On 28 September 2000, Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Haram al-Sharif escorted by 1,000 Israeli riot police and a police helicopter guard. The visit served to demonstrate Israel’s imposed authority over occupied East Jerusalem and inevitably provoked Palestinian protests.
The following day, after Friday prayers, Palestinian frustration erupted and clashes ensued between rock-throwing youths and 2,000 Israeli sharp shooters and riot police deployed around the holy site. By the end of the day, 6 Palestinians had been killed and more than 200 injured; there were no serious injuries on the Israeli side. The Second Intifada had begun.
On this anniversary, we have made available articles from the Journal of Palestine Studies that chronicle the Second Intifada in real time. A decade after the Intifada’s February 2005 denouement, these articles provide accounts that continue to inform the present situation of continued occupation, unceasing settlement growth, and a divided Palestinian polity.
