Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Violent demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of the west bank and Gaza. There were 1.8 million Palestinians in these areas, where spontaneous, popular disturbances began in 1987. There was peaceful disobedience of the Israeli authorities and some stone-throwing by youths at security forces. Both the Israelis and the plo were caught by surprise. To control the situation the Israelis had to commit a large number of troops, whose harsh treatment of protesters was shown on television and was condemned internationally. The PLO, then based in Tunis, and the Muslim brotherhood in the occupied territories gave support and in early 1988 the secular PLO and Islamist factions such as hamas and Islamic Jihad co-operated to form co-ordinating committees to direct the movement. Israel's response – curfews, arrests, house searches and demolitions – further alienated the population and provided increased support for the Intifada. In the first four years over 1,000 Palestinians were killed (250 of them children), 120,000 wounded, 16,000 were imprisoned without trial and tens of thousands were jailed by military courts. Over 200 Israelis were also killed. The Intifada brought about important changes in the Middle East. King hussein of Jordan gave up his claim to the West Bank in 1988 and the PLO called for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza based on Resolution ... log in or subscribe to read full text