Palestinian stone-throwing

Palestinian stone-throwing refers to a Palestinian practice of throwing stones at people or property. It is a tactic with both a symbolic and military dimension when used against heavily-armed troops. Proponents, sympathizers, as well as some analysts have characterized stone throwing by Palestinians as a form of "limited", "restrained", "non-lethal" violence.^[1][2] However, stone-throwing is not as innocuous as it may seem, as it has resulted in the deaths of over a dozen Israelis, including women, children, and infants.^[3][4][5] The majority of Palestinian youths engaged in the practice appear to regard it as symbolic and non-violent, given the disparity in power and equipment between the Israeli forces and the Palestinian stone-throwers,^[6] with many considering it a method of deterring Israeli military forces and civilians from the occupation of Palestinian lands. The state of Israel considers the act to be criminal, on the grounds that it is potentially lethal.^[7] In some cases, Israelis have argued that it should be treated as a form of terrorism, or that, in terms of the psychology of those who hurl stones, even in defense or in protest, it is intrinsically aggressive.^[8][9]

It has also been described variously as a form of traditional,^[10] popular protest^[11] guerrilla tactic or action,^[12][13] or a tactic of civil disobedience^[14][15] which came to prominence during the First Intifada.^[16][17] At least 14 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian stone throwing, including three Arabs mistaken for Jews.^[18] It has occasionally been imitated by activists among the Arab citizens of Israel.^[11]

Stone throwing is not considered a deadly force in most countries: in the West firearms are generally not used in crowd or riot dispersals and proportionality of force is the norm, except where immediate danger to life exists.^[19] Stone-throwers also employ catapults, slings and slingshots^[20] armed with readily available materials at hand: stones, bricks, bottles, pebbles or ball bearings, and sometimes rats^[10][21][22] or cement blocks. Slingshots are often loaded with large ball bearings instead of stones.^[23][24][25] Since the 1987 uprising, the technique is favoured as one which, to foreign eyes, will invert the association of modern Israel with David, and her enemies with Goliath, by casting the Palestinians as David to Israel's Goliath.^[22] Despite there having been frequent acts of protest all over the Palestinian territories, the number of shooting incidents has been less than 3%.^[26] Nonetheless, the international press and media focused on the aspect of Palestinian stone-throwing, which garnered more headline attention than other violent conflicts in the world,^[27][28] so that it became iconic for characterizing the uprising.^[29] According to Edward Said, a total cultural and social form of anti-colonial resistance by the Palestinian people is commodified for outside consumption simply as delinquent stone throwing or mindless terroristic bombings.^[30]

The Israeli penal code treats stone throwing as a felony, with a maximum penalty of up to 20 years, depending on the circumstances and intentions: a maximum of 10 years for stoning cars, regardless of intent to endanger passengers, and 20 years for throwing stones at people, without proof of intent to cause bodily harm.^[31] In addition a temporary measure for 3 years was enacted in November 2015 mandating minimum sentences and creating a legal equivalence between rocks and other weapons.^[32] Israeli undercover forces have been observed infiltrating protests on numerous occasions, inciting demonstrators and themselves throwing stones at Israeli troops.^[33][34][35] According to Israel's statistics, no IDF soldier has died as a result of Palestinian stone-throwing.