2016-12-09 Fri

The first Palestinian Intifada was a large scale uprising by Palestinians against the Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza. The uprising began on 9th December 1987.

This ‘shaking’ (Intifada in Arabic) came after 20 years of Israeli occupation and was sparked by an increase in unemployment. The Intifada took a number of different forms; boycott of Israeli goods, attacks against Israeli civilians and settlers, demonstrations, stone throwing, etc. Israel’s reaction was one of armed suppression whose severity was condemned not only by Palestinians but also by many Israelis across the world.

Israel agreed the Intifada must be suppressed before changes could take place in the status of the occupied territories. King Hussein of Jordan announced in July 1988 that it was renouncing its official claims to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In November the Palestinian Liberation Organization National Council voted to declare the establishment of ‘a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital’ despite actual control being with Israel.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the balance of power within West Asia was totally transformed. President Saddam Hussein of Iraq attempted to link a withdrawal of his forces from Kuwait to an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territory. Israel was retained by the United States despite missile attacks.

Algeria released a commemorative stamp of this occasion in 2001 worth 5 Algerian Dinar. The stamp depicts Palestinian youths killing Israelis. Behind them is the Al-Aqsa mosque in Palestine. It has inscriptions in Arabic and English.