Palestinian Intifadas: Grievances & Goals, 1948-1987

Palestinian Intifadas:

Grievances & Goals, 1948-1987

Grievances: Land Loss 1948: 700,000 Palestinians flee or

expelled in Arab-Israeli fighting Jordan takes West Bank; Egypt takes Gaza

Strip Israeli expropriation of Palestinian land

and homes Six-Day War of 1967: more territory

taken. 1 million more Palestinians come under Israeli authority.

Settlements in the Occupied Territories

Causes of the Six Day War Syrian-Israeli tensions; Fatah attacks & shelling

of Israel Arab propaganda war; threats against Israel Soviet message to Egyptian President Gemal abd

al-Nasser that Israel was massing forces on the Syrian border and was about to attack (Egypt, Syria, and Iraqi armies had a defense pact) (message later proven to be false)

Egypt blocks Straits of Tiran (shipping lane to Israel), cutting off Israel’s supply lines.

Six-Day War 5 June 1967 Israeli forces wage a pre-emptive

strike and destroy Egyptian air fields. Destroy its air forces on the ground.

Taking advantage of Jordanian shelling of Israel and other fighting, Israeli leaders decide to seize what they saw as a “historic opportunity” and take Jerusalem. Then move on to the West Bank.

War over June 10- Israel has seized the Golan Heights from Syria as well as the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Sinai from Egypt, and Jerusalem.

Israel annexes east Jerusalem but occupies West Bank and Gaza.

Land Loss: Settlements, government land

seizures, Israeli military control By 1985 Israelis have control over

52% of the West Bank’s land and at least 40% of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Settlements most intense period of settlement:

’77-’85: 119 new Israeli settlements

Grievances: Representation, Administration, & Citizenship

1948-1967 West Bank Palestinians under Jordanian rule; Gaza Strip Palestinians (mostly refugees) under Egyptian rule

Legal status of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians until 1967

1967-1994: West Bank & Gaza Palestinians under Israeli military occupation; East Jerusalem land annexed (but not people)

Israeli Military Authority: “Carrot and Stick Phase” (’67-’77) Military courts, administration No Israeli citizenship rights for Palestinians in Occupied

Territories opening of several universities, permission to engage in

limited political activities large degree of self government to municipalities Open bridge policy between Jordan and West Bank Demonstrations mostly suppressed Deportations, especially of leaders of Palestinian

nationalism Collective punishment (curfews, blowing up of houses)

Administration: “Iron Fist” Phase, 1977-1994 administrative detention – Pal’s could be

held for 6 months without trial (only 62 such cases in 1980-85; 131 in last five months of 1985)

dismissal of Palestinian mayors; interrogation, deportation

freezing of Palestinian building permits, new limitations on freedom of expression, editors arrested, etc

Deportations Around 1,100 people deported between

1967 and 1977 Most targeted groups: educators,

professionals, students (included President of Bir Zeit University in 1974).

Less than 1 percent allowed to return. devastating effect on Palestinian

leadership (Ann Lesch, winter 1979 J. of P Studies)

Collective Punishment Over 15,000

houses destroyed between 1967-1980

Curfews School closures checkpoints

Typical West Bank checkpoint to Israel, 1990. Photo by Ian Lustick.

Grievances: Economics ’66-’67: Economic integration of Israel

and Occ. Territories: Palestinians become cheap labor force for Israel

Per capita Palestinian income goes from $133 in 1966 to $930 in 1975, but falls in 1980s

Restrictions on Palestinian goods and agricultural products; preferential treatment to Israeli businesses

Israeli-Palestinian human contacts…

1st Intifada, 1987-1991 Leadership and

structure?

* Grassroots Model, (Decentralized)

Main leadership: Unified National CommandAlso PLO, Hamas

* “Intifada elite”* Committees* leaflets

Causes? Social factors:

• Demographics• Education• economics

Political Opportunity Structures?• Increased level of repression• Divisions among Israeli elites (war

weariness)• Economic downturn• Global political realignment

Goals, strategies, and repertoires:

First Intifada

Goals Israeli withdrawal from the

territories and creation of Independent Palestinian state

Jerusalem as capital city Right of return for refugees? Eradication of Israel? (Hamas)

Strategies Humanize Palestinian suffering and

through this, induce Israelis to want to compromise (Ashrawi)

Reduce Palestinian dependence on Israel Undermine authority of Israeli rule by civil

revolt that would force withdrawal and create a Palestinian state

Repertoires? Violent:

Throwing stones & fire bombs

Building barriers Burning tires Knife & gun attacks Attacking

collaborators Attacks on busses,

etc.

Repertoires? Nonviolent: Severing of economic ties with Israel:

• Not working in Israel• Boycotting Israeli products• Withdrawing deposits from Israeli owned banks• Developing a home based economy: develop economic

self sufficiency Civil disobedience:

• Nonpayment of taxes and fines• Partial commercial strikes

Building solidarity• Day long strikes for solidarity with prisoners• Memorials• Sit-down strikes• reducing doctor’s fees• Helping farmers with olive harvest

Israeli responses Deportations-

69 leaders of the Intifada sent into exile between 1987 and 1991

December 1992: 415 deportations

Arrests By end of 1989,

35,000-40,000 Palestinians arrested

around 75,000 Palestinians arrested during the first three years of the Intifada

• Of these, about 15,000 were actually charged each year.

Source: B’TSELEM, Kimmerling & Migdal (2003)

Responses: Casualties 1987-1989: 626 Pal’s; 43 Israelis

killed. 37,439 Pal’s wounded Total casualties in the Occupied

Territories and Israel from December 9, 1987 to September 30, 2000:

Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces - 1,407

Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli civilians - 140

Israeli civilians killed by Palestinian civilians - 270

Members of the Israeli forces killed by Palestinian civilians - 135

33% Pal. deaths below the age of 18 (usually 14-18)

Hundreds of Palestinians killed by other Palestinians as collaborators

Assassinations of PLO officials associated with the Intifada

1988 Abu Jihad, news editor and high-level PLO official

Hamas members show a journalist a hatchet they claim they used to attack Palestinian informants.

Photo by Judah Passow; available at http://www.msnbc.com/modules/intifada/launch.asp?b=hi

Source: B’TSELEM

Responses: Suppression Intifada as

“terrorism” Beatings, tear gas Curfews Raiding of

Palestinian homes and gardens

Closure of schools & universities Israeli soldiers force a Hebron shopowner to open a store,

in violation of a Palestinian strike.

Photo by Judah Passow; available at http://www.msnbc.com/modules/intifada/launch.asp?b=hi

Why did the first Intifada end? (circa 1991)

Exhaustion & suppression Palestinian economic problems PLO centralization & Israeli

eradication of leadership 1990-91 Gulf War 1991 Madrid

conference/negotiations

1st Intifada: Achievements Challenged Israeli belief in sustainability of

occupation. Damaged Israel economically, internationally Forced a search for an alternative New recognition of Palestinians in Israel and idea that

partition was necessary. New & more pragmatic goals among Palestinians

Local leadership pushed PLO towards a two-state solution and acceptance of Israel.

New Palestinian self-image, and self-sufficiency Helped bring new rounds of negotiations

Achievements, cont.

Economic cost to Israel• By Feb. 1998- cost of augmented military

forces in the territories reached $5 million a day.

• $19 million daily loss to Israeli business sector

• 50 percent drop in tourism by midsummer of 1988

• by the end of 1988, boycott had cost Israel $650 million in export losses, including “exports” to the Palestine common market.

What factors undermined the efficacy of the first Intifada?

Difficult to sustain: Israeli use of increased repression and encirclement of

refugee camps. Isolation of communities Palestinian economic problems: 30-40%

unemployment. • Families lost as much as three-quarters of their income

Loss of Palestinian leadership Use of violence Palestinian lack of leverage: Imbalance of power

between Israel & the Palestinians Palestinian lack of influential external allies