By 1987, national unity had become the slogan of the time. That unity was about to get a huge boost from an unexpected place. In December 1987, in Gaza an Israeli driver killed four Palestinian labourers and wounded nine when his car ran off the road. The Israelis called it an accident. The Palestinians said it was premeditated murder. The incident sparked an outbreak of Palestinian protests that spread like wildfire throughout the Occupied Territories. The Intifada - or uprising - was born.