Erupting in 1987, a revolt called Infitada broke out in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This revolt was initially sparked by local Palestinian residents and quickly became characterized by stone throwing as the only means of opposing Israeli military forces. As images of stone-wielding civilians fighting for their rights against heavily armed Israeli forces in a one-sided conflict began to circulate, they began to gain a significant amount of sympathy for their struggle in neighboring Islamic communities. A few years later, in 1991, the Infitada had practically ended. Instead, increased Israeli repression at this time seemed to lay the groundwork for future violence in the region. This period between the end of the first Infitada and the beginning of the second contains key events that help explain why the outbreak of the Second Infitada occurred. An important historical event that marked the end of the First Infitada and attempted to combat the violence that The Oslo Accord was signed in 1993. The Oslo Accords were a formal agreement between Israel and the PLO, which allowed the creation of a Palestinian Authority which would be responsible for the administration of the territory under the control of the PLO. This agreement also provided for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and a small area around Jericho. It was also the first time that the PLO officially recognized Israel, expressed its desire to live in peaceful coexistence with them, and renounced any acts of violence. With this Israeli intern, the PLO officially obtained the status of spokesperson for the Palestinian people. While this was great for PLO members, it marginalized others by implicitly chronicling... middle of paper ......o final status negotiations that were originally scheduled to conclude in 1998 with the Oslo Accords; but that never happens. To make matters worse, the Palestinian Authority-ruled territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are largely overrun by a corrupt Palestinian regime, economic hardship and the increased presence of the Israeli military. The areas they controlled included areas around Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus in the north. The insufficient size of territory available to the Palestinians was poverty-stricken, controlled by corrupt authorities and benefiting from a growing presence of the Israeli army. These factors all play a central role in understanding why the events of September 28, 2000, when Ariel Sharon and an Israeli police escort visited the Temple Mount complex, led to the start of the Second Infitada..