How did Palestinians protest during the first intifada?

During the first intifada, which began in December 1987, Palestinians employed a variety of sophisticated and evolving protest tactics to challenge the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.12

Key methods of resistance included:

• Civil Disobedience: Palestinians organized union-led strikes, commercial boycotts, and business closures. These actions were often rotated between different areas to maintain pressure even after Israeli authorities attempted to reestablish control in specific locations.1
• Demonstrations and Rioting: During the first year of the uprising, protests frequently involved throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli targets.2
• Armed Attacks: As Israeli military and police reprisals intensified, the nature of the resistance shifted. By the later stages of the uprising, some Palestinians moved from stone-throwing to attacking Israeli targets with rifles, hand grenades, and explosives.2

Resistance was centered in refugee camps, though it also involved Palestinians from more affluent backgrounds and received expressions of sympathy from some Palestinian citizens of Israel.1