ABSTRACT
It is one thing to trigger contentious politics; it is a totally different story to sustain contentious politics. Unlike former challenges during the twenty years of occupation, the 1987 Intifada should be distinguished chiefly by the Israeli incapacity to curb the challenge. Over six years, the Palestinians in the occupied territories succeeded in mounting a wide spread and intensive revolt sustained by a well-established and coordinated organizational infrastructure, unprecedented commitment, and a calculated use of contentious repertoires. Two closely related questions should be raised: why was Israel incapable of repressing the uprising, and, conversely, why were the Palestinians capable of promoting such a challenge?
