After World War I, Palestine collapsed under British occupation. The Balfour Declaration – which was announced in 1917 AD prior to the occupation – was an important turning point for dividing the Middle East and granting the Jews a national home in Palestine. After the declaration, the Zionists seized Palestinian lands, where they built Jewish settlements and began a new era of oppression against innocents and civilians. The struggle of the Palestinian people against the Zionist enemy began when the Jews set foot in Palestine, resulting in an endless number of martyrs and resistance fighters. Throughout this conflict, two main struggles severely affected the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. The first is called the first intifada or the stone-throwing intifada (December 1987), which resulted in many deaths and injuries, and generated many Palestinian resistance movements. The second is called the second intifada or al-Aqsa Intifada (September 2000), which lasted five years, caused various murders and displacements, and was triggered by the visit of the Israeli opposition leader of that time, Ariel Sharon, to of Al-Aqsa Mosque in light of the Palestinians frustration due to Israel’s n-compliance with what was agreed upon in Oslo.
The impacts of Al-Aqsa Intifada were not limited to humans only, but also all aspects of life in Palestine. The Al-Aqsa Intifada coincided with the assassination of the leaders of the Palestinian resistance including Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi, and Yasser Arafat. It also resulted in the destruction of the Palestinian infrastructure and other sectors including agriculture, trade, and industry. This adversely affected Palestinians leaving thousands of families homeless and causing job loss to others. Moreover, it resulted in building the West Bank wall, which Israel exploited to seize Palestinian lands, and farms and expand the area of its settlements. The effects did not stop after the five years of intifada, as it lasted following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, imposing a blockade on the Strip, and the cutting off of the means of life for the Palestinian territories.
This research investigates the causes of Al-Aqsa Intifada and discusses its events and implications including political, international, military, economic, and agricultural aspects, as well as the infrastructure and social life in Palestine.
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