Yassir Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian liberation struggle, effectively imprisoned in his Ramallah compound (the
"Mukata'ah") under constant threat to his life, became the
supreme symbol of the resistance to the occupation.
79. Contrary to the expectations of the Israeli military and political leadership, the extreme military and economic pressure did not break the Palestinian population. Even in the most extreme
circumstances, they managed to maintain some semblance of
normal life and found means to fight back. The most effective and appalling weapon was the suicide bombing, which brought the bloody confrontation into the center of Israeli cities. The intifada also caused other damage to Israel, paralyzing tourism and
stopping foreign investment, deepening the depression, causing the national economy to contract and social services to collapse, thereby widening the social gap and increasing domestic tensions in Israel
80. As a response to the attacks, and especially the suicide bombings, which had a severe impact on public morale, the leaders of the "Zionist Left" demanded a physical barrier between Israel and the Palestinian territories. At first, the "Zionist right" opposed this "Separation Fence," fearing that it would create a political border in close proximity to the Green Line. But Ariel Sharon soon realized that he could exploit the idea of the fence for his own purposes. He started to build the barrier along a path that was in accord with his aims, cutting deep into the Palestinian territories, joining the large settlement blocs to Israel and confining the Palestinians in isolated enclaves, under effective Israeli control.
81. By the end of the third year of the al-Aqsa Intifada, definite signs of war fatigue, as well as opposition to the growing brutality of the occupation, could be detected among the Israeli public. Such indications included the refusal movement among youngsters
called up for army service, the revolt of 27 air-force pilots, the refusal of the elite general staff commando unit to take part in "illegal and immoral" operations, the joint statement made by four former security service chiefs against the continuation of the occupation, the publication of the peace principles of Sari Nusseibeh and Ami Ayalon, the Geneva Initiative of Yossi Beilin and Yassir Abed-Rabbo, the ongoing struggle against the
Separation Wall, and the change of positions and style of
politicians and commentators.
82. Following the US invasion of Iraq at the beginning of 2003, the United States became more sensitive to the negative consequences