After years of fascist rule by the Israelis, the Palestinians had enough. With the guidance of the PLO and other grassroots organizations, the people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip launched an intifada. The goals of this nonviolent movement were to unlink the Occupied Territories from their dependence on Israel and to establish social structures that would set up the basic structure of the future Palestinian State.
Although the intifada didn't help the Palestinians secede from Israel, it did empower them in many other ways. It provided an outlet for Palestinian women to voice their opinions for the first time, striking a wave of feminism in the area. The movement also allowed the people in the Occupied Territories to gather collectively and display their opinions in a peaceful way. Unlike Hamas and other extremist organizations, the intifada was welcoming to all, establishing a basic social structure for the Palestinian people.
The intifada scared the Israelis immensely. Military forces didn't know how to react to the Palestinians peaceful protests; they certainly couldn't react with brute force without upsetting the entire world. In fact, any effort to suppress the people in the Occupied Territories would be regarded as oppressive and inhumane. Thus, the intifada led to peace talks between the Territories and Israel, with support on both sides. And although the movement didn't lead to a resolution of the conflict, it did show the world what the Palestinians were capable of doing.
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