They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom

by Ahed Tamimi

The First Intifada officially ended with the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, a peace agreement between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership (the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO) that was brokered by the United States. Oslo, as the agreement is called for short, saw Israel officially recognize the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people in exchange for the PLO recognizing Israel’s right to exist. It was intended to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution. Instead, what resulted was Palestinians giving up more of their land and their rights and Israel conceding nothing. Oslo also created the Palestinian Authority, or PA, which was meant to serve as an interim governing body until a final status agreement could be reached—something that never happened. And so, the PA has instead functioned as a subcontractor for Israel, carrying out security coordination and taking on the responsibilities of administering the occupation, a heavy and expensive burden that international law says Israel should shoulder.