Beyond Intifada: Narratives of Freedom Fighters in the Gaza Strip

This book presents the personal narratives of six Palestinians--four men and two women--whose stories are central to describing the greater Palestinian plight in the Gaza Strip, the Intifada, the beginning of the 1993 peace process, and beyond. Each Palestinian has related crucial events in his or her life story, and by reading their accounts, we come to see the struggle through their eyes and put a human face on events that Western media and consciousness have only partially explored.

The story of the Intifada in the Gaza Strip, with its tragic and inspiring outcomes, is slowly fading from the world’s collective memory. In the final weeks of 1987, however, this small strip of land became the major battleground of what the authors consider one of the few authentic national rebellions of the second half of the 20th century. This book presents the personal narratives of six Palestinians--four men and two women--whose stories are central to describing the greater Palestinian plight in the Gaza Strip, the Intifada, the beginning of the 1993 peace process, and beyond.

Each Palestinian has related crucial events in his or her life story, and by reading their accounts, we come to see the struggle through their eyes and put a human face on events that Western media and consciousness have only partially explored. This book is an important corrective for scholars, students, researchers, and the general reading public concerned about the contemporary Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

HAIM GORDON is Professor of Education at Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel. He is the editor, coeditor or author of 17 earlier books.

RIVCA GORDON is the Director of the Foundation for Democratic Education in Israel and is an independent scholar who has coauthored or edited several earlier books.

TAHER SHRITEH is a freelance journalist who has worked for CBS, BBC, The New York Times, and Reuters in the Gaza Strip.