IX. First Intifada and Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
9 December 1987 to 19 January 1993
In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinians launch an uprising, or intifada, against Israeli military rule, made possible by years of civil society militantism. In 1988, the PLO declares the independence of a Palestinian state and accepts Resolution 242, thereby signaling its readiness to establish the state within these territories. Regional events, including Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the resulting weakening of the PLO, lead to the convening of the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the opening of Israel–PLO negotiations—indirectly at first, and then in a secret channel.