Second Intifada's 26th Anniversary Marks Ongoing Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Monday, September 28, marks the 26th anniversary of the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, also known as the Second Palestinian Intifada, which began in 2000. The uprising evolved from Jerusalem clashes into a widespread popular revolt across the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and within Israel.

The intifada erupted amid escalating political and popular tensions, exacerbated by the failure of the 2000 Camp David negotiations, a stalemate in the peace process, continued settlement expansion, and what Palestinians viewed as the Oslo Accords' failure to achieve statehood.

On September 28, 2000, then-Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy guard, sparking anger among worshippers and igniting confrontations. The following day, Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas in the mosque courtyards during Friday prayers, resulting in seven Palestinian deaths and approximately 250 injuries, according to reports. Clashes then spread throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel.

The intifada involved various Palestinian factions and initially featured stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails before escalating to armed confrontations and suicide attacks targeting Israeli military sites. Key events during the intifada included Israel's "Operation Defensive Shield" in 2002, which reoccupied Palestinian-controlled cities, and a prolonged siege on Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah until his death in 2004.

The intifada's intensity gradually declined in early 2005, coinciding with a shift in Palestinian leadership after Arafat's death and Mahmoud Abbas's rise to power. A summit in Sharm El Sheikh in February 2005 led to a mutual cessation of hostilities, followed by Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza and four West Bank settlements in the summer of 2005.

The roughly five-year intifada resulted in significant Palestinian casualties, with official estimates of martyrs ranging from 4,412 to 4,464, and between 47,440 and 48,322 wounded. By June 2006, over 9,800 Palestinians had been arrested and imprisoned. Iconic images from the intifada include the boy Muhammad al-Durrah and the child Faris Odeh confronting a tank. The anniversary arrives amidst ongoing conflict, including the war in Gaza and military operations in the West Bank and Jerusalem, underscoring the persistent issues of settlements, Jerusalem, and Palestinian rights.