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Treatment of Palestinians
View also Rafah Today, an archive of daily life in Rafah and Gaza from 2003-2014
What is the ‘intifada’?
The term “intifada” refers to Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation. It literally translates to “uprising” in Arabic. While there have been several smaller-scale protests and periods of unrest, two major intifadas are widely recognized:
First Intifada (1987-1993):
- Began as largely non-violent protests and civil disobedience, including strikes, boycotts, and mass demonstrations.
- Over time, escalated to include rock-throwing, Molotov cocktails, and occasionally firearms.
- The Israeli response involved forceful measures like curfews, detentions, and home demolitions.
- Ended with the Oslo Accords, which aimed for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Second Intifada (2000-2005):
- Triggered by a visit by then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.
- Characterized by more widespread violence, including suicide bombings and targeted attacks on Israeli civilians.
- Israeli response included military operations, construction of a separation barrier, and targeted killings.
- Ended gradually, without a formal agreement, but with both sides significantly weakened.
- During the first few weeks of the uprising, the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed was around 20 to 1. With a combined casualty figure for combatants and civilians, the violence is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, as well as 64 foreign nationals.
It’s important to note that the intifadas remain a complex and sensitive topic with diverse perspectives.
Here are some additional points to consider:
- The motivations behind the intifadas were multifaceted, including frustration with the Israeli occupation, lack of progress towards a Palestinian state, and economic hardship.
- Both sides suffered significant casualties, with Palestinians experiencing higher numbers of deaths and injuries.
- The long-term impact of the intifadas continues to be debated, with some arguing they set back peace efforts and others seeing them as expressions of legitimate resistance.
Rabin’s Policy of breaking bones
During the first Intifada, in 1988, Israeli Yitzhak Rabin Rabin ordered a policy of ‘breaking bones’.
In 1990, Following the testimony of several IDF soldiers, Israel’s Parliament decided today not to investigate charges that former Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin ordered soldiers to break the bones of Arab militants at the beginning of the Palestinian uprising. [check out the NYT article]
Apartheid since 1948
Germany Must Perish! is a 104-page book written by Theodore N. Kaufman, which he self-published in 1941 in the United States. The book advocated genocide through the sterilization of all Germans and the territorial dismemberment of Germany, believing that this would achieve world peace. Kaufman founded the Argyle Press in Newark, New Jersey, United States, in order to publish this book. He was the sole proprietor of the Argyle Press, which is not known to have published any other works.
The Nazi Party used the book, written by a Jewish author, to support their argument that Jews were plotting against their country
List of Massacres
1948- The Deir Yassin Massacre
1948-Abu Shusha Massacre
1948-Tantura Massacre
1948-Lydda Massacre
1948- Saliha Massacre
1948- AL Dawayima Massacre
1953-Qibya Massacre
1956-Kafr Qasim Massacre
“We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel … When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do will be to scurry around like drugged roaches in a bottle.”
– Israeli General Rafael Eitan, 1983