Palestinian Intifadas:

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Palestinian Intifadas

• Grievances Goals, 1948-1987

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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

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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 Israels supply lines.
  

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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.
  

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Land Loss

• Settlements, government land seizures, Israeli
  military control
  
• By 1985 Israelis have control over 52 of the
  West Banks land and at least 40 of the Gaza
  Strip.
  
• Israeli Settlements
• most intense period of settlement 77-85 119
  new Israeli settlements

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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)
  

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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)

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Administration Iron Fist Phase, 1977-1994

• administrative detention Pals 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
  

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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)

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Collective Punishment

• Over 15,000 houses destroyed between 1967-1980
• Curfews
• School closures
• checkpoints

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

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1st Intifada, 1987-1991

• Leadership and structure?

Grassroots Model, (Decentralized)
Main leadership Unified National Command
Also PLO, Hamas Intifada elite Committees
leaflets
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Causes?

• Social factors
• Demographics
• Education
• economics
• Political Opportunity Structures?
• Increased level of repression
• Divisions among Israeli elites (war weariness)
• Economic downturn
• Global political realignment

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Goals, strategies, and repertoires
First Intifada
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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)

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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
  

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Repertoires?

• Violent
• Throwing stones fire bombs
• Building barriers
• Burning tires
• Knife gun attacks
• Attacking collaborators
• Attacks on busses, etc.

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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 doctors fees
• Helping farmers with olive harvest

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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 BTSELEM, Kimmerling Migdal (2003)
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Responses Casualties

• 1987-1989 626 Pals 43 Israelis killed.
• 37,439 Pals 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.m
snbc.com/modules/intifada/launch.asp?bhi
Source BTSELEM
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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
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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

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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

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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.

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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