In the Al-Shawah hall in Gaza, Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of the State of Palestine. Only Micronesia, the U.S. and Israel refrained from recognizing the new state. All of the Palestinian opposition factions declared their unequivocal support for Arafat, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad forces submitting to the Palestinian Armed Forces' command.
Opinions regarding the causes of the war are contradictory.
The Palestinian version claims that residents of Kiryat Arba settlement opened fire on the Palestinian army near the Baruch Goldstein tomb. According to Netanyahu's version, it was the Palestinians who opened fire on the Hebron settlers. Predictably, fighting broke out in short order across the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestinian army conquered Kfar Darom and Netzarim settlements, while heavy fighting raged around Kedumim and Efrat. Casualties on both sides mounted, reaching the hundreds.