The Second Intifada
Ariel Sharon's visit to the Haram al-Sharif ignites a far more violent uprising that leaves several thousand Palestinians and around a thousand Israelis dead.
On 28 September 2000, Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem accompanied by a large security escort, days after the collapse of the Camp David talks. Protests the following day were met with lethal force, and the confrontation escalated into a second intifada, also known as the al-Aqsa Intifada.
Unlike the first uprising, this one was marked by armed clashes, suicide bombings inside Israel, and large-scale Israeli military operations, including the 2002 reoccupation of West Bank cities. Over the course of the intifada, several thousand Palestinians and around one thousand Israelis were killed, the majority of them civilians on both sides.
The uprising effectively ended with a February 2005 truce declared by Ariel Sharon — by then prime minister — and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Its legacy included the construction of Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank, Israel’s 2005 withdrawal of settlers from Gaza, and a deep collapse of public faith in negotiations on both sides.
Cited works
2- btselem.org — statistics(opens in a new tab)https://www.btselem.org/statistics
- un.org — history(opens in a new tab)https://www.un.org/unispal/history/