Thread by @_ZachFoster

A brief history of Gaza, 1967-present. A 🧵

In 1967, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip.

There was no Hamas. No suicide bombings. No rocket attacks. No mass killings.

So WTF happened?

In Aug 1967, Israel issued military order 101: It became illegal to hold a Palestinian flag; publish anything political; organize 10 people for a political cause; make art of green/red/black/white; use the word 'Palestine' in the name of org. b/c it “endangered Israel's security"

In 1982, Fathi Ghabin painted a picture of his slain nephew, Suhain, who was shot & killed by the Israeli military at a demonstration. Ghabin was sentenced to 6months in prison b/c he pained the sweater green & white his trousers black & his blood red. wow pretty f--ing dangerous

Meanwhile, Israel arrested anyone who rejected occupation, deporting 615 Gazans from '68-'71. Israel expelled 100s of families from the Jabaliya refugee camp in '71. In the 1970s, Israel destroyed thousands of refugee dwellings to build 200miles of security roads in Gaza. Source:

In '76, Israel detained 33,000 Gazans (only charging 8,000 of them) b/c of Israel’s indiscriminate mass arrests policy. In ‘82-’83, Israel uprooted more Palestinians to build a 50m wide zone at the Egyptian border; Israel denied all family reunification requests b/w Gaza-Israel.

Overall, from 1967-1987, Israel killed 650 Palestinians in the occupied territories (West Bank + Gaza), an average of 32 per year (source: Neve Gordon, Israel's Occupation, p. xvii).

Still, there were no terrorists, no suicide bombings no rocket attacks & no mass killings.

Israel also censored textbooks, magazines, newspapers & banned > 1,600 books. In 1982, Israel shut down a Palestinian Press service. They jailed Palestian journalists. They heavily censored the Arabic newspapers published in the OPT. They denied millions the right to free speech

Anger was mounting. By the '80s, Palestinian workers in Israel reported constant verbal & physical abuse in the workplace, being cheated out of wages, forced to work under inhumane conditions, feeling humiliated & dehumanized at checkpoints.

Still, no terrorists. source:

In a 1986 poll: 48% of families in the OPT reported political arrest; 51% physical abuse or threats; 56% harassment at checkpoints; 22.8% land confiscation; 34% ban on travel abroad; 74% curfew; 18% demolition/ sealing of homes; 16% deportation/arrest; 38% fines by military court

Then, in '87, an Israeli truck driver struck & killed 4 Palestinians near a checkpoint in Gaza.

Palestinians revolted in a series of daily strikes, protests, riots, boycotts of Israeli rule, and infamously, stone-throwing children.

It was known as the First Intifada:

175K Palestinians spent time in Israeli jails; 30K Palestinian children needed medical care after being beaten, 10K had broken bones; 1/5th of the injured were under 5; 23K subject to “harsh interrogation”; Israel killed 1,200 Palestinians, Palestinians killed ~160 Israelis.

Still, no terrorism. I will finish this thread tomorrow, covering 1987-present

Remember that history did not start on Oct. 7th, 2023. To develop a better understanding of what is happening in Israel/Palestine, you can also subscribe to my newsletter:

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