The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict #72: The Sequel To The First Intifada: The Second Intifada
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Good morning, class! It’s wonderful to see you all here. Even when you're quiet, I can still see your attendance in the lesson. I know you're swamped with work, kids, and whatever else life throws your way. So, thank you for coming on time; I appreciate that.?
Yesterday, we discussed the global attempts to continue the peace dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians , as well as between Israel and Syria , which reached a dead end in two summits, and the withdrawal of Israel from the security belt in southern Lebanon . In today's lesson, the riots and violence perpetrated by Palestinians continue to strike Israel from every corner.
Joseph's Tomb Suddenly Become A Holy Place For Muslims
Following the Ramallah lynching incident, the violence and barbaric terror attacks increased. Furthermore, during the riots at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus , armed forces of the Palestinian police seized control of the Jewish prayer site near the IDF camp. In the ensuing shootout, a border guard policeman bled to death, and the Palestinians prevented his evacuation to a hospital. The evacuation's delay resulted in the policeman's death. Following several days of fighting, Israel evacuated the tomb on October 7. Despite a Palestinian promise to guard the compound, after the evacuation of the Israeli force, Palestinians , including police officers, broke into the tomb and set it on fire while looting and destroying its contents. After that, they painted the roof of the tomb green, claiming that the site was not Joseph's Tomb but a holy place for Muslims.
Welcome To The Second Intifada
The second intifada initially consisted of a violent uprising, riots, and various protest actions, soon morphing into acts of terrorism and guerrilla warfare as its main manifestations. A distinct feature of Palestinian activity in this struggle was the widespread use of suicide attacks against Israeli citizens , which increased as the intifada continued. Initially led by the Fatah organization , the intifada later saw the involvement of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas , who led the violent activity. Terrorist acts against Israelis were carried out by all Palestinian organizations, with Hamas eventually becoming the dominant group.
The second intifada largely overturned the Oslo Accords of 1993 and escalated the conflict to a level unseen in decades. Thousands of victims were counted on both sides, both among combatants and civilians. The second intifada also caused a recession in Israel and severely damaged the Palestinian economy.
October Riots
Concurrent with the outbreak of the second intifada in the territories, the October riots erupted - violent protests by Israeli Arabs in the Galilee and the Triangle . These protests were fueled by claims of discriminatory treatment from the State of Israel and the failure of diplomatic talks with the Palestinians . Following the riots, Barak lost support among the Arab public , leading to the establishment of the Or Commission to investigate these events.
The situation worsened when, five months after the unilateral withdrawal from the security strip in southern Lebanon , coinciding with the October riots and the second intifada , three IDF soldiers - Bnei Avraham, Adi Avitan, and Omar Sawad - were kidnapped from the Israel -Lebanon border. After this event, another kidnapping occurred when the reserve officer, Elhanan Tanenbaum , was abducted, which escalated the situation.
In an attempt to salvage the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and restore calm amidst the wave of riots, attacks, and the second intifada , Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak convened the Taba Conference. Like its predecessor, this conference also ended without results.
Concurrent with the security events, the government was forced to grapple with internal struggles between various factions, leading to the rapid disintegration of the coalition and diminished support for Prime Minister Ehud Barak . Therefore, Barak announced his readiness for general elections in a Knesset speech but later resigned from his position, triggering special elections for Prime Minister within 60 days without dissolving the Knesset .?
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While governments change, security tensions still exist. The Israelis were not safe, and bombing attacks on civilians occurred frequently. The Israeli public woke up and went about their routine working day, but it felt like entering the roulette of life. Nobody knew if a suicide bomber attack was going to hit them or if they would return home safely in the evening.
That's what our lives looked like.
A Glimmer Of Hope: Hi-Tech, Tourism, and Entertainment Are The Keys For Peace?
The years 1999-2000 marked the peak of the global hi-tech bubble, and the boom in Israeli hi-tech fueled rapid economic growth, contributing to emerging from the recession that Israel had been in since 1996. Additionally, the celebrations of the year 2000 also contributed to the economy, as well as attracting many pilgrims to Israel . The year 2000 saw the highest level of tourism in the history of the State of Israel , with approximately 2.5 million tourists visiting.
Curious about who won the next elections? Join our class tomorrow to find out!
That's all for today, class. We'll continue tomorrow.
Take care.