Dateline: Florentin, March 6, 9:00 a.m.

The occupied territories are teetering on the verge of a new uprising (Intifada, as it is referred to), due to a number of factors raning from an increase in internal repression within the PA, and Israel's ongoing military activities in Gaza. But. sitting in my Tel Aviv bureau-cum-hip café in the city's Florentin neighborhood, it feels like I'm a lot closer to Montreal than nearby Tulkarem, or my present home in Ramallah.

I arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday after Qalandia's checkpoint was closed off and on for two days, courtesy of Palestinian youth confronting the Israeli army with stones. The West Bank has been in a frenzy of activity since Israel's massive assault on Gaza that left more than 120 Palestinians dead.The outrage the assault produced injected Ramallah's atmosphere of exhausted frustration with a kinetic street energy.

While Ramallah and the rest of the West Bank saw two general strike days - where almost all shops closed, numerous street protests and checkpoint confrontations, Tel Aviv has mostly stayed in its Western political and cultural bubble. It's true that there have been a few protests and several arrests at the Ministry of Defense, and anti-siege critical mass bikes rides, however Israel's Gaza campaign have gone largely unnoticed in a city that's used to turning off the news when it get hot.

Although Tel Aviv is much closer to Gaza than Ramallah, Ramallah's connection to the Strip has brought it to the edge of a third Intifada. In Tel Aviv however, apart from some shameless street art in the hip neighborhood of Florentin, tying personal liberation to occupation resistance, opposition has yet to leave a deeply felt mark.

Walking in a large Ramallah demonstration on Monday that denounced a settler's killing of a Palestinian student at a checkpoint, I was surrounded by flags from almost all the political factions, including Hamas and Fatah. At the back of the march, the once nervous group of PA security had joined the protest, chanting in unison with their guns in the air. A friend in the crowd who's lived through two Intifadas and has a healthy dose of cynicism turned to me saying "we've got all the beginnings of an Intifada going on, but it seems people are just waiting for someone to call it."

It's the "someone to call it" where the gulf begins. While the PA pulled from negotiations on Saturday, agreeing to go back with no demands met on Wednesday, Abbas's pre-state regime suppresses the energy and anger. It's true that Monday's demonstration hit a new level of national unity, being the first West Bank protest I've been at where PA cops haven't attacked people with Hamas flags, yet that more speaks the PA's scrambling to keep control.

Last Sunday, Ramallah saw three demonstrations in response to the fighting in Gaza, all receiving different responses from the PA. The first demo was officially unaligned and saw hundreds of furious people pour into the city center unobstructed by police. Two hours later, a woman's demonstration of Hamas supporters tried to stage a march to Al-Manara -the city's central square, but before getting there they were confronted by hundreds of riot police and PA Special Forces, pepper sprayed and attacked.

The police targeted journalists, barring filming and photos. After being forcibly cut off from the march by a police line waving Kalashnikovs, a good friend and colleague, Arthur Neslen, was attacked and beaten to the ground by 4 cops kicking him and trying to grab his camera.

This time however, the public outcry was too much. By the time Sunday evening's demonstration, organized jointly by Palestinians and Ramallah internationals, marched through streets banging pots and pans, the PA had changed tract - focusing on co-optation. The march doubled in size as it went through the Amari refugee camp and there was feeling of people's willingness to completely break loose. Nonetheless, as the march peaked approaching the Presidential compound, the guards opened the gates and invited the protestors in on condition that they remained quiet.

These paternalistic PA attempts at reconciliation with a Palestinian public are common when the Authority feels threatened, but even this may be too little to late. Abbas is now scrambling to get back to the negotiating table at all costs, forgoing the most basic demands of an Israeli ceasefire. Al Jazeera and Vanity Fair's breaking story of a failed conspiracy plot between parts of the PA - especially head of Fatah security Mohammed Dahlan - to overthrow Hamas just after they won the 2006 elections has only added to the feelings of defiance on the street.

Israel's bloody attack on Gaza has seemingly resurrected a popular feeling and energy of the necessity to resist and across the West Bank. The word Intifada is a buzz across Ramallah. The question is; when the uprising happens, will it just target the PA as well as Israel, and who will call it?

The political situation around Ramallah has become increasingly tense, with many Palestinians feeling increasingly disillusioned with the Palestinian Authority. In turn ,the PA has responded by escalating public visibility of its security forces and orchestrating intense crackdowns on dissent.

Over the past few weeks there has been a drastic increase in both PA security force and Israeli military raids and arrests around Palestine's so-called capital in waiting. Yet on Thursday, February 22nd, the authoritarian unpredictability of the PA took a further violent turn.

Just after 1:00AM, I was heading home from a friend's place in a less than pristine state of sobriety when I encountered four seemingly agitated PA police guards with AK 47s in front of the Canadian representative building. Ramallah's after-dark atmosphere had an increasing tension over the few days prior, with a heavy PA security presence - both Special Forces soldiers and riot police - massing downtown, despite empty streets due to bad weather.

As I approached the Canadian representative building, I heard the guards yelling at me in Arabic from 100 meters away. Stopping, taking off my headset, and raising my hands, the guards continued to yell and wave their guns. Grabbing his Kalashnikov and pulling back the safety while charging at me, an agitated cop motioned to the ground with his weapon, clutching the trigger. Naturally, I dropped to the floor.

It was at that point that I said, in English, "It's OK, I'm Canadian." The guard came to an immediate halt almost parallel to the Canadian flag hanging form the building, while the rest of the cops had a look of shock on their face. Their attitudes instantly changed. Offering me water, they began telling me how welcome I was in Palestine.

Shaken up by being welcomed and offered water by a guy who less than a minute before had been pointing a locked and loaded assault rifle at me, I decided to continue on my way. As I walked towards the main intersection, noticing my adrenaline rush, I began reflecting on how my international status had just saved my skin, forcing the police to present a completely changed image of reality.

Arriving at the intersection of Rukab - Ramallah's main thoroughfare - sirens blaring,a police car screamed by me, turning the corner sharply towards nearby Amari refugee camp. Right behind the vehicle followed an unmarked open white truck filled with 10-12 men in ski masks, black shirts, khakis and Kalashnikovs.

Earlier on Thursday, both the Marxist Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine's Ahmed Saadat and the Hamas speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council called for national unity from inside the Israeli military courts they appeared in. They denounced the PA's continued negotiations with Israel despite the intensification of settlement expansion and Israeli military assault, demanding that the talks cease.

Seeing that something serious was clearly up, I decided to take the long route home, bypassing Amari. I put my headphones back on, and with a sense of irony and musical context, hit play to KRS-One's "Sound of da police." However, seemingly tempting fate in these situations isn't the best idea.

Less than a minute after running into the cops and gunmen, I heard an explosion of machine gun fire. Halfway down Rukab, with the song's chorus "whoop,whoop dat's da sound of da police, whoop, whoop dat's da sound of da beast" blaring, I hit the deck, ducking into a side street. Scanning the street only to see two shwarma shop owners on the ground, looking about frantically, I decided that the educated decision would be returning to my friend's place.

Waiting a few minutes, I watched the two shop owners going up and down the street trying to see what was up. Just as I was about to continue walking, a second round of Kalashnikov fire opened up and the situation repeated itself. Not knowing where the shots came from, the shwarma duo and myself looked for decks that needed hitting, taking full advantage of the sidewalk in front of us.

Minutes later, it was time to leave the area, and I began walking back to my friends place. A lone guy in Al Manara - Ramallah's city center - offered to escort me, claiming to be heading in the same direction. However, it wasn't until halfway towards the apartment that I realized his hat was actually a rolled up ski mask. At which point I made point of resisting his continued offer of walking me, eventually going my own way.

Arriving back at my buddies place, we tried to figure out was going on, speculating that this could be the beginning of an internal Fatah civil war or a PA internal crackdown. Later that night I saw an Israeli military vehicle and its dull orange siren flashing from the window, as it crept down the road two streets over.

The following morning the city was filled with rumors and speculation. The most credible story on the street was that the raid was to arrest a formally Fatah-affiliated Amari camp leader knows as ‘Ayman.' This was, according to one person who seemed in the know, connected to a stolen Israeli Jaguar. There was also much talk about PA -Israeli collaboration in the operation.

The PA leadership has been considerably alienated from the Fatah grassroots, unable to recover their image of resisting the occupation and defending Palestinian rights. At the same time, there is strong split between the PA and the Fatah aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - Fatah's armed wing from the Second Intifada - with armed cells openly denouncing Abbas as a traitor.

One police officer who said ‘Ayman' was arrested in relation to drugs also warned to stay out of the main streets late at night as things may continue. Indeed, for the next few evenings, machine gun fire continued. However, with the media not asking questions and seemingly most upper class Palestinians and internationals shutting their windows, ignoring the gunfire and increased security presence, one can only guess at what's actually going on.

The political situation around Ramallah has become increasingly tense, with many Palestinians feeling increasingly disillusioned with the Palestinian Authority. In turn ,the PA has responded by escalating public visibility of its security forces and orchestrating intense crackdowns on dissent.

Over the past few weeks there has been a drastic increase in both PA security force and Israeli military raids and arrests around Palestine's so-called capital in waiting. Yet on Thursday, February 22nd, the authoritarian unpredictability of the PA took a further violent turn.

Just after 1:00AM, I was heading home from a friend's place in a less than pristine state of sobriety when I encountered four seemingly agitated PA police guards with AK 47s in front of the Canadian representative building. Ramallah's after-dark atmosphere had an increasing tension over the few days prior, with a heavy PA security presence - both Special Forces soldiers and riot police - massing downtown, despite empty streets due to bad weather.

As I approached the Canadian representative building, I heard the guards yelling at me in Arabic from 100 meters away. Stopping, taking off my headset, and raising my hands, the guards continued to yell and wave their guns. Grabbing his Kalashnikov and pulling back the safety while charging at me, an agitated cop motioned to the ground with his weapon, clutching the trigger. Naturally, I dropped to the floor.

It was at that point that I said, in English, "It's OK, I'm Canadian." The guard came to an immediate halt almost parallel to the Canadian flag hanging form the building, while the rest of the cops had a look of shock on their face. Their attitudes instantly changed. Offering me water, they began telling me how welcome I was in Palestine.

Shaken up by being welcomed and offered water by a guy who less than a minute before had been pointing a locked and loaded assault rifle at me, I decided to continue on my way. As I walked towards the main intersection, noticing my adrenaline rush, I began reflecting on how my international status had just saved my skin, forcing the police to present a completely changed image of reality.

Arriving at the intersection of Rukab - Ramallah's main thoroughfare - sirens blaring,a police car screamed by me, turning the corner sharply towards nearby Amari refugee camp. Right behind the vehicle followed an unmarked open white truck filled with 10-12 men in ski masks, black shirts, khakis and Kalashnikovs.

Earlier on Thursday, both the Marxist Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine's Ahmed Saadat and the Hamas speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council called for national unity from inside the Israeli military courts they appeared in. They denounced the PA's continued negotiations with Israel despite the intensification of settlement expansion and Israeli military assault, demanding that the talks cease.

Seeing that something serious was clearly up, I decided to take the long route home, bypassing Amari. I put my headphones back on, and with a sense of irony and musical context, hit play to KRS-One's "Sound of da police." However, seemingly tempting fate in these situations isn't the best idea.

Less than a minute after running into the cops and gunmen, I heard an explosion of machine gun fire. Halfway down Rukab, with the song's chorus "whoop,whoop dat's da sound of da police, whoop, whoop dat's da sound of da beast" blaring, I hit the deck, ducking into a side street. Scanning the street only to see two shwarma shop owners on the ground, looking about frantically, I decided that the educated decision would be returning to my friend's place.

Waiting a few minutes, I watched the two shop owners going up and down the street trying to see what was up. Just as I was about to continue walking, a second round of Kalashnikov fire opened up and the situation repeated itself. Not knowing where the shots came from, the shwarma duo and myself looked for decks that needed hitting, taking full advantage of the sidewalk in front of us.

Minutes later, it was time to leave the area, and I began walking back to my friends place. A lone guy in Al Manara - Ramallah's city center - offered to escort me, claiming to be heading in the same direction. However, it wasn't until halfway towards the apartment that I realized his hat was actually a rolled up ski mask. At which point I made point of resisting his continued offer of walking me, eventually going my own way.

Arriving back at my buddies place, we tried to figure out was going on, speculating that this could be the beginning of an internal Fatah civil war or a PA internal crackdown. Later that night I saw an Israeli military vehicle and its dull orange siren flashing from the window, as it crept down the road two streets over.

The following morning the city was filled with rumors and speculation. The most credible story on the street was that the raid was to arrest a formally Fatah-affiliated Amari camp leader knows as ‘Ayman.' This was, according to one person who seemed in the know, connected to a stolen Israeli Jaguar. There was also much talk about PA -Israeli collaboration in the operation.

The PA leadership has been considerably alienated from the Fatah grassroots, unable to recover their image of resisting the occupation and defending Palestinian rights. At the same time, there is strong split between the PA and the Fatah aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - Fatah's armed wing from the Second Intifada - with armed cells openly denouncing Abbas as a traitor.

One police officer who said ‘Ayman' was arrested in relation to drugs also warned to stay out of the main streets late at night as things may continue. Indeed, for the next few evenings, machine gun fire continued. However, with the media not asking questions and seemingly most upper class Palestinians and internationals shutting their windows, ignoring the gunfire and increased security presence, one can only guess at what's actually going on.