The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017

Intifada means “uprising” or “rebellion” in Arabic. There are two intifadas referred to in this text: The First Intifada (1987-1993) and the Second Intifada (2000-2005). Both intifadas were significant periods of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis over ongoing disputes regarding sovereignty and national identity.

The First Intifada began in December 1987 in the Gaza Strip and quickly spread to the West Bank, areas which had been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War. This uprising was characterized by widespread protests, civil disobedience, and clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Palestinians employed tactics such as strikes, boycotts, graffiti, and stone-throwing. The Israeli military response included arrests, curfews, and other security measures to quell the disturbances. Khalidi highlights how this intifada was the first time that the international community sympathized with the Palestinian cause, but he claims that any progress for Palestinians was ruined by the signing of the Oslo Accords, which Khalidi describes as the fifth declaration of war.

The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, erupted in September 2000 following the visit of Ariel Sharon, the then-leader of the Israeli opposition, to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif complex, a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims. This intifada was marked by greater violence than the first, and Khalidi notes that Palestinians faced harsh criticism from foreign powers during this time, but he suggests that this was largely because of biased media coverage.

The Nakba, which translates to “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the series of events that led to the displacement of many Palestinian Arabs in 1948 during the creation of the state of Israel. This period marked significant conflict in the region following the United Nations’ plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, a plan accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by Palestinian Arabs and the broader Arab community.

The hostilities escalated, culminating in the Arab-Israeli War after Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948. During and after the conflict, approximately 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes. The majority of these individuals and their descendants remain refugees in neighboring Middle Eastern countries, with unresolved claims to their properties and the right of return. The displacement had a profound and lasting impact on the demographics and social fabric of the region. Khalidi argues that Israel committed ethnic cleansing against Palestinians during the Nakba.

Settler colonialism is a form of colonialism whereby settlers from another place move to a territory, form a separate society, and displace the indigenous people. Khalidi argues that Zionism is a form of settler colonialism. European Jewish people moved to Palestine and established a colony. They formed their own society, excluding indigenous people or Palestinians. Akin to European colonizer attitudes at the time, these settlers viewed Palestinians as backward and primitive. They believed that their presence would civilize the indigenous population, making them better off because of their rule.