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Palestinian Political and Military Factions |
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Trademark. Palestinian
Political and Military
Factions:
Below
is a listing of the major Palestinian political
and military factions. (NOTE: This page is a
work in progress as of July, 2010) Fatah Party: Fatah served as
Arafat’s power base within the PLO, and
under Abbas continues to dominate much of the
political scene in the Territories. The founders
of Fatah favor a specific Palestinian
nationalism over general Arab nationalist
ideology,and officially sanctioned political
violence against Israel until the 1990’s as
part of their nationalist rhetoric. Force 17: Force 17 was formed in the
early 1970’s as a personal security force
for Arafat and other PLO leaders. Force 17
members were involved in attacks on
Israelitargets in the early 1980’s and it
claimed responsibility for killing three
Israelis in Cyprus in 1985. In 1994, when the
Palestinian Authority was established, Force 17
was merged into the official Palestinian
Authority security apparatus and technically
ceased to exist, although some Palestinian
Authority security officialsapparently continue
to identify themselves as Force 17 members.
Recent attempts by the Palestinian Authority to
consolidate its security services did not
include Force 17. Heroes of the Return: Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades: This
organization appeared after the start of the2000
Palestinian uprising, reportedly formed by
Tanzim or other Fatah activists whobelieve in a
more violent approach to force Israel to end its
occupation. The al-AqsaMartyrs Brigades, which
is secular, says it does not share the ideology
of Hamas and thePIJ, which purport to seek
Israel’s destruction. The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) - Second largest, radically
militant and communist The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC)-- In
1968, Ahmed Jibril broke away from the PFLP to
form this Syrian-backed Palestinian militant
group. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (DFLP) --formed in 1969 as a
separate, Maoist organization under Nayef
Hawatmeh and Yasser Abd Rabbo, initially called
the PDFLP. The Popular Revolutionary Front for the
Liberation of Palestine -- formed following
a split in PFLP in 1972. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (DFLP) - Third largest,
communist The Palestine Liberation Front (PLF, Abu
Abbas faction) - Minor left-wing faction The Arab Liberation Front (ALF) -
Minor faction, aligned to the old Iraqi Ba'ath
Party As-Sa'iqa - Syrian-controlled
Ba'athist faction within the Palestinian
movement. The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front
(PPSF, Samir Ghawsha faction) - minor
left-wing faction within the Palestinian
movement. The Palestinian Arab Front (PAF) -
minor faction within the Palestinian
movement. Internet
Sources: Print
Sources: Fedayeen: The Arab-Israeli Dilemma (The
Free Press, 1973), by John Laffin. This book
has a decidedly pro-Israel tilt, but outlines
the formation of the PLO, and the internal
dissensions and conflicts dividing the various
Palestinian factions. Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956: Arab
Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and the
Countdown to the Suez War (Oxford University
Press, 1997) by Benny Morris. This is a very
detailed look at the initial Palestinian
response to al-Nakba (Arabic for "The
Cataclysm") in which large portions of the
Palestinian population fled Palestine after the
1948-1949 war. It was hard to find in the late
90's when I bought it, and I think it may be out
of print. Worth hunting for! No Victor, No Vanquished: The Yom Kippur
War (Presidio Press, 1978) by Edgar
O'Ballance. Another very well-done look at a
major Arab-Israeli War and the background to the
conflict. The Third Arab-Israeli War (Archon Books,
1972), also by Edgar O'Ballance. A good book
on the 1967 War. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making
of the Modern Middle East (Presidio Press, 2003)
by Michael B. Oren. This is a more recent
book that also provides a lot of background to
the Arab-Israeli conflict in general, and a good
analysis of why the 1967 war should be
considered THE major turning point in the
history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Copyright
© 1998-2012 Roger A. Lee and History Guy
Media; Last Modified: 11.18.12 "The
History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Video of the 1972
Munich Massacre of Israeli Athletes by Palestinian
Terrorists Historyguy.com Search
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Marketing You Can Trust Nakba--Recounts
al-Nakba (Arabic for "The
Cataclysm") in which large
portions of the Palestinian
population fled Palestine during
the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli
War. Fateh
Online--English language
version of the al-Fatah
movement's website. BBC
NEWS | In Depth | Israel and the
Palestinians --Objective
information from the BBC. The
Electronic Intifada
--Official website of the
Palestinian National
Authority. Middle
East 101 --Click on "Sticking
Points" for a succinct rundown of
the issues from both sides,
courtesy of the Christian Science
Monitor. Mideast:
Centuries of Conflict --CNN's
In-Depth Special makes a good
starting point for background
information and news. Go to
"Maps: Occupied lands" for a
helpful clickable map of the
disputed regions. PREDECESSOR:
(Related conflicts and events that
occurred before) CONCURRENT:
(Related conflicts occurring at the same
time) Suez/Sinai
War
(1956) 1967
Arab-Israeli
War
(1967) War
of Attrition (1968-1970) 1973
Arab-Israeli War (1968-1970) Jordanian
Civil War (1970-1971) Lebanese
Civil
War
(1975-1992) Israeli
Invasion & Occupation of South
Lebanon
(1982-2000) Second
Persian Gulf War/Operation Desert
Storm
(1990-1991) Third
Persian Gulf War/ Iraq
War (2003-Present) SUCCESSOR:
(Related conflicts that occur
later) Israel,
the West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the
center of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Map from the CIA World
Factbook-Israel http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/is.html
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Copyright
© 1998-2012 Roger A. Lee and
11.08.12
As
shown in the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict page,
the historical and religious animosity between
Israel and the Palestinians runs deep. After the
formation of the Palestine
Liberation Organization in 1964,
Palestinian guerilla/commando/terrorist groups
began a series of organized and increasingly
violent attacks on Israel itself and on Israeli
targets around the world. Israel responded in
various ways, including commando raids of their
own, assassinations of PLO leaders and
operatives around the world, and, at times,
full-scale invasions of neighboring countries
which gave the PLO aid and sanctuary. No war is
simple to explain or define, and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in many ways
especially difficult to define, since Israel had
not one foe to contend with, but over a dozen
different Palestinian factions that often had
different goals, different tactics, different
sponsors among the Arab nations (and among the
Communist bloc), and which were often at odds
with one another almost as often as they fought
the Israelis.
The
Great Arab Uprising (1936-1938)
1948
Arab-Israeli War (1948-1949)
None
yet as this is an ongoing
conflict
