Gaza: Ten years ago, Ariel Sharon entered Al Aqsa compound as the peace process crumbled, setting off the second intifada (uprising). Today, we see the possibility of the beginning of a third intifada with the storming of Al Aqsa compound by Israeli army and the rededication of the Hurva synagogue.

At the beginning of the second intifada, the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip stood up against the Israelis with complete support from the Palestinian National Authority led by president Yasser Arafat.

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) is now warning that a third uprising will ensue if Israel pushes ahead with its practices in occupied East Jerusalem, such as colony building, home evictions, and controlling Al Aqsa compound.

"If matters remain at this level, regardless of whether we take the decision or not, an intifada is coming. If Israel continues these practices, it is coming," said the PLO's executive committee member, Ahmad Qorei.

The rise of an intifada "is not a matter of official decision, but rather from the culmination of oppression, injustice, aggression and tyranny. It is something the people decide," Qorei added.

Although many support a third intifada, the second intifada has technically never ceased as there has never been a political solution to the issues it was being fought for.

The second intifada lost momentum after the death of Arafat and led to infighting between Palestinian factions — the Hamas-Fatah conflict, and within the Fatah itself.

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, between September 2000, and March 3, 2010, a total of 4,968 unarmed Palestinian civilians have been killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), and a further 1,470 Palestinians have been killed by IOF in armed clashes in the Palestinian territories.

The wounded have numbered 16,963 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 13,400 in the West Bank.

Not only have thousands of homes been destroyed, but the economy is now also severely weakened and almost entirely controlled by Israel due to "security concerns" following the onset of the second intifada.

Political analyst Dr Assad Abu Sharek said: "No matter what the figures and statistics show, the Palestinians can support another intifada if there is political support from the Palestinian leadership."

The situation under which the Palestinians are now living, will not allow for a third intifada to start, however, as the West Bank is divided by colonies and checkpoints, the Gaza Strip is under siege, and both sides of occupied Jerusalem are under Israeli control.

"The [final] announcement of a new intifada is not in the hands of anybody or any party. It's something the people create to show their anger and disappointment with the level the Palestinian situation reaches, especially after the failure of the peace process and the continued infractions of the Israeli against them," he added.

Non-violent

President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas announced repeatedly in December 2009 that he would not allow an armed intifada to spread to the West Bank, but he does support peaceful demonstrations and a non-violent intifada against Israel.

From the besieged Gaza Strip as well as Damascus, the Islamist movement, Hamas, on the other hand, called for a new intifada in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, as not much can be done in Gaza due to the siege.

Despite Israel's control over every single detail in the Palestinian territories, it deals with the matter of a new intifada rising up from Al Aqsa very carefully and with a great deal of caution, as it touches on Muslim spirits around the world.