Intifada
The term "Intifada" translates to "shaking off" in Arabic and refers to two significant Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The first Intifada, which occurred from 1987 to 1993, began as a grassroots movement marked by mass protests, strikes, and boycotts. It was characterized by largely nonviolent resistance, though clashes with Israeli forces often erupted, drawing international attention. This uprising concluded with the Oslo Peace Accords, which aimed to establish a framework for Palestinian autonomy.
The second Intifada, known as the al-Aqsa Intifada, erupted in 2000 and was notably more violent, prompted by perceived provocations and increasing tensions. This period saw the rise of militant groups and suicide bombings, significantly escalating the violence and complicating peace efforts. In recent years, tensions have continued, with incidents in 2014-2015 referred to as the Knife Intifada and a resurgence of violence in 2023 involving Hamas attacking Israeli civilians, leading to substantial casualties on both sides. The Intifadas represent critical moments in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reflecting deep-seated grievances and the struggle for national identity among Palestinians.
Intifada
Intifada is an Arabic expression meaning "shaking off." The recent history of the Middle East refers to two periods1987-1993 and 2000-2006in which Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have engaged in a popular uprising designed to end Israeli occupation and establish Palestinian home rule.
The first Intifada began in 1987 as a spontaneous popular uprising marked by mass demonstrations, general strikes, and boycotts. The rebellion started declining in 1991 and was considered over by 1993, with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords pointing toward eventual Palestinian autonomous rule.
The second Intifadaor al-Aqsa Intifadabegan in 2000. The second Intifada was more deadly than the first, partly because of a more stringent Israeli response and partly because of the introduction of new players in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
In what many regard as a new intifada, the terror organization Hamas launched an offensive against Israeli settlements and military installations across from Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Precedents
The expression "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" may obscure four distinct phases of the battle between Jews and Arabs for control over the territory of the Palestine Mandate that emerged from the end of World War I. The Palestine Mandate was formed by the League of Nations in 1918 following the collapse of the Ottoman EmpireBritain was given control over the majority of the Mandate.
The first phase of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict lasted from the end of World War I until 1948, when Zionists living in Palestinewho had advocated the establishment of an independent Jewish state of Israel since the late 19th centurydeclared independence that the United States and the Soviet Union recognized. Surrounding Arab states, notably Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, attacked intended to wipe out the new state, but the nascent Israeli army defeated them.
Phase two featured a succession of wars between Arab governments and the state of Israel. These conflicts were conventional wars in which Israelwith significant support from the Westwas the consistent winner.
Phase three, which overlapped phase two, saw the rise of Palestinian organizations using terrorist tactics against Israel, both inside the borders of Israel and elsewhere, notably in Europe. The Palestine Liberation Organization emerged as a coordinating group for various resistance groups, of which Fatahled by Yasser Arafatwas the largest.
The first Intifada marked phase four. Ordinary Palestinians living under Israeli rule in the West Bankterritory once claimed by Jordanand the Gaza Strip rose in opposition to "shake off" Israeli control using largely peaceful means. This Intifada was not initially sponsored by the PLO—in fact, it may have caught PLO leader Arafat by surprise—and borrowed techniques from, among others, the US Civil Rights Movement. These techniques included peaceful mass demonstrations, strikes, and boycotts of Israeli goods.
The notable aspect of the Intifada was that it departed from the guerrilla/terrorist tactics of older Palestinian groups, such as Fatah, and instead focused on involving large numbers of civilians using peaceful techniques. Nevertheless, demonstrations often ended with young Palestinians throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers and police trying to contain them. Because the violent ends of demonstrations were often the images sent by television to the rest of the world, the Intifada may have been viewed by many as indistinguishable from the continuing actions of Palestinian guerrillas conducting a campaign using terrorist tactics.
During the first Intifada, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, working under the sponsorship of the United States, eventually entered into an agreement in Oslo. This agreement pointed toward an eventual peace treaty recognizing two nations in the former Palestine MandateIsrael and Palestine. The signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 unofficially marked the end of the first Intifada, which had been winding down since 1991.
Al-Aqsa Intifada
Despite the promise of the Oslo Accords, a permanent peace agreement between Palestinians, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Israel proved elusive. During the 1990s, the influence of Islamist fundamentalists, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, challenged the predominance of Arafat's largely secular PLO, which had recognized Israel's right to exist. The fundamentalists did not recognize Israel's right to exist and opposed peace talks.
In 2000, a second Intifada broke out. This, too, seemed largely spontaneous and involved ordinary Palestinians. The immediate cause célèbre for the renewed Intifada was a visit on September 28, 2000, by Likud coalition leader Ariel Sharonwho had called for Israeli annexation of mostly Arab-occupied East Jerusalemand 1,000 armed guards to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a site regarded as sacred by both Jews and Muslims. Many Palestiniansand some Israelis and Western observersviewed the visit as provocative.
The visit touched off large Palestinian demonstrations in Jerusalem, which led to Israeli security forces' killings of six unarmed protesters. These deaths, in turn, launched a month of protests and clashes in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank at the onset of the second Intifada.
After Sharon—long regarded as a polarizing figure in the region—was elected Israeli prime minister the following February, he adopted a hard line toward Palestinian demonstrations, which made the second Intifada significantly more deadly than the first. The deaths of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in October 2000 led to severe Israeli retaliation using helicopter gunships and missiles attacking Palestine Authority installations.
The al-Aqsa Intifada also saw the growth of Islamist fundamentalist influence among Palestinians and the introduction of suicide bombers. In an atmosphere of mutual distrust and hatred, in which competing factions among Palestinians and Israelis vied for power and support, it became difficult to draw exact lines between Palestinian guerrilla/terrorist activities and civilian Intifada protests.
The level of violence steadily escalated, with Palestinians again resorting to terrorist tactics, including suicide bombers in civilian areas of Israel. Many observers also saw the increased influence of Islamist fundamentalism in groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. In January 2006, Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, won an unexpectedly large majority in the Palestinian parliament, raising doubts about the future of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Though the al-Aqsa was thought to have ended in 2005, the Arab Spring is often called Intifada. Unrest in Jerusalem in 2014 and 2015 was referred to as the Knife Intifada or the Jerusalem Intifada. Protests against governments in several Arab countries from 2018 to the early 2020ssometimes called the Second Arab Springare also given the Intifada descriptor.
October 7, 2023
On October 7, 2023, Hamas members in Gaza launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel. Emerging from Gaza strongholds like tunnels, Hamas breached Israel's wall complex that separated Israeli citizens from Palestinians. Hamas attacked both Israeli military targets and civilian communities. Hamas inflicted approximately 1,200 Israeli civilian deaths and took approximately 250 Israeli hostages. A number of these hostages were Israeli-Americans. Israel proceeded to launch military operations in Gaza to destroy Hamas. Media reports suggested Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians resulted in over 40,000 deaths by late 2024.
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