Palestinian Conference Raises New Threat of Intifada

Bridges For Peace (Link) - The Media Line (April 24, 2011)

The possibility of a new intifada, a popular and violent uprising against Israel, was raised at the 6th Annual Bil�in Conference on the Palestinian Popular Struggle. The yearly parley�which is named after the town where anti-Israel protests focusing on the controversial security fence are held weekly�was also renamed to honor the Italian pro-Palestinian activist who was murdered recently by Salafist Islamists in the Gaza Strip. In the presence of political leaders, foreign diplomats, and religious leaders, the head of the Bil�in protest organization threw the threat of violence into the mix, suggesting that September, the target date for a declaration of Palestinian statehood, would mark the onset if no diplomatic breakthrough comes by then.

Young leaders have been urging an �uprising� similar to others in the Arab world, the exception being that it would target Israel rather than the Palestinian government. Palestinian Authority [PA] head Mahmoud Abbas last week reiterated his opposition to a third intifada. �