Palestinian Intifada Aims to End Israel’s Occupation
West Bank, MINA – On December 9, 1987, the first Palestinian intifada movement broke out. The Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip aims to end Israel’s occupation of the territory.
As quoted from the History page, in the Gaza Strip that Israeli-occupied the first rioting of the Palestinian intifada began one day after an Israeli truck crashed into a station wagon carrying Palestinian workers in the Jabalya refugee district, Gaza, killing four and injuring 10.
Intifada could simply be interpreted as an attempt to deter or revive, rising from a vacuum as the beginning of a revolution against Israeli occupation.
On December 9th marked the formal start of the intifada. However, demonstrations, small-scale riots and violence directed against Israelis have continued to escalate for months. In 1987 marked the 20th anniversary of Israel’s conquest of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, land previously held by Egypt and Jordan that Palestinians call home.
In December 1987, the Palestinian people’s frustration over their suffering exploded in the intifada. The grassroots insurgency soon came under the control of the Palestinian leaders who formed the United Uprising National Command, which has ties to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Although the images of Palestinian refugee camp youth throwing stones at Israeli troops dominated television reports of the intifada, the movement was widespread throughout Palestinian society.
Prosperous Palestinians and women’s groups join militant groups in strikes, boycotts and other sophisticated tactics in their quest to win Palestinian self-rule.
The first Intifada began in December 1987 and ended in September 1993 with the signing of the first Oslo Accords, which provided a framework for peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The second intifada, or the Al-Aqsa intifada, began in September 2000.
Although there is no single event to mark an end, most analysts agree that the movement was finished by the end of 2005. Both rebellions resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 Palestinians and some 1,400 Israelis. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
