In search of statehood and security

1
In search of statehood and security

• From the Intifada to Oslo and beyond

2
Intifada (1987-1991) Causes

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

3
Background to Intifada Political conditions

• Israeli land seizures settlements
• By 1985 Israelis have control over 52 of the
  West Banks land and at least 40 of the Gaza
  Strip.
  
• 1977-85 119 new Israeli settlements
• Israeli military administration (courts, laws,
  etc.)
  
• Detention Pals could be held for 6 months
  without trial (only 62 such cases in 1980-85 131
  in last five months of 1985)
  
• torture
• Dismissal of Palestinian mayors
• Freezing of Palestinian building permits, new
  limitations on freedom of expression
  
• Collective Punishment
• Over 15,000 houses destroyed between 1967-1980
• Curfews
• School closures
• checkpoints
• 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

Source Ann Lesch, winter 1979 J. of P Studies
4
Typical West Bank checkpoint to Israel, 1990.
Photo by Ian Lustick.
Home destruction.
5
Intifada Structure

• Decentralized
• Unified National Leadership
• Intifada elite
• Guided through leaflets, word of mouth
• Mass participation
• Women, men, young, old
• Struggle for leadership
• Hamas
• PLO

Hanan Ashrawi, a leading figure in the planning
of the Intifada. Photo www.womenforpalestine.co
m
6
Mainstream Intifada Goals Strategies

• Goals
• Israeli withdrawal from the territories and
  creation of Independent Palestinian state
  
• Other issues
• Jerusalem
• Right of return
• End of settlements
• Hamas Eradication of Israel
• Strategies
• Humanize Palestinian suffering and through this,
  induce Israelis to want to compromise (Ashrawi)
  
• Reduce Palestinian economic dependence on Israel
• Undermine authority of Israeli rule by civil
  revolt that would force withdrawal and create a
  Palestinian state
  

7
Repertoires

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

8
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

9
Israeli responses

• Deportations
• 69 leaders of the Intifada sent into exile
  between 1987 and 1991
  
• BTSELEM-- December 1992, 415 deportations
• Palestinians advocating nonviolence seemed
  especially targeted
  
• Arrests
• By end of 1989 35,000-40,000 Palestinians
  arrested
  
• 75,000 Palestinians arrested during the first
  three years of the Intifada. Of these, about
  15,000 were actually charged each year.
  
• Assassinations of PLO officials associated with
  the Intifada
  
• Collective punishment, intimidation
• Intifada as terrorism
• Beatings, tear gas
• Curfews
• Raiding of Palestinian homes and gardens
• Closure of schools universities

10
Casualties

• 1987-1989 626 Palestinians and 43 Israelis
  killed.
  
• 37,439 Palestinians 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
  
• 33 below the age of 18 (usually 14-18)
• Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli civilians
  - 140
  
• Israeli civilians killed by Palestinian civilians
  - 270
  
• Members of the Israeli forces killed by
  Palestinian civilians - 135
  
• Hundreds of Palestinians killed by other
  Palestinians as collaborators

11
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

12
1st Intifada Effects

• Seriously challenged the Israeli belief in the
  sustainability of occupation. Deeply affected
  public opinion in Israel.
  
• Forced discussion and a search for an
  alternative. New recognition of Palestinians in
  Israel and idea that partition was necessary.
  
• New more pragmatic goals local leadership
  pushed the PLO towards a two-state solution and
  acceptance of Israel.
  
• Helped force new rounds of negotiations (Madrid,
  Oslo)
  
• New images of Palestinians, internally, in Israel
  and internationally
  
• More self-sufficiency- classrooms, education,
  dairy farming
  

13
Why didnt the 1st Intifada achieve Palestinian
goals?

• 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
  
• Decimation of Palestinian leadership
• Use of violence
• Intransigent factions on both sides
• Palestinian lack of leverage Imbalance of power
  between Israel the Palestinians
  
• Palestinian lack of influential external allies

14
Negotiations

• Palestinians Israelis come to the negotiation
  table for the 1st time. Why?
  
• End of Cold War
• Gulf War
• US pressure
• Intifada
• 1991 Madrid negotiations
• 1993 1995 Oslo Accords

15
Main tenets of the Oslo Accords

• Interim settlement NOT a final agreement
• PLO recognizes Israels right to exist and
  forswears use of violence
  
• Israel allows creation of Palestinian National
  Authority under leadership of the PLO to govern
  some parts of the Occupied Territories in some
  administrative economic spheres. Total
  territory transferred to sole Palestinian control
  is 3-4 of the West Bank Gaza.

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Oslo Accords Control over Land

• Palestinians get modicum of self rule for the 1st
  time in their history, but highly circumscribed.
  
• Israel retains right to patrol all borders
  control airspace
  
• Israeli military, Jewish settlers, and Israeli
  citizens retain all rights to enter all
  territories
  
• Palestinian area divided into more than 100
  enclaves
  
• Land in the Occupied Territories divided into 3
  zones
  
• Area A zones full PA civil and security control
• Area B zones PA civil control, Israeli military
  security control
  
• Area C zones Israeli civil and security control
• Ultimately gave PA control over most of the
  territories population but only over about 5
  of land

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19
Collapse of peace negotiations, rise of the 2nd
Intifada, 1995-2001

• 1995 Assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak
  Rabin by Israeli assassin
  
• Bombings within Israel by Palestinian Islamic
  groups, 1994 and especially after 1996
  
• 1996 Election of more conservative Israeli
  government (Netanyahu)
  
• Delays in implementation of the Oslo accords
• End of Oslo, 2001 and after
• Election of Ariel Sharon
• 2nd intifada, post-2001
• More violent, mostly young men
• Summer 2002 Israeli army moves back into PA
  areas
  

20
Underlying causes of collapse of the Peace Process

• Oslo frontloading of Israeli benefits but
  backloading of Palestinian benefits- gave
  Israel little reason to negotiate and
  Palestinians little leverage
• Domestic weakness on both sides that gave Oslo
  rejectionists undue influence
  
• Palestinian bombings PA authoritarianism
• Israeli settlements
• Failure to take society into consideration
• Hardliners on both sides increasingly frame
  conflict in religious terms
  
• Use of violence on both sides
• Assassination of Rabin, Nov. 1995
• Absence of Arbiters
• Imbalance of power