⁍ The Al-Aqsa Intifada began with rocks and tear gas before mushrooming into an armed conflict in which more than 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis were killed.

---

⁍ Despite recent political setbacks, many are reluctant to revisit that trauma.

---

⁍ The last peace talks flopped in 2014, and stalemate has simmered since.

---

– Sept. 28 marks the 20th anniversary of what’s known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, or Second Intifada, which began when Palestinians threw rocks and tear gas at Israeli forces during a protest in Jerusalem’s Old City. Since then, more than 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis have been killed in a conflict that remains one of the bloodiest in Middle East history, per Reuters. Israel blames then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who failed to reach a peace agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at Camp David two months before the intifada began. The uprising grew into an armed conflict in which more than 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis were killed. “I do believe the Palestinian people need to be smart and think wisely before they choose the path that they want to go into,” says Palestinian Jerusalemite Ziad Abu Zayyad, 33. “Intifada can be made in different shapes. It may be by using a pen and writing, by opening a blog and reaching out to the people, by having a diplomatic effort—even though it has proved to be useless these days.”