Palestinian ‘wave of anger’ fades without direction
An outburst of unorganized violence that broke out six months ago was the product of political stagnation and is unlikely to have benefits for Palestinians, according to analysts.
At least 202 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 1, mostly after alleged individual knife or car-ramming attacks, which have killed 33 Israelis or foreigners.
While the likes of the Gaza-based Hamas movement quickly claimed the events signaled a third intifada – to follow the movements of the late 1980s and early 2000s – the protests have since faded because of a lack of political direction, according to Alaa Tartir, program director at the Palestinian al-Shabaka think tank.
"The last six months showed how weak the Palestinian political parties are. This wave of anger is not really owned or steered by the political parties," said Tartir. "If you look at the level of clashes in October and November, they were considerably higher than they were in February and March."