Second Intifada

The Second Intifada , also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by <a href="/facts/Palestinians/DBnkAQ5l">Palestinians</a> against Israel and its <a href="/facts/Israeli-occupied_territories/FxQkx2V8">occupation</a> from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and <a href="/facts/October_2000_protests_in_Israel/UdIqaFpS">Israel proper</a>, Israeli security responded with extreme violence, killing over 100 Palestinian protesters within the first few weeks. This led to the uprising devolving into a period heightened violence in Palestine and Israel. This violence, including shooting attacks, suicide bombings, and military operations continued until the <a href="/facts/Sharm_El_Sheikh_Summit_of_2005/B0vokhB8">Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005</a>, which ended hostilities.
The general triggers for the unrest are speculated to have been centered on the failure of the <a href="/facts/2000_Camp_David_Summit/DoL3sK07">2000 Camp David Summit</a>, which was expected to reach a final agreement on the <a href="/facts/Israeli%25E2%2580%2593Palestinian_peace_process/bu9PhcfW">Israeli–Palestinian peace process</a> in July 2000. An uptick in violent incidents started in September 2000, after Israeli politician <a href="/facts/Ariel_Sharon/WXTtN4AM">Ariel Sharon</a> made a provocative visit to the <a href="/facts/Temple_Mount/tjo2RjG6">Temple Mount</a>; the visit itself was peaceful, but, as anticipated, sparked protests and riots that Israeli police put down with rubber bullets, live ammunition, and tear gas. Within the first few days of the uprising, the <a href="/facts/Israel_Defense_Forces/9hPaqcAM">IDF</a> had fired one million rounds of ammunition.
During the first few weeks of the uprising, the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed was around 20 to 1. Israeli security forces engaged in gunfights, <a href="/facts/Targeted_killing_by_Israel/J0gMFcSC">targeted killings</a>, tank attacks, and airstrikes; Palestinians engaged in gunfights, <a href="/facts/Palestinian_stone-throwing/me7XM0ne">stone-throwing</a>, and <a href="/facts/Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel/Fpy1pCrW">rocket attacks</a>. The approximate 138 <a href="/facts/Palestinian_suicide_attacks/NxNmdEem">suicide bombings</a> carried out by <a href="/facts/Palestinian_political_violence/JWGCJ3jQ">Palestinian militant factions</a> after March 2001 became one of the prominent features of the Intifada and mainly targeted Israeli civilians. 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.
The Second Intifada had ended with the <a href="/facts/Sharm_El_Sheikh_Summit_of_2005/B0vokhB8">Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005</a>, as Palestinian president <a href="/facts/Mahmoud_Abbas/FM332kkT">Mahmoud Abbas</a> and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon agreed to take definitive steps to de-escalate the hostilities. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the "<a href="/facts/Road_map_for_peace/Fko5lex7">roadmap for peace</a>" that had been proposed by the <a href="/facts/Quartet_on_the_Middle_East/vor4qLrc">Quartet on the Middle East</a> in 2003. Additionally, Sharon agreed to release 900 <a href="/facts/Palestinian_prisoners_in_Israel/KYtp5xrL">Palestinian prisoners</a> and further stated that Israeli troops would withdraw from those parts of the <a href="/facts/West_Bank/xzTTVNJl">West Bank</a> that they had re-occupied while fighting Palestinian militants during the uprising.

Second Intifada open-in-new

Second Intifada