Al Aqsa Intifada
The Al Aqsa Intifada, which began in September 2000, marked a significant period of intensified conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, effectively ending previous peace negotiations established under the Oslo Accords. This uprising, also known as the Second Intifada, saw a combination of violence from various Palestinian factions, including Islamist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as secular organizations such as Tanzim and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. The immediate trigger for the Intifada is often attributed to Israeli politician Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which incited widespread protests and violent clashes, leading to numerous casualties on both sides.
Over the ensuing six years, the conflict resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,200 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis. The Al Aqsa Intifada was marked by a shift in the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as Islamist groups gained prominence and challenged the authority of the largely secular Palestinian leadership under Yasser Arafat. This period also saw significant Israeli military responses, including targeted assassinations of militant leaders and extensive economic restrictions on Palestinian territories, contributing to severe humanitarian challenges.
Throughout the Al Aqsa Intifada, efforts to restore peace remained largely ineffective, and the conflict continued into the following years, marked by further political fragmentation among Palestinians, particularly after Hamas's electoral victory in 2006. The complex interplay of violence, political maneuvering, and social strife during the Al Aqsa Intifada remains a critical chapter in understanding the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Al Aqsa Intifada
Summary: Starting in September 2000 renewed fighting between Palestinian nationalists and Israel marked the effective end of peace negotiations between the two sides that had resulted in the Oslo peace agreement of 1993. Palestinians, including Islamists from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the secular Tanzim and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, staged repeated bomb attacks inside Israel which often used suicide bombers. The Israeli Defense Forces retaliated by demolishing Palestinian refugee camps, restricting the movement of Palestinians, and attempts to assassinate leader of Hamas, in particular.
An uprising among Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, later dubbed the Al Aqsa Intifada (Arabic for "shaking off"), started in late September 2000 and continued for the next six years with some periods of cease-fire observed by both sides. Compared to the first Intifada, an uprising from 1987 to 1993, the Al Aqsa Intifada proved much more deadly and introduced new elements in the long-standing Palestinian-Israeli dispute, especially the presence of Islamist organizations determined to foil peace negotiations.
In the generally accepted period of the Al Aqsa Intifada, September 2000- February 2005, about 3,200 Palestinians and about 1,000 Israelis were killed.
The event that most observers agree marked the start of the Al Aqsa Intifada was a visit on Sep. 28, 2000, by conservative Israeli politician Ariel Sharon to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, site of the Al Aqsa Mosque, from which Muslims believe Mohammad rose to paradise. The next day, widespread rioting among Palestinians broke out, resulting in four deaths at the hands of Israeli authorities.
Whether Sharon's visit sparked a spontaneous uprising, or whether it was incited by militant Palestinians, notably Marwan Barghouti of the Tanzim al Fatah, a Palestinian militia formed in 1983 on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, remains a subject of dispute. Most observers agree that an atmosphere of frustration had gripped Palestinians after the breakdown in July 2000 of peace talks sponsored at Camp David by President Bill Clinton.
Compared to the first Intifada, the Al Aqsa Intifada took place in a new context: the Palestinian Authority (sometimes called the Palestinian National Authority), led initially by Yasser Arafat, had exercised partial autonomy over the Gaza Strip and West Bank, two territories seized by Israel from Egypt and Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, since signing the "Declaration of Principles On Interim Self-Government Arrangements" (the Oslo peace accords) in 1993. In some respects, the Palestinians had been granted territory-although its final boundaries had not been agreed-and a degree of autonomous control over that territory. At the same time, Israelis had established new settlements on both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, while ongoing talks to advance the Oslo accords to a full-fledged peace agreement had long been stalled.
Another major element present during the Al Aqsa Intifada was Islamist fundamentalist groups challenging the authority of the largely secular Palestinian Authority and its president, Yasser Arafat. These groups included Hamas, a fundamentalist Islamist organization with roots in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and the Islamic Jihad.
Whereas Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization had accepted the principle that Israel had a right to exist alongside a Palestinian state, the Islamist groups did not.
Thus, once violence against a perceived Israeli occupation broke out in 2000, to be met by strong Israeli counter-measures that included lethal force and political assassinations, the Al Aqsa Intifada took on aspects of state warfare in which Hamas pressed Arafat, as elected head of the Palestinian Authority, to continue fighting. In 2005, Hamas won popular elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, further complicating efforts to return to peace talks that had made little progress since Oslo.
Islamist influence. Hamas, the self-described Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, had been active in the first Intifada (1987-93), but its influence had grown significantly during the 1990s, partly through its role as a charitable organization. Along with another Islamist group, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas was blamed for taking a major role in launching terrorist attacks inside Israel during the Al Aqsa Intifada. In return, Israel repeatedly targeted Hamas leaders in assassination attempts, such as planting car bombs and aerial bombardments of suspected Hamas headquarters and hideouts. As one measure of the growth of Hamas's influence, its candidates won a majority in Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006. Throughout the Al Aqsa Intifada, Hamas vowed not to accept the legitimacy of Israel and to continue a guerrilla/terrorist campaign.
Settlers. Conservative elements in Israel that wanted the Jewish state to occupy what they regarded as its historic area sent settlers to establish new towns in territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War or to enlarge existing Jewish settlements on this territory. Palestinians regarded these settlements as an incursion on their territory likely to result in a discontinuous Palestinian state with "islands" of Israeli territory. Conservatives in Israel, notably the Likud Party of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, resisted demands to halt the expansion of existing settlements or to ban new ones.
Economic Warfare. Although the violence perpetuated by both sides is the usual focus of attention on the Al Aqsa Intifada, Israel also exerted strong economic pressure against the Palestinians. An international commission assigned to examine the violence observed (in the Mitchell Report, May 2001) that in its efforts to curb violence, Israel had imposed "further restrictions on the movement of people and goods," including restrictions of movements between Palestinian areas and Israel, curfews that limited movement within the Palestinian areas, and restrictions on movement from Palestinian areas to foreign countries. The report concluded: "These measures have disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians; they have increased Palestinian unemployment to an estimated 40 percent, in part by preventing some 140,000 Palestinians from working in Israel; and have stripped away about one-third of the Palestinian gross domestic product."
West Bank Barrier. In an attempt to bar Palestinian terrorists from entering its territory, Israel began construction of a border fence along the boundary between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. The barrier was strongly denounced by Palestinians as a unilateral effort by Israel to define its border with a future Palestinian state, and was eventually declared illegal by the International Court of Justice, which ruled against the barrier in July 2004.
Just as the Al Aqsa Intifada did not have an "official" beginning, it did not have an official end. Violence continued into 2007, marked by armed conflict between Hamas, dominant in the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, dominant in the West Bank. The accession of Abbas as leader of the Palestinian Authority, and subsequent political struggles among Palestinians, make the beginning of 2005 a convenient end-point for the Al Aqsa Intifada as events in the region seemed to take on a different character.
Key Events
A condensed chronology of key events in the Al Aqsa Intifada:
Sep. 28, 2000: Gen. Ariel Sharon, the hard-line leader of the conservative Likud Party, visits Haram al-Sharif (also called Temple Mount) in Jerusalem, site of the Al Aqsa mosque revered by Muslims. Two days later, amidst demonstrations in the Gaza Strip protesting Sharon's visit, 12-year-old Muhammad Durrah is killed in a gun battle between demonstrators and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), further inciting Palestinian fury.
Oct. 17, 2000: Emergency talks arranged by President Bill Clinton at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, brokered by President Clinton and chaired by leaders from several countries, end with a temporary agreement to end continuing violence.
December 2000: In last month of his administration, Clinton sponsors negotiations in Washington, proposing boundaries that give Palestinians control of 97% of West Bank, complete control over Gaza, control of West Bank airspace, and an international force in the Jordan Valley to replace the IDF. Israel accepts the proposals; Palestinians fail to respond before deadline.
Feb. 6, 2001: Ariel Sharon elected prime minister of Israel. Attacks on Israeli forces continue.
Apr. 30, 2001: The "Mitchell Report" is submitted recommending a sequence of events-an immediate cease-fire, a prolonged "cooling off" period, and resumption of peace negotiations.
May 18, 2001: Israeli warplanes attack Palestinian targets in Gaza.
June 1, 2001: Suicide bomber kills 21, injures 60 at a Tel Aviv disco; Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.
Aug. 9, 2001: A suicide bomb at a restaurant in Jerusalem kills 15, injures 90. Hamas takes responsibility.
Aug. 27, 2001: Israel assassinates the leader of the People's Liberation Front for Palestine (PFLP), Abu Ali Mustafa, in a missile strike.
Oct. 17, 2001: The PFLP assassinates Israel's tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi.
Dec. 2, 2001: Suicide bomber destroys bus in Haifa, killing 15, injuring over 100.
Mar. 27, 2002: Suicide bomber kills 28 Israelis celebrating Passover in Netanya, Israel. Hamas claims responsibility.
Mar. 29, 2002: Israel launches large-scale military retaliation in the West Bank, occupying Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, and Tukkarm. Israelis capture Marwan Barghouti, head of Tanzim al Fatah, along with documents Israel says link him to Arafat.
June 16, 2002: Israel begins building a security fence along the border with the West Bank.
June 18, 2002: Suicide bomber kills 19 civilians in Jerusalem.
July 22, 2002: Israel bombs Gaza housing block, killing Hamas co-founder and military commander Salah Shehada and 18 others.
Jan. 5, 2003: Two suicide bombers kill 23, injure 100, during rush hour in Tel Aviv.
Mar. 19, 2003: Mahmoud Abbas agrees to become the Palestinian prime minister. He will resign five months later in disagreement with PA President Arafat over security measures.
Apr. 30, 2003: New peace program launched by European Union, United Nations, United States, and Russia, calling for phase-in of an independent Palestinian state. Plan breaks down when neither side observes agreed timetable.
June 4, 2003: President Bush attends summit meeting that includes Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas at Aqaba, Jordan, designed to restore implementation of April peace program.
June 10, 2004: Israeli air strike on aimed at killing Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in Gaza.
June 11, 2003: Suicide attack on bus in Jerusalem kills 16.
June 27, 2003: Palestinian militants suspend attacks on Israel for seven weeks; suicide bomb in Jerusalem kills 20 and marks the continuation of terrorist attacks inside Israel.
Jan. 29, 2004: Palestinian suicide bomber kills 10 in an attack on a bus in West Jerusalem.
Feb. 2, 2004: Ariel Sharon orders a plan be drawn up to remove Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip.
Mar. 22, 2004: Israel assassinates Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas, in an air strike.
Apr. 17, 2004: Israel assassinates Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, successor to Yassin, in a missile strike on his car.
May 13, 2004: After deaths of 13 soldiers at hands of militants in Gaza, Israel launches a nine-day incursion into the Rafah refugee camp, leaving at least 40 Palestinians dead.
July 9, 2004: International Court of Justice rules that the West Bank barrier is illegal and says construction must be halted.
Aug. 31, 2004: Suicide bombers kill 16 in Beersheba.
Oct. 27, 2004: Israeli legislators vote to force withdrawal of Jewish settlers from Gaza.
Oct. 29, 2004: Yasser Arafat is airlifted to a military hospital in Paris, where he dies on Nov 11, 2004.
Jan. 9, 2005: Mahmoud Abbas elected to succeed Yasser Arafat as chairman of the Palestinian Authority.
Jan. 10, 2005: Israeli parliament supports new coalition formed by Sharon, giving him a basis to implement a plan to withdraw from Gaza.
Jan. 14, 2005: Israel seals off the Gaza Strip after six Israelis die in an attack at a border crossing.
Jan. 15, 2005: Abbas calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Jan. 21, 2005: Palestinian Authority police take up positions to prevent militants from firing rockets into Israel from Gaza. Three days later militant leaders say they agreed to suspend attacks on Israel.
Feb. 3, 2005: Israel approves plan to free Palestinian prisoners and to withdraw forces from West Bank cities.
Feb. 8, 2005: Abbas and Sharon declare a truce at a summit held in Sharm el- Sheikh.
Feb. 10, 2005: Hamas militants fire mortars and rockets at a Jewish settlement after declaring they are not bound by the ceasefire.
Bibliography
Blanche, Ed. "Al Aqsa Intifada: Choices for Both Sides," Middle East; June 2001 Issue 313, p. 4. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=4639142
Canetti,-Nisim, Daphna, et al. "Militant Attitudes among Israelis throughout the al-Aqsa Intifada," Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics & Culture; 2004/2005, Vol. 11 Issue 3/4, p. 104. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=16878017
Harding, Patrick. "Covering the Intifada: How the Media Reported the Palestinian Uprising" (book review), Comparative Strategy; Dec. 2003, Vol. 22, Issue 5, p. 521. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=12211482
Migdalovitz, Carol. "The Middle East Peace Talks," Congressional Research Service: Issue Brief, 1/13/2006, p. 1. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=19563417
Samaa Abu Sharar, "Amman's Response to Palestinian Intifada a Delicate-and Controversial-Balancing Act," Washington Report on Middle East Affairs; Apr. 2001, Vol. 20 Issue 3, p. 28. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=4432825
Schanzer, Jonathan. "Palestinian Uprisings Compared," Middle East Quarterly; Summer 2002, Vol. 9 Issue 3, p. 27. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=6841358
Weinberg, Leonard, et. al. "The Social and Religious Characteristics of Suicide Bombers and Their Victims," Terrorism & Political Violence; Autumn 2003, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p. 139. http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&an=14251312