The second intifada (uprising) of Palestinians was touched off by a controversial visit by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon, on September 28, 2000, to the Temple Mount, the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and a place disputed by Israelis and Palestinians. This new wave of violence however had much deeper causes, most notably the frustration of Palestinians towards the failed peace process and the deteriorating economic situation in the territories. Arafat cleverly diverted any balme directed at himself as the cause for these problems, to Israel, unleashing Palestinian frustration and desparation on Israelis.

On October 7, 2000, a Palestinian mob demolished Joseph’s Tomb, a Jewish holy site near the West Bank city of Nablus, then on Oct. 12th , two Israeli reservists who had mistakenly wandered into the Palestnian city of Ramallah were brutally lynched. The violence continued to flare and included a renewal of suicide attacks in Israel, killing hundreds of innocent civilians. The terrorists infiltrated Israeli cities and towns and carried out attacks - including horrendous suicide bombings - on buses, in restaurants, shopping malls, and even in private homes. Between September 2000 and 2003, more than 900 innocent men, women and children were murdered in Israel in attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists. Thousands of Israelis have been injured, many of the victims maimed for life.