2000-2003

• Ariel Sharon, a right-wing Israeli Likud party leader, became Israel’s prime minister in 2001.
• A second Intifada brought an end to peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
• The Intifada started when Sharon visited the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, a holy site for Muslims and Jews who know it as the Temple Mount.
  • Sharon was an advocate of Israeli sovereignty. Palestinians saw his visit as provocative because Sharon was accompanied by Israeli police.
  • This led to Palestinians protesting. At first, it was largely peaceful. 
• Israel responded to the protests by firing at the protestors with rubber bullets and later live ammunition, as well as sending tanks and helicopters into Palestinian areas.
• The protests led to violent resistance that escalated to suicide bombings and shootings inside Israel’s internationally recognized borders.
  • Israel reentered Gaza and the West Bank — ending the Oslo status — and constructed a reinforced security barrier.
• A ceasefire was declared in 2003. 
  • More than 4,300 people died, mostly Palestinians, and the Intifada caused billions in economic damage. 
  • There were multiple attempts for peacemaking that failed to gain traction in this period — the Mitchell Report, the Tenet Plan and the Road Map for Peace.