different from previous marches - usually the Israeli army filled the streets of our town during protests, occupying every corner, but on this day the army remained in their camp, and did not show any presence.

Something felt wrong. Deep inside of me I felt that there was something that did not feel right. Where was the army? What I did not realize was that the army was in fact already present, but in a different shape and form.

On that particular day, it was "the death squads" (as they were known to us), known in Israel as the Dovadim, the Israeli special forces, who were policing and patrolling our demonstration. These are forces which are specially trained for assassinations and are well known for their brutality and their 'shoot to kill' orders.

Apparently, after the Israeli prisons were filled with Palestinians, and after the Israeli policies of 'bone breaking' and long imprisonment failed to stop the uprising, the army decided on a new policy, a policy of 'assassinating' the youth, or at least severely injuring and disabling them.

During the first Intifada, an Israeli high official was quoted as saying that the army should not kill the Palestinian youth, because a youth killed by the army would then be honored as a martyr and thousands would follow their lead.