First Intifada

The First Intifada was a long period of protests and actions by Palestinians living in areas controlled by Israel. It started in December 1987 after a sad accident where an Israeli truck hit some parked cars, killing four Palestinian workers. This event made many Palestinians very upset because they had been living under Israeli control for almost twenty years, ever since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War. The protests included many different kinds of actions, like refusing to work, not paying taxes, and holding strikes.

People in the areas controlled by Israel also did things like throwing stones and making barricades. The Israeli army sent many soldiers to respond, and there were many sad and serious events during this time. The First Intifada helped bring attention to the struggles of Palestinians and 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 had taken control of areas where many Palestinians lived. The leaders of Israel thought the Palestinians would stop protesting, but they were wrong.

On December 8, 1987, a big accident happened when an Israeli truck hit some cars carrying Palestinians. Four Palestinians were killed, and many others were hurt. This led to big protests the next day. Palestinian teenagers threw stones and other things at soldiers, who responded with force. Protests quickly spread to many areas. People closed shops, refused to work, and set up roadblocks. The Israeli forces tried to stop the protests using many methods, but the protests grew bigger and bigger.

Soon, people were throwing rocks, blocking roads, and burning tires everywhere. By December 12, six Palestinians had been killed and many more were hurt. The protests continued, and the Israeli forces took strong measures to control the situation, including arresting many people and closing schools and universities. Life became very hard for many Palestinians during this time.

Casualties

During the First Intifada, many people were hurt. In the Gaza Strip alone, 142 Palestinians were killed in the first year, while no Israelis died. Over the six years of the uprising, the Israeli army reported the deaths of between 1,087 and 1,204 Palestinians, including many children. Thousands of Palestinians were arrested, and many homes were destroyed. Around 120,000 people were injured, and thousands more were arrested. Some Israelis were also killed and injured during this time. 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. Instead, 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 underground schools, medical care, and food aid when regular services were closed. They worked together through the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising, which issued messages that people followed. The leaders tried to keep the uprising peaceful, believing that using weapons would only lead to more harm from Israel. The PLO and its leader Yassir Arafat also chose not to use weapons, hoping for negotiations with Israel.

During the Intifada, Hamas aimed to replace Israel with an Islamist Palestinian state. They did not get along well with the PLO because the PLO recognized Israel. Hamas took part in protests and also organized their own, often around mosques, trying to gain more influence. They sometimes fought against Israeli soldiers and civilians. At first, their actions were limited, but they increased over time. In response, Israel arrested and killed many Hamas leaders, but Hamas remained strong.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also wanted to create an Islamist state and destroy Israel. They used both protests and attacks during the Intifada. Early on, they worked with the PLO, but later they became more militant and stopped working with them. Though small in number, they had many supporters. After facing arrests in early 1988, they regrouped and became more active in fighting.

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 played a big role in organizing protests. After his death, many people in Gaza and the West Bank protested, and some were hurt during these events.

1990 Temple Mount killings

On October 8, 1990, a group of Palestinians were hurt by Israeli police at Al-Aqsa. After this, some people used more serious actions against Israelis in the following weeks. The Israeli government made some choices that made things harder for everyone, like closing schools, which left many young people with little to do.

Response by the United Nations

The large number of people hurt led many countries to speak out against what was happening. The United Nations made several decisions asking Israel to stop moving people away from their homes. In November 1988, most countries in the UN General Assembly said Israel was doing the wrong thing.

Security Council

In February 1989, the UN Security Council talked about Israel not following the rules. The United States stopped some of these talks from happening more than once. In October 1990, Israel said it would not follow a rule about protecting people during a special event at the Western Wall. Israel also did not let a team from the United Nations come to check 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 and actions by Palestinian people. It happened in areas controlled by Israel after the 1967 war. People used both peaceful and not-so-peaceful ways to show they were unhappy with the situation. 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.