Writings on the intifada are one thing, and the reality something else. Most publications today portray the positive aspects of the intifada; virtual advertisements, they fail to deal with the problematic issues. Social upheaval has affected all classes in society, although it has been exaggerated by comparisons to the Cuban and Chinese revolutions. Now the tide of popular revolution has ebbed, leaving the government of the uprising's routine agenda, such as general strikes. My concern here is to focus on the role of youth in society. By staying away from home and school for prolonged periods in order to exercise new positions of authority in the street, young people have weakened their relationships with families and teachers and loosened their moral ties. We see a lack of discipline in the education system. Students have lost interest in reading, discussing and understanding. Self-discipline at school, at work and in the street is lost. Such youthful tendencies to independence from the family are not only a result of the uprising. Other factors include working outwith the family farm or business; emigration; the liberalisation of education in the early 1960s and the entry of all social classes to university; greater recognition of young people's right to independence; and changing marriage customs. There have been changes in the numbers and type of young people involved in the intifada. More youth were involved and thereby gained greater independence in the early years. It became acceptable for young people to stay away from home and school in order to challenge the occupying forces. Another realm conquered by youth was family marriage arrangements. Families, in order to prevent them from being arrested, began to marry girls off as early as possible; thus the average age of marriage for girls dropped in 1988-89. At the same time appeared new phenomena, the cancelling of marriage celebrations, and an increase in birth rates across classes. Thus the youth rebellion has posed, first, a challenge to the traditional values of the education system and, second, a challenge to discipline which has shaken the very foundations of the family. Parents and teachers were the first to be affected by the upheaval. They could not provide better alternatives, especially in the state of siege after the Gulf war. The interest on the part of some in directing this rebellion towards a political programme based on the peace initiative led to a breakdown of the post-1988 consensus. Consensus based on a programme of challenging occupation could not endure factional divisions and the uncontrolled rebellion in most areas of life. In addition, Islamic groups mobilised the population, providing a more reassuring vision based on the religious notions which form part of people's subconscious.