Palestinian Intifadas: Grievances & Goals,

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 West Bank Palestinians under Jordanian rule; Gaza Strip Palestinians (mostly refugees) under Egyptian rule Legal status of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians until : 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, administrative detention – Pal’s could be held for 6 months without trial (only 62 such cases in ; 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 Curfews School closures checkpoints

Typical West Bank checkpoint to Israel, 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…

1 st Intifada, Leadership and structure? * Grassroots Model, (Decentralized) Main leadership: Unified National Command Also 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 : 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 Israeli civilians killed by Palestinian civilians Members of the Israeli forces killed by Palestinian civilians % 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 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

Why did the first Intifada end? (circa 1991) Exhaustion & suppression Palestinian economic problems PLO centralization & Israeli eradication of leadership Gulf War 1991 Madrid conference/negotiations

1 st 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 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