intifadah

intifadah

(Arabic; “shaking off”)

Palestinian revolt (1987–93, 2000– ) against the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Initially a spontaneous reaction to 20 years of occupation and worsening economic conditions, it was soon taken over by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Its tactics included strikes, boycotts, and confrontations with Israeli troops. The International Red Cross estimated that some 800 Palestinians, more than 200 under the age of 16, had been killed by Israeli security forces by 1990. Several dozen Israelis were killed during the same period. Intifadah pressure is credited with helping make possible the 1993 Israeli-PLO agreement on Palestinian self-rule. A breakdown in further negotiations in late 2000 led to another outburst of violence, which quickly became known as the Aqsa intifadah, named for the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, where the fighting began. See also Yasir 'Arafat; Fatah; Hamas.