Image Above: The West Bank Barrier (Separating Wall)
tHE CREATION OF ISRAEL - Part 2
The PLO
In 1964, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed by Yasser Arafat; its goal was to demand a Palestinian state. Since its formation, the PLO has carried out numerous attacks on Israel and receives aid from many Muslim nations in the Middle East. The First Intifada In December 1987, the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza started their own uprising against Israeli occupation. This intifada (which means “shaking off” in Arabic), involved hundreds of thousands of people, many with no previous resistance experience, including children and teenagers. It involved many forms of civil disobedience (protests, strikes, etc.) as well as stone throwing, Molotov cocktails and blocking Israeli military forces. Israel tried to stop the intifada with force. From 1987 to 1991, Israeli forces killed over 1,000 Palestinians, including over 200 under the age of 16._ Hezbollah Some groups of Palestinians aren't happy with the PLO's position on Israel. They believe the PLO should be more aggressive in their goal to restablish an independent Arab state. One of these groups is Hezbollah, a Lebanese organization of radical Islamic Shiite groups and organizations that opposes Western influence, seeks to create an Islamic state modeled on Iran, and won’t compromise with Israel. |
Yasser Arafat was the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2003. The PLO brought together a number of groups working toward a free Palestinian state and often uses violence against Israel to try to further its cause.
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