1. Jonathan R. White
www.cengage.com/cj/white
Chapter 10:
Terrorism in Israel and Palestine
Rosemary Arway
Hodges University

2. Palestine Liberation Organization
 PLO – Palestinian Liberation Organization:
o Secular organization
o Yasser Arafet – its leader and founder (1964)
o Attempted to establish a government for
displaced Palestinians
o Purpose was to create a political organization to
help form a multinational alliance against Israel
o Looked to Arab governments to jointly launch a
war against Israel

3. Palestine Liberation Organization
 FATAH:
o Yasser Arafat formed Fatah in 1959
o Purpose was to create a guerrilla organization
o Advocated use of small unit tactics and
terrorist actions
o Proposed terrorizing unfortified Israeli civilian
targets after Six Day War defeat
 Merged Fatah into PLO in 1964
 Media coverage of Fatah attacks raised
PLO status throughout the Arab world

4. Palestine Liberation Organization
 Fatah after Karamah:
o After Fatah’s attack on Israel, Israel
respond with force.
o In 1968 Israeli Defense Force (IDF) tanks,
infantry, helicopters and artillery raided the
Palestinians in the village of Karamah
(refuge center housing Fatah members -
fadayeen).
o Fadayyen fought back and Israeli army had
to retreat.

5. Palestine Liberation Organization
 PLO Expelled:
o As it grew, the PLO identified more closely
with militant Arab states and organized its
base in Jordan.
o Concerned about the growing influence of
foreign nationals, Jordanian King Hussein
ordered PLO to stop attacking Israel.
o Arafat defied Hussein’s order.
 In 1970 Hussain ordered Marital Law.
 Arafat and Hussain signed a ceasefire.
Arafat and the PLO fled to southern
Lebanon.

6. Palestine Liberation Organization
 Black September and Munich:
o Black September was a splinter group of the PLO
o Formed after King Hussein’s September attack
 Black September began planning a strike
against Israel
o With the help of German terrorists, Black September
attacked Olympic Village in September 1972.
o Took most of the Israeli Olympic team hostage
o Killed those who attempted escape
o Botched rescue attempt by Germans ended when
terrorists machine-gunned down their hostages
o In October, Arab terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa jet
and demanded release of the Munich terrorist –
Germans capitulated.

7. Palestine Liberation Organization
 1982 Invasion of Lebanon:
o PLO becoming potent force in southern Lebanon
o Iran joined fighting after Islamic revolution of 1979
o Established new terrorist organization called Islamic
Jihad
o Endemic civil war raged in Lebanon
 Operation Peace for Galilee
o IDF forces invaded Lebanon
o PLO retreat from Lebanon
o Fighting in Lebanon continued with a new group:
Hezbollah – an umbrella-style organization
o Israel's fight with PLO shifted from Lebanon to
Palestinians areas in Israel

8. Factionalism in Palestinian Terrorism
 Yom Kippur/ Ramadan War caused shift
in Middle East terrorism
 1967 – 1973 PLO characterized by
internal splintering
 Several groups split from Arafat
o Democratic Front for Liberation of Palestine
o Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
o Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, General Command
o Sabri al Banna - Abu Nidal Organization

9. Abu Nidal Organization
 Abu Nidal:
o Created rebel organization called Black June
o Jointed Fatah for the purpose of regaining a
Palestinian homeland
o Became disillusioned with Fatah and Arafat
o With Iraqi assistance built an infrastructure to
support his terrorist organization
o Moved his operations to Damascus in 1983
o In 1987 Moumar Gadhafi brought Abu Nidal
to Libya
▪ From there Abu Nidal organization operated as private
contractor

10. Abu Nidal
 Abu Nidal:
o Operated on the international level
▪ Particularly ruthless – terrorists became noted for
the brutality of their attacks
o Changed the face of Middle Eastern
terrorism
▪ Increased activities in Europe
▪ Created a large terrorist group
▪ Immersed himself in the Lebanese Civil War
▪ Terrorism become the meaning for existence
o Began working as a mercenary for foreign
governments

11. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
o Secular group arising after Yom Kippur War
o Small group that emerged in Egypt
o Influenced by militant Salafism
o Disillusioned with the Muslim Brotherhood
 PIJ founders:
o Fathi Shekaki
o Abdul Aziz
o Bashir Musa

12. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 Fathi Shekaki
o Longed to take direct – military – action against
infidels
o Supported Iranian revolution
o Left Egypt in 1981 with Aziz and Musa to settle in
the Gaza Strip
o Advocate of umbrella-style organization and the
suicide bomber (Hezbollah innovations)
o Discovered that small groups are virtually invisible
for enemies, and for that reason let his group split.
▪ The U.S.A. Department of State sees the structure of PIJ
as a pillar of strength.

13. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 PIJ terrorists gained power through group’s
hidden structure
o No infrastructure or visible means of support
▪ Invisibility partially due to growing number of
groups claiming the name Islamic Jihad
o Impossible to fight a non-organization
o Not concerned with claiming credit for operations
▪ 1987 First Intifada – PIJ joining street fights
▪ 1993 Oslo Accord promises peace in Middle
East - Fathi Shekaki joins a new Rejectionist
Front

14. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 Shekaki was assassinated in Malta in 1995.
 Shekaki’s succesor, Ramadan Abdullah Sallah,
maintained Shekaki philosophy.
 In 2001 PIJ launched a suicide bombing
campaign:
o Sought deeper ties to Hezbollah and Hamas
 Department of Justice (DOJ) believes PIJ has an
organized network of financial supporters
including some within the U.S.
o U.S. government claims to have uncovered a PIJ
financial and administrative network at a Florida
University.

15. Hamas and the Rise
of Religious Organizations
 Palestinian Muslim Brothers would become the
nucleus of Hamas
o Hamas formed in 1987
o Tied to Sheik Ahmed Yassin
o Wanted to steer the resistance movement along a
religious course
o Hamas Charter published in 1988 – declares
Palestine as a God-given land from the Jordan river
to Mediterranean Sea
o Hamas reflects non-violence ideas against fellow
Palestinians
o Hamas opposes PLO
o Hamas maintains political wing to oversee internal
and foreign affairs

16. Hamas and the Rise
of Religious Organizations
 Struggles for Leadership:
o Yassin was jailed from 1989 to 1997
o Musa Abu Marzuq took over Hamas
▪ Strategy more violent than Yassin’s
▪ Launched savage suicide bombings in Israel
▪ Created ‘outside’ leadership basing Hamas
outside of Palestine territory
o In 1997 Yassin was released from prison
and while under house arrest he gradually
reasserted control over Hamas.

17. Hamas and the Rise
of Religious Organizations
 In 2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud
Abbas brokered a limited ceasefire, asking
Hamas, the PIJ and related groups to end their
campaigns.
 Arafat and PIJ dominate Palestinian politics
 In 2006 Fatah lost its position and Hamas won
the election.
o The U.S.A and UE did not recognize Hamas’s
victory.
o 2007 - Hamas had driven Fatah from Gaza and
Abbas dissolved the government and formed a new
one without Hamas.
o 2008 - Operation Cast Lead: Israel assaults Gaza.

18. The Future
 In March 2004 Israeli helicopters fired three
missiles at Yassin.
o Hamas announced his replacement with Abdel
Aziz Rantisi.
▪ Israeli assassinated Rantsi in the same manner as
Yassin.
 A new leader was appointed but his identity is
kept in secret.
o There is a suspicion the new leader (Khalid
Mashal) acts outside of Palestine from
Damascus.
o It is suspected that he may develop an
international orientation and present a threat to
the U.S.

19. The Future
Reuvan Paz Matthew Levitt
Hamas is: Hamas is:
 Shifting targets and focus  Engaged in anti-America
 Strong Sunni organization rhetoric
 Palestinian extension of the  Refused to join al-Qaeda and
Muslim Brotherhood the international Jihad
 Influenced by militant Salafi
Puritanism because its focus is on Israel
 Supported by Saudi  International
sympathizers  Disincentives for attacking
 Closer to the revolutionary
Shi’ites in general the West
 Falling into Hezbollah orbit  Militant theology behind
Hamas may encourage
individual terrorists to take
action against the West

20. al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
 Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (Brigades) formed to
put Fatah at the center of the new Intifada.
o Began as secular group
o Increasing use of Jihadist rhetoric
o First secular Palestinian group to use suicide tactics
▪ Suicide bombing became the most important tactic of all the
Palestinian terrorist groups
 Brigades recognize Israel’s right to exist.
o Intend to stop Israeli incursions and attacks in
Palestinian areas
o Punish Israel for each attack

21. al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
 al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades’ effective tactics:
o Drive-by shootings
o Snipers
o Ambushes
o Kidnap-murders
o suicide bombings
 Brigade suicide bombers were frightening for
two reasons:
o They were secular
o Sought out crowded civilian targets
 Purpose is to kill and maim as many victims as possible in
the most public way possible

22. al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
 Leadership in the Martyrs Brigades
o Al Aqsa has little centralized structure
▪ Its strength comes from the fact that small cells are able to
operate without a strong leader
▪ Administration is pushed to the lowest operational level
▪ Cells function almost autonomously
▪ Effective because they operate in a network
▪ Effective without centralized leadership
o Al Aqsa is suspected of being associated with Fatah
o Marwan Barghouti is the commander
o Arafat pays the expenses and set the agenda (Israelis
report)
▪ There is no evidence that he has control over the organization

23. Violent Jewish Fundamentalism
 Jewish Fundamentalism:
o Involved in terrorist violence
o Militant Judaism is based on the biblical
notion that God has promised to restore the
state the Israel
 Rabbi Meir Kahane
o In 1968 created the Jewish Defense
League
o Involved in several terrorist incidents in the
U.S.
o Formed the militant group – Kach
o Assassinated in 1990 in the United States

24. Violent Jewish Fundamentalism
 Kahane Chai:
o Combined politics and biblical literalism to demand all
Arabs be expelled from Israel’ occupied territories
o Involved in threatening Palestinians
o Threatened to attack Arabs and Israeli officials seeking
peace
o Committed to stop any peace proposal recognizing
territorial rights of Palestinians
 Gush Emunim
o fundamentalist Israeli settlement in Palestinian territory,
gets political support from Israel
o Same set of beliefs as violent fundamentalists
o Rhetoric appears normative compared with violent
rhetoric of other groups

25. Violent Jewish Fundamentalism
 Problems with Jewish militant extremism:
Hanauer:
o Extremists claim the exclusive right to determine
the truth.
o They advocate an ideal order
▪ Gush Emunim and Kach claim the Messiah can
come only when the existing order is purified.
o National identify of Israel and its political legitimacy
can only be determined through religion.
o All current events are defined within a narrow set of
beliefs that define a limited worldview and identify
only a few people as being chosen by God.

26. Controversial Counterterrorist Policies
 Many Israeli police and military units
have established excellent reputations in
counterterrorist operations.
 Tactical operations are second to none.
o Mossad – Israeli intelligence service
o Shin Beth – Domestic Israeli security
service
o IDF – Israeli Defense Force
o Israeli police – able to handle bombs,
kidnappings, snipers

27. Controversial Counterterrorist Policies
 International controversy
o Bulldozing
▪ Purpose is to destroy the family homes of suicide
bombers
▪ Suspected leaders in militant groups and others
were targeted
▪ Farms and other areas were bulldozed
o The Wall
▪ Condemned by the international community, a
concrete and barbed-wire barrier cut through
Palestinian areas.
▪ Construction reduced suicide attacks
▪ Construction separated Palestinians from their
jobs, families and services

28. Controversial Counterterrorist Policies
o Invading Lebanon
▪ First invasion, 1982, to rid south of the PLO, ended
with 18 year occupation and the creation of
Hezbollah.
▪ 1993 offensive in Lebanon to disrupt Hezbollah
operations
▪ Operation Grapes of Wrath: destruction of bridges,
power plants, and other infrastructure
▪ Attempt to create a wedge between Lebanon and
Hezbollah
▪ July 2006 another invasion
▪ Israeli Air Naval and IDF attacked Lebanon with an
attempt to destroy Hezbollah; they defended its
action saying the Lebanon government was unable
to disarm and confront Hezbollah on its own.

29. Controversial Counterterrorist Policies
 Selective Assassination
o Paz
▪ might internationalize the conflict
o Bayman
▪ is publicly transparent
o Krauthammer
▪ Israelis feel that harsh policies must be
implemented to deter terrorism.
▪ U.S. repeatedly has taken the stance that Israel
cannot be condemned for harsh measures until
the international community also condemns
Palestinian terrorism.