Al-Aqsa Intifada: Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The Second Intifada (Arabic: الانتفاضة الثانية Al-Intifada al-Thaniya; Hebrew: האינתיפאדה השנייה Ha-Intifāda ha-Shniya), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة الأقصى Intifāḍat al-ʾAqṣā), was a Palestinian uprising against Israel. The general triggers for the violence were proposed as the failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit to reach final agreement on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in July 2000. The violence started in September 2000, after Ariel Sharon made a highly provocative visit to the Temple Mount. The visit itself was peaceful, but, as anticipated, it sparked protests and riots which the Israeli police put down with rubber bullets and tear gas.High numbers of casualties were caused among civilians as well as combatants. The Israelis engaged in gunfire, tank and air attacks, and targeted killings while the Palestinians engaged in suicide bombings, rock throwing, gunfire and rocket attacks. The death toll, including both combatants and civilians, is estimated to be about 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, as well as 64 foreigners.Many consider the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit on 8 February 2005 to be the end of the Second Intifada. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed that all Palestinian factions would stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere, while Israel would cease all its military activity against all Palestinians everywhere. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the Roadmap for peace process. Sharon also agreed to release 900 Palestinian prisoners of the 7,500 being held at the time, and to withdraw from West Bank towns that had been reoccupied during the intifada.