First Intifada

First Intifada

The First Intifada was a long time of protests by Palestinians living in areas controlled by Israel. It began in December 1987 after a sad accident where an Israeli truck hit some parked cars, killing four Palestinian workers. This made many Palestinians very upset because they had lived under Israeli control for almost twenty years, since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.

During the First Intifada, people did many things to show their feelings, like not going to work, not paying taxes, and holding strikes. Some people also threw stones and made barricades. The Israeli army sent soldiers to respond, and there were many sad events during this time.

The First Intifada helped people learn more about the struggles of Palestinians. It also led to important talks between the two sides, including the Oslo Accords in 1993.

Background

See also: Causes of the First Intifada

The First Intifada was a protest against unfair treatment by Israel. Many Palestinians were upset because Israel had taken land and controlled their lives. They felt treated poorly, with many being arrested without trials or losing their homes. Jobs were hard to find, and many people felt stuck with few opportunities.

The uprising began after a sad event where a truck accident hurt several Palestinians. But before this, there had been many small protests and tensions building up. People were angry about how they were being treated and wanted to stand up for their rights. This led to many protests and actions against the occupation.

Timeline of the Intifada

Main articles: Israeli responses to the First Intifada and Outbreak of the First Intifada

Israel's occupation and Palestinian unrest

Israel controlled areas where many Palestinians lived. The leaders of Israel thought the Palestinians would stop protesting, but they were wrong.

On December 8, 1987, an accident happened when an Israeli truck hit some cars with Palestinians inside. This led to big protests the next day. Palestinian teenagers threw stones at soldiers, who responded. The protests grew and spread to many areas. People closed shops, refused to work, and set up roadblocks.

Soon, people were throwing rocks, blocking roads, and burning tires. The protests continued, and the Israeli forces tried to control the situation. Life became very hard for many Palestinians during this time.

Casualties

During the First Intifada, many people were hurt. Many Palestinians were killed, and some Israelis were also killed or injured. Thousands of Palestinians were arrested, and many homes were destroyed. Many people were injured. The situation was very difficult for everyone involved.

Palestinian leadership

See also: Hamas in the First Intifada and Women in the First Intifada

The First Intifada was not started by any one person or group. Local leaders from groups linked to the PLO, such as Fatah, the Popular Front, the Democratic Front, and the Palestine Communist Party, helped organize it. Other groups, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, also played a role. Community leaders such as Hanan Ashrawi, Faisal Husseini, and Haidar Abdel-Shafi set up schools, medical care, and food aid when services were closed. They worked together through the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising.

During the Intifada, Hamas wanted to replace Israel with an Islamist Palestinian state. They took part in protests and sometimes fought against Israeli soldiers. Israel arrested and killed many Hamas leaders.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also wanted to create an Islamist state and opposed Israel. They used protests during the Intifada. After facing arrests, they became more active.

Other notable events

Assassination of Abu Jihad

In April 1988, a key leader of the PLO named Khalil al-Wazir, also called Abu Jihad, was killed by Israeli forces in Tunis. Israel said he helped organize protests. After his death, many people in Gaza and the West Bank protested.

1990 Temple Mount killings

On October 8, 1990, some Palestinians were hurt by Israeli police at Al-Aqsa. After this, some people took stronger actions against Israelis in the weeks that followed. The Israeli government made choices that made things harder, like closing schools.

Response by the United Nations

Many countries spoke out because a lot of people were hurt. The United Nations asked Israel to stop moving people from their homes. In November 1988, most countries in the UN General Assembly said Israel was doing something wrong.

Security Council

In February 1989, the UN Security Council talked about Israel not following the rules. The United States stopped some of these talks. In October 1990, Israel said it would not follow a rule about protecting people during an event at the Western Wall. Israel also did not let a United Nations team come to see what was happening.

Reactions and outcome

Impact on Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The First Intifada showed that Palestinians could work together without needing leaders or help from nearby countries. This helped change the conflict, leading to important meetings and agreements later on.

Because of the Intifada, leaders gained confidence to make big changes. They agreed to recognize Israel and work toward living in separate countries side by side. Many people believed that peaceful actions were key to building peace.

Impact on Israel's reputation

The Intifada changed how people saw Jerusalem and Israel. The world watched closely, and many criticized how Israel responded. This also hurt Israel's tourism and other services.

Jordan severs ties with the West Bank

Jordan decided to stop its ties with the West Bank because many people supported the Palestinian leaders. With Israel facing criticism and losing support, the leader chose to talk and negotiate to end the violence.

Timeline of the Palestinian uprisings

The First Intifada, also called the First Palestinian Intifada, was a long period of protests by Palestinian people. It happened in areas controlled by Israel after the 1967 war. People used peaceful and other ways to show they were unhappy. This uprising started in December 1987 and lasted until 1991, when talks began in Madrid. Some people think it ended in 1993 with the Oslo Accords.