THE

INTIFADA
 INTIFADA
• a widespread campaign against the continuing
Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and West
Bank

• put the Israeli army on the defensive and

forced them to devote significant resources to
patrolling the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a
police force

• Along with Israeli civilian casualties, many

soldiers, including civilian reservists, were
injured or killed, and the army in turn often
used brutal tactics against Palestinians.
 PERSIAN GULF WAR

• In this war, a multinational coalition of

Western and Arab armies expelled Iraq from
Kuwait

• One of the coalition’s chief partners was the

United States, a strong ally of Israel.
 MADRID CONFERENCE OF 1991
• Following the Western-Arab victory, the
United States, along with its one-time enemy
the USSR, pressed Arabs and Israelis to pursue
peace in the Madrid Conference of 1991.

• For the first time, all sides sat together to

discuss bilateral and region-wide peace talks.

• Although little progress was made, the

conference paved the way for future
agreements.
 OSLO ACCORDS

• The Oslo Accords and the resulting

Declaration of Principles set the stage for a
gradual transfer of power to the
Palestinians

• Further agreements in 1994 and 1995 gave

the Palestinians autonomy over most
aspects of life in the Gaza Strip and in urban
areas of the West Bank through a new
administrative body, the Palestinian
National Authority (PNA).
YASIR ARAFAT
• In the first elections for the PNA in 1996,
PLO chairman Yasir Arafat was chosen as
its president.

• Finally, the agreements stated that soon

after these elections Israel would conduct
further withdrawals from rural areas of the
West Bank, after which talks addressing
the final status of the Palestinian areas
would begin.
 ISRAEL’S DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS WITH ARAB STATES

• On the heels of the 1993 agreements, Israel

and Jordan took steps to negotiate a
cooperative relationship. Jordan and Israel
signed a peace agreement in 1994.

• By the mid-1990s Israel had also achieved

diplomatic relations with Arab countries in
North Africa and the Persian Gulf.

• Despite these accomplishments towards
peace, some terrorism and bloodshed
continued.
 The convicted assassin Yigal Amir.

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER YITZHAK RABIN

• Under Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the
peace process stalled in 1997.

• In October 1998 Netanyahu and Arafat signed an

accord by which Israel would withdraw from
additional West Bank territory in return for
Palestinian security measures against terrorist attacks
on Israel.

• The Palestinians also agreed to remove articles that

called for Israel's destruction in their national charter.

• In November Israel completed the first of three

scheduled withdrawals, but froze the implementation
of the accord the following month. Israel claimed that
the Palestinians had not carried out their part of the
accord and placed new conditions on further
withdrawals.
• In 1999 elections Netanyahu was defeated
by Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, who
vowed to move the peace process forward.

• Negotiations between Barak and Arafat

foundered over expansion of Israeli
settlements in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip and the issue of how Israelis and
Palestinians could share the city of
Jerusalem.

• The failure generated bitter frustration

among both Israelis and Palestinians.
 AL AQSA
INTIFADA
ISRAELI WEST BANK BARRIER
ISRAELI WEST BANK BARRIER
ISRAELI WEST BANK BARRIER
• Palestinian militants resumed widespread
resistance to Israel in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip, along with a string of devastating
terrorist attacks in Israel proper.
• At the same time, the Israeli army increased
its restrictions on the Palestinian population
and stepped up its military tactics.
• During the second intifada, loss of life was
heavy on both sides and peace negotiations
broke down.
• In the absence of meaningful diplomacy, the
situation was marked by increased use of
force by the Israeli side and frequent suicide
and ambush attacks by the Palestinian side.
ARIEL SHARON
• Sharon disengaged from the peace process and
announced that Israel would withdraw unilaterally
from the Gaza Strip.

• With mounting pressure from both Palestinian and

Israeli extremist groups, the subsequent period was
marked by pessimism and bitterness on both sides of
the conflict.

• In September 2005 Israel evacuated Jewish settlers

from the Gaza Strip after the Israeli parliament had
approved Sharon’s decision to unilaterally withdraw
from the territory.

• Although Palestinians welcomed the departure, the

PNA still sought a negotiated settlement with Israel
over the future of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
• In January 2006 Sharon suffered a stroke
from which he failed to recover. He was
succeeded in Kadima and as prime
minister by Ehud Olmert.

• The peace process was thrown into turmoil

by the Hamas victory in the Palestinian
Legislative Assembly elections.

• Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right to

exist. As a result of the Hamas victory,
international aid, upon which the PNA
depended for its economic welfare, was
restricted.
 Kadima’s victory in the Israeli election
failed to ease the crisis. Low-level
skirmishes between Gaza-based militias
and the Israeli forces erupted into a full-
scale Israeli offensive in June when Hamas
killed two Israeli soldiers and abducted a
third in an incursion from the Gaza Strip
into Israeli territory. From June to August
2006 more than 200 Palestinians were
killed in the offensive that also saw the
destruction of much of Gaza’s
infrastructure, with the Olmert
government refusing to bargain for the
release of the soldier.
• Then in July, on the northern border of Israel,
the Iranian- and Syrian-backed terrorist group
Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers, killed
several others, and shelled a number of
communities.
• Israel responded by launching an attack on
southern Lebanon, including air raids on
Hezbollah strongholds as far north as southern
Beirut, leading to the deaths of about 1,200
Lebanese civilians. The escalation of the crisis
saw thousands of rockets launched daily into
northern Israel by Hezbollah, causing the deaths
of about 160 Israeli civilians, the disruption of
Israel’s economy, and the temporary flight or
confinement in bomb shelters of roughly a
million Israelis.
• The fighting caused tremendous damage
to the infrastructure of southern Lebanon
and some parts of Beirut, and left 1 million
Lebanese homeless or displaced. By the
time a ceasefire was agreed at the United
Nations (UN) in August, more than 100
Israeli troops and some 500 Hezbollah
insurgents had been killed in fierce
fighting. The UN ceasefire resolution called
for the withdrawal of both antagonists and
for southern Lebanon to be occupied by
the Lebanese army augmented by a UN
force.
 What is Hezbollah?
• Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political group with a militant
wing the United States defines as a terrorist organization. The
group, which is active in Lebanon, is a major provider of
social services, operating schools, hospitals, and agricultural
services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites.
• Hezbollah was founded in 1982 in response to the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon, and subsumed members of the 1980s
coalition of groups known as Islamic Jihad.
• Its base is in Lebanon's Shiite-dominated areas, including
parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. In
addition, U.S. intelligence reports say that Hezbollah cells
operate in Europe, Africa, South America, and North America.
 How big is Hezbollah?
• Its core consists of several thousand militants
and activists, the U.S. government estimates.
Intelligence officials estimate that Hezbollah's
weapons arsenal includes between
40,000 to 80,000 (ForeignAffairs) short and
long-range rockets, as well as anti-aircraft,
anti-tank, and anti-ship weapons.
What major attacks is Hezbollah responsible
for?
• Hezbollah and its affiliates have planned or been linked to a lengthy
series of terrorist attacks against the United States, Israel, and other
Western targets.
• While Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any major
international attacks since 2006, the group's weapons stockpile has
increased and and its capabilities have strengthened. In November
2009, Israeli athorities intercepted a ship (TIME) carrying more than
three thousand Iranian-made rockets and mortars which they
believed were bound for Hezbollah. In April 2010, Israeli and U.S.
officials also claimed that Syria transfered SCUD missiles (WSJ) to
Hezbollah. On July 14, 2010, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's second-in-
command, said the group possesses an extensive
list of Israeli targets (AFP) should a new conflict with Israel begin.
 What is Hamas?
• Hamas is the largest and most influential Palestinian militant
movement. In January 2006, the group won the Palestinian
Authority's (PNA) general legislative elections, defeating Fatah,
the party of the PNA's president, Mahmoud Abbas, and setting
the stage for a power struggle.
• Historically, Hamas has sponsored an extensive social service
network. The group has also operated a terrorist wing, carrying
out suicide bombings and attacks using mortars and short-range
rockets. Hamas has launched attacks both in the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and inside the pre-
1967 boundaries of Israel. In Arabic, the word "hamas" means
zeal. But it's also an Arabic acronym for "Harakat al-Muqawama
al-Islamiya," or Islamic Resistance Movement.
 Where does Hamas operate?
• Historically, Hamas has operated as an opposition group in Gaza, the West Bank,
and inside Israel. Most of the population of Gaza and the West Bank is officially
ruled by the Palestinian Authority government, so Hamas’ new role as the
legislature’s controlling party has forced the group to reconsider the function
and scope of its operations. For instance, since taking power in 2006,
• Since coming to power in Gaza, rockets fired from the Hamas enclave have
consistently landed on Israeli cities near the border, sometimes producing
casualties. Israel consistently alleged that Iranian and other weapons were being
smuggled into Gaza through a series of tunnels, and with Egypt maintained tight
control on the enclaves borders. International aid agencies say this led to severe
shortages. A six-month ceasefire calmed things somewhat in 2008, but toward
the end of the year, Hamas called off the truce and resumed firing rockets into
Israel. The response was an air assault in late December and, in the first week of
2009, a full blown Israeli invasion of the territory.
 In what does Hamas believe and what are
its goals?
• Hamas combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamic
fundamentalism. Its founding charter commits the group to the
destruction of Israel, the replacement of the PA with an Islamist
state on the West Bank and Gaza, and to raising "the banner of Allah
over every inch of Palestine." Its leaders have called suicide attacks
the "F-16" of the Palestinian people. In July 2009, Khaled Meshaal
said Hamas was willing to cooperate with the United States (WSJ) on
promoting a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Hamas, he said,
would accept a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders provided
Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to Israel and East
Jerusalem be recognized as the Palestinian capital. The proposal fell
short of recognizing the state of Israel, a necessary step for Hamas
to be included in peace talks.
 Is Hamas only a terrorist group?
• No. In addition to its military wing, the so-called Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Brigade, Hamas devotes much of its estimated $70-million annual budget
to an extensive social services network. Indeed, the extensive social and
political work done by Hamas - and its reputation among Palestinians as
averse to corruption - partly explain its defeat of the Fatah old guard in
the 2006 legislative vote. Hamas funds schools, orphanages, mosques,
healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. "Approximately 90
percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational
activities," writes the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz. The Palestinian Authority
often fails to provide such services, and Hamas's efforts in this area—as
well as a reputation for honesty, in contrast to the many Fatah officials
accused of corruption—help to explain the broad popularity it summoned
to defeat Fatah in the PA's recent elections.
What were the details of the Oslo Accords?
• On September 13, 1993 representatives of the State of Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the "Declaration of Principles On
Interim Self-Government Arrangements", a document also known as the "Oslo
Accords". They were signed at a Washington ceremony hosted by US President
Bill Clinton on September 13, 1993, during which Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ended decades as sworn enemies with an
uneasy handshake. This agreement was the fruit of
secret negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, represented by the PLO,
following the Madrid Conference in 1991.
• The Oslo Accords contain a set of mutually agreed-upon general principles
regarding a five year interim period of Palestinian self-rule. So-called "permanent
status issues" are deferred to later negotiations, to begin no later than the third
year of the interim period. The permanent status negotiations were intended to
lead to an agreement that would be implemented to take effect at the end of the
interim period.
 The main points of the Oslo Accords (or
Declaration of Principles = DOP):
• Transfer of Powers to the Palestinians:

– The DOP features an agreement in principle regarding a transfer of power and responsibilities to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, so
they may have control over their own affairs.

• The DOP does not prejudge the Permanent Status:

– The DOP specifically states that permanent status issues, such as Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements and borders are to
be excluded from the interim arrangements and that the outcome of the permanent status talks should not be prejudged or preempted by the
interim arrangements. During this period, the Israeli government retains sole responsibility for foreign affairs, defense and borders. Israel's
position on Jerusalem remains unchanged. When the DOP was signed, Prime Minister Rabin stated that "Jerusalem is the ancient and eternal
capital of the Jewish people." An undivided Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, with religious freedom for all, is and remains a fundamental
Israeli position.

• Security remains an Israeli responsibility:

– In the DOP, Israel and the PLO agree that during the interim period, Israel will remain responsible for security along the international borders
and the crossing points to Egypt and Jordan. Israel will also retain responsibility for and the overall security of Israelis in the West Bank and
Gaza, the Israeli settlements in those areas, and freedom of movement on roads.
• A letter on key issues of the PLO and Israel, addressed to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was signed by Yasser Arafat on September 9, 1993.
The letter says specifically that:
• The PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security.

• The PLO accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338

• The PLO commits itself to the Middle East peace process... all outstanding issues ... will be resolved through negotiations

• ... the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in
order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators

• ... those articles of the Palestinian Covenant which deny Israel's right to exist, and the provisions of the Covenant which are inconsistent
with the commitments of this letter are now inoperative and no longer valid

• ... the PLO undertakes to submit to the Palestinian National Council for formal approval the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian
Covenant.
• Rabin gave a letter in exchange to Arafat, also dated September 9, saying:
• ... Israel has decided to recognize the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and commence negotiations with the PLO within
the Middle East peace process"