Legal Decision-Making During the Palestinian Intifada: Embryonic Self-Rule

The Palestinian uprising known as the intifada is now in its fifth year. Intifada, from the Arabic verb "to shake," connotes an attempt to shake off twenty-five years of Israeli occupation. During the intifada considerable world attention has focused on the image of keffiyah-clad youth who throw stones in the Occupied Territories (the West Bank and Gaza). Due to this focus, some commentators have characterized the intifada as an uncoordinated reign of terror on a hapless population.

Others, including this author, see rather the beginnings of de facto Palestinian autonomy and embryonic selfrule.