Security sources believe the intifada is losing steam, because of fatigue and frustration in the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The failure of any political solution to appear after more than 19 months of the uprising has added to the Palestinians’ disappointment.
They realize that the casualties they suffered and hardships endured have paid no dividends, Ha’aretz said Wednesday, quoting unnamed security sources.
Nevertheless, neither those sources nor the Israel Defense Force believe that a complete end to the Palestinian uprising is near.
But there has been a decrease in violent acts against the IDF and in the number of participants in such acts.
An example cited was the absence of protest demonstrations after Israel expelled eight Palestinian residents of the territories on June 29, alleging they were leaders of the uprising.
At the same time, the number of attacks on Palestinians suspected of cooperating with the Israeli authorities has increased sharply.
Since the uprising began in December 1987, more than 65 Arabs have been murdered for alleged collaboration, hundreds have been injured and thousands have been threatened or had their property damaged, Ha’aretz said.
In addition, deep disagreements over future policy have emerged among the various groups leading the uprising.
The Palestinians disagree on tactical issues, such as whether to allow students to resume studies, whether to escalate violence against the IDF by resorting to firearms and how to treat Arabs who cooperate with the authorities.
‘SHOCK COMMITTEES’ HARD AT WORK
The security sources attribute the troubles in the Palestinian camp to the heavy toll of human life — nearly 500 dead in 19 months and more than 6,000 injured.
Pressure by the IDF, the civil administration and other security elements is increasing. Economic life has been badly disrupted and the world news media are no longer giving the intifada the attention it got in its earlier stages.
The euphoric atmosphere that prevailed in the territories at the end of 1988, when the United States decided to open a dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization, has dissipated.
The Arabs of the territories are slowly realizing that they are the ones who continue to pay the price while the rewards of their sacrifice have yet to be seen.
But mainly, according to security sources, Palestinian activists have turned to violence against fellow Arabs because of the difficulties the IDF has created for them.
A senior military source in Gaza said Tuesday that the so-called “shock committees” have intensified their efforts against the distribution of magnetized identification cards that enable Arab workers to go to their daily jobs in Israel.
Members of the shock committees, which enforce directives from the uprising leadership, wear masks and resort to threats and violence.
A report in Hadashot quoting a military source said that when the new cards were first issued nearly two months ago, squads of masked men seized and burned them in front of the recipients.
More recently, the shock committees have established a network of spies who follow Gaza residents to the civil administration office, where they get the cards, and beat them if they refuse to hand them over.
Some Palestinians working in Israel do not go home to the Gaza Strip for months for fear of having their ID cards taken.
When the “shock committees” learn of this, they wreck the workers’ homes and threaten harm to their families if they do not return, the military source told Hadashot.
The magnetized cards were issued to enable authorities to check workers’ criminal records, in the hope of preventing violent attacks in Israel.
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