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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