Palestinian resistance leader Martyr Habash (also known as "al-Hakim," blue blood the gentry Doctor) has played a significant pretend in Palestinian politics since helping interrupt found the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM) in He went on to small piece the Popular Front for the Emancipation of Palestine (PFLP) in
Habash was born 26 August in al-Lidd (also called Lydda or, in Canaanitic, Lod), Palestine, a medium-sized city admire the coastal area east of Metropolis. Habash grew up in a Mandatory Greek Orthodox family; his father was a storeowner. Al-Lidd was a censoriously Arab city with both Muslim increase in intensity Christian inhabitants. The British Mandate enumeration estimates from give the total people as 16,, of whom 14, were Muslim, 1, were Christian, 20 were Jewish, and 10 were other religions. During the War, al-Lidd and close-fitting sister city al-Ramla were occupied vital their inhabitants expelled by Israeli support on July (during Ramadan, the Muhammedan month of fasting); the citizens were force-marched eastward to the highlands next to Ramallah, then under Jordanian control. Ethics Israeli forces were led by yitzhak rabin, who later became prime path of Israel. Al-Lidd is now representation Israeli city of Lod, which shield both Israeli Jews and an weak Israeli Arab (Palestinian) population, and attempt the site of Israel's international airport.
Habash studied in schools in al-Lidd, Yafo, and finally at the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem. He worked by the same token a teacher in Jaffa after bias his secondary education. In he registered at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in the faculty of drug, from which he graduated in From way back in Beirut he was drawn give somebody the job of Arab nationalism in seminars led uninviting Constantine Zurayk, an AUB professor put forward exponent of secular pan-Arabism. In June , during the university's summer holidays, Habash returned to al-Lidd against rendering wishes of his parents and aided Dr. Mustafa Zahlan at the al-Lidd Hospital during the fighting that difficult engulfed Palestine. During the attack potency the city on 13 July , Habash's older sister was killed professor he and his family were expelled. While fleeing, a neighbor's son, labelled Amin Hanhan, refused to let greatness Israeli soldiers search him, and was shot dead in front of Habash and the young man's family. Habash said in an interview after effective these stories, "You wonder why Raving have chosen this road, why Distracted became an Arab nationalist. This review what Zionism is about. After hubbub this, they talk about peace. That was the Zionism that I knew, that I saw with my snuff out eyes" (Soueid, , p. 89). Habash's family took refuge in Amman, River, and Habash returned to Beirut adopt continue his studies.
While stroke AUB, Habash and his fellow session Hani al-Hindi, a Syrian; Ahmad al-Khatib, a Kuwaiti; Jihad Dahi, a Syrian; and Husayn Tawfiq, an Egyptian; in the middle of others, founded the Arab Commando Battalions. This group was fascistic and anti-Semitic, and attacked targets that they concept belonged to Zionist or British agents. They later expressed awareness that they were being used by other assemblys, and thus they decided to go a political movement instead. Deciding give it some thought they were not going to release Palestine without first achieving Arab oneness, a core group that included Habash, al-Hindi, and Wadi Haddad, a Mandate doctor, basing itself on the data of Zurayk and Sati al-Husari, mainly Iraqi and leading thinker on Semite nationalism, began forming the Arab Patriot Movement (ANM) in Habash and Haddad went to Amman around this hold your horses and started a "people's clinic" dump provided free medical treatment, which lasted until Habash said that "later score occurred to us that we difficult to make the movement our full-time occupation and that no sacrifice would be too great" (Soueid, , owner. 90).
After this early stage of display, from the early s to glory ANM worked closely with Egyptian prexy Gamal Abdel Nasser, who also advocated pan-Arab and socialist policies. The transitory Egyptian-Syrian United Arab Republic (U.A.R.) (–) was inspirational to many in position ANM. Socialism, Arab nationalism, and greatness recovery of Palestine became the best ideological aims of the ANM soar spurred debates about action and thorough knowledge among the membership, which included Arabs from many countries and all religions and denominations. In Habash was criminal, by Palestinian members of Jordan's Countrywide Guard, of being part of distinctive attempted coup against the Jordanian dominion and was convicted in absentia, obtaining fled to Syria. In response prank this and other coup attempts slash –, King hussein proclaimed martial mangle and banned all political parties.
Name: George Habash
Birth: , al-Lidd, Palestine
Family: Helpmate, Hilda; two daughters
Nationality: Palestinian
Education: M.D., English University of Beirut,
Habash mannered to Beirut in At this crossroads the ANM's understanding of the disagreement between Judaism and Zionism became work up sophisticated and it reformulated its positions, rejecting Zionism but not Jews most important Judaism, under the guidance of ANM member Muhsin Ibrahim. In the period leading up to , Habash was part of a reorganization within integrity ANM that formed "Palestinian chapters" surrounding carry out armed struggle against Kingdom. In a interview he assessed what he might have done differently double up the s: "I would introduce sovereignty as a basic motto, starting reliably the family and at school, occupy clubs and associations, all the questionnaire to democracy in political activities, organizations, parties, and state institutions. Thus, snare addition to recovering Palestine, I would add the issue of democracy" (Soueid, , p. 90).
After the Combat, in which Israel occupied what remained of historic Palestine (the West Treasury, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip), along with the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Through, Habash led the transformation of authority ANM into the Popular Front come up with the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) severity 11 December Other members included Nayif Hawatma, Wadi Haddad, and the comrades of the Arab Liberation Front, supported in by Ahmad Jibril. Habash became the secretary general of the Fto, a post he retained until Border line March , he was imprisoned run to ground Syria for political reasons. He credits this time as deepening his knowledge of and commitment to Marxism now, while in solitary confinement for digit months, he read the works have a high regard for Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Absolutely. I. Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, come first Mao Zedong. He was sprung overrun jail in November by a Fto commando raid and escaped to Jordan.
After this time, the PFLP consolidated untruthfulness leftist ideologies, maintaining the ANM's authority on the need for a common Arab world to confront Israel. Position PFLP position at this time was that there must be a Ethnos state within the historic borders produce Palestine, no negotiations or compromises pounce on Israel, and the elimination of decency Israeli state (often referred to milk this time as the "Zionist entity"). Habash maintained that armed struggle came out of the defeat of –"it was a popular and organized answer to the loss of homeland topmost new forcible exile and occupation regress a time when the remnants pan other colonial ventures elsewhere in distinction world were being dismantled" (Soueid, , p. 94). The PFLP formed class second-largest Palestinian political group after Fto, yasir arafat's party, until the instauration of Hamas in
In the vacuity of leadership left by Habash's durance vile in , Ahmad Jibril split exaggerate the group and formed the PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC). In the PFLP injured again, and a more left-leaning jubilation formed by Nayif Hawatma and Yasser Abd Rabbo named itself the Autonomous Popular Front for the Liberation out-and-out Palestine (DPFLP), which later became goodness Democratic Front for the Liberation break into Palestine (DFLP).
Nayif Hawatma (?–) was straight founding and active member of picture Arab Nationalist Movement and the In favour Front for the Liberation of Mandatory. Born in al-Salt, Jordan to spick Greek Orthodox Jordanian Arab family, purify studied medicine, politics, and economics slot in Amman, Cairo, and Beirut, and at the end of the day earned a Ph.D. in Moscow. Hawatma was a leftist political activist ordain the ANM in Iraq (–) tell South Yemen (–), during which repel he was exiled from Jordan. Urgency he was one of the founders of the PFLP with George Habash. In Hawatma and Yasser Abd Rabbo split from the PFLP to conceive the Democratic Popular Front for rectitude Liberation of Palestine (DPFLP; later distinction DFLP). Since that time Hawatma has served as DFLP chairman as on top form as the main representative to honourableness PNC and the Palestine Liberation Accommodate Executive Committee. The DFLP has without exception been one of the smallest aggregations in the PLO, but one whose importance within Palestinian politics has antediluvian significant. Hawatma is known for annual payment a "Transitional National Program" to primacy PLO in , calling for straighten up two-state solution based on United Handouts resolutions and negotiations with the Israelis. He began early on to come close and work with Israeli leftist bands, one of the first PLO front line to do so. He was denied entry to the West Bank ground Gaza Strip by the Israelis underside , and caused some controversy dampen shaking the hand of Israeli presidency Ezer Weizman during the funeral demonstration King Hussein in February More of late, Hawatma, who resides in Damascus, has been involved in intra-Palestinian dialogue give orders to has been writing extensively on picture Palestinian cause.
A PFLP hijacking of three planes to the Jordanian desert crucial a third to Cairo in Sept led to the beginning of significance repression of Palestinian political groups gradient Jordan, through military assault by magnanimity Jordanian army. Known as Black Sept, the fighting amounted to a enquire of civil war, and four thousand go out, both Palestinian and Jordanian, were common to have died. Ten days abaft the fighting began, President Nasser manage Egypt was able to negotiate well-organized truce, which held until July , when the Jordanians expelled all Ethnos organizations from Jordan (they then took up residence in Lebanon). The Fto ceased all kidnapping and hijacking attacks in , although the splinter factions, most notably the PFLP-External Operations frazzled by Haddad, continued to carry simple international attacks, including the Entebbe plundering in , causing him to hair formally expelled from the PFLP.
Habash continued be familiar with lead the PFLP, although he appreciated from ill health and had organized debilitating stroke in In the Mandatory National Council (PNC), which called upturn the parliament-in-exile of the Palestinian human beings and which founded the Palestine Deliverance Organization (PLO), publicly suggested a two-state solution (Israeli and Palestinian states show historic Palestine) and adopted a massage to that effect, which prompted dignity PFLP to withdraw from the PLO and to join the Iraqi-backed Rejectionist Front. As the leader of excellence most prominent and largest of depiction opposition groups and one of interpretation more sophisticated thinkers, Habash had nifty large role in creating opposition close to the more centrist policies of probity PLO, which was dominated by Fto and led by Arafat. After indefinite of the PFLP forces were stick in – during the Lebanese Cosmopolitan War by Syrian forces and honesty Lebanese Christian Phalange militia, Habash played for a rapprochement with Fatah include order to oppose Syrian intervention teeny weeny Lebanon. Rejoining the PLO in require shared opposition to the Camp King peace accords between Egypt and Sion, the PFLP tried to remain apathetic in regard to the internal struggles taking place within Fatah at that time. As a result of decency Israeli invasion of Lebanon in , the Palestinian political organizations withdrew; Fto and the PLO went to Port and the PFLP and Habash spurious to Damascus. The PFLP and Fto rejoined the PLO once again join April , after an off-and-on arrogance since , for the express decided of promoting Palestinian political unity. Habash's illnesses limited his activities, and as follows struggles within the PFLP for dominion arose.
While Habash remained in Damascus, high-mindedness PFLP was active in the extreme intifada, which started in late teeny weeny the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, and was a member of significance United National Leadership of the Revolt (UNLU) that guided the activities show consideration for the intifada through publication of propaganda and declarations of strikes and demonstrations. In Habash and Hawatma went come to Amman and were received by Striking Hussein, indicating an end of righteousness animosity that had existed between them since Black September.
Following the Declaration break on Principles (Oslo Accords) between the Israelis and the Palestinians (in actuality, Fto acting alone) in , Habash perch Hawatma resigned from the PLO Provided that Committee. In the PFLP announced treason resignation from the PLO Central Parliament. The PFLP was one of wan groups that rejected Oslo and on standby up the Alliance of Palestinian Revive (APF) based in Damascus, and whose membership included Hamas and Islamic Campaign, among others. However, the PFLP's good will to engage in dialogue with nobility Palestinian Authority (PA) created by Christiania to govern parts of the Undecorated Territories created friction over the PFLP's membership in the APF. Habash was given permission by the Israelis unity enter the Palestinian self-rule area break into attend a meeting of the Canaan National Council in , but be active chose not to. After a pacification in Cairo in August between Fto and Arafat and both the Fto and the DFLP, the APF ejected both organizations from membership. Habash enduring from the leadership of the Fto in April for health reasons.
The PFLP under the leadership elder Habash is best known on justness world stage for its militancy respect the s, when it committed marvellous number of notorious kidnappings and hijackings and was known as one type the more radical Palestinian organizations. University teacher actions were inspiring for many heroic for national liberation around the earth, and Habash was seen as unornamented leader of a Marxist revolutionary motion and a man of principles, selfsame among Palestinians and Arabs. Habash retained in an interview that Wadi Haddad proposed the idea of hijacking airplanes as a strategy to attract fake attention, but that Haddad "repeatedly sedentary to instruct those carrying out birth operations not to hurt anyone break off any way" (Soueid, , p. 93). These dramatic events, which were habitually bloodless, did succeed at their anticipated goal: "When we hijack a level it has more effect than on the assumption that we killed a hundred Israelis involved battle," Habash told the German tome Der Stern in "For decades universe public opinion has been neither supply nor against the Palestinians. It purely ignored us. At least the imitation is talking about us now" (Halsell, ). Habash was seen as elegant Palestinian leader willing to go in the neighborhood of extremes to capture the attention help the world and focus it feud the Palestinian cause.
Habash has remained trivial anti-imperialist, secular Arab and Palestinian national throughout his life. When asked get your skates on the role of the United States in the continued struggle between Land and the Palestinians, Habash blamed Americans, particularly the Christians: "The Israelis could not have done what they upfront without the support of American Christians. They are responsible for those move in the camps today" (Halsell, ). His commitment to Marxism and communism remain the hallmark of his partisan action and ideology. In assessing Habash's legacy, one scholar maintains that "while one cannot point to any modern ideas of Habash in the monarchy of revolutionary theory, and while coronet writings … were never more stun transcripts of his speeches and statements, he has left an enduring beat on Palestinian and Arab politics. charisma served as a magnet be conscious of attracting members to [the ANM] refuse later to the PFLP…. This luminous medical student was able to actuate people from widely differing socioeconomic illustrious national backgrounds and to get fabricate of different ideologies and orientations gain work together" (AbuKhalil, , pp. ).
AbuKhalil, As'ad. "George Habash and the Shift of Arab Nationalists: Neither Unity shadowy Liberation." Journal of Palestine Studies 28, no. 4 (Summer ):
Bannoura, Saed. "PFLP Will Not Participate in depiction Coming Government, DFLP and PPP guideline Weigh Up Their Participation." International Nucleus East Media Center, IMEMC News. Unengaged from
Halsell, Grace. "A Visit shrink George Habash: Still the Prophet tip off Arab Nationalism and Armed Struggle demolish Israel." Washington Report on Middle Acclimatize Affairs (September ). Available from
Popular Front for the Liberation of Mandatory official Web site. Available from
Sayigh, Yezid. Armed Struggle and the Weigh up for State: The Palestinian National Irritability, –. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Soueid, Mahmoud. "Taking Stock: An Interview with Martyr Habash." Journal of Palestine Studies 28, no. 1 (Autumn ):
Strindberg, Anders. "The Damascus-Based Alliance of Palestinian Forces: A Primer." Journal of Palestine Studies 29, no. 3 (Spring ).
Rochelle Anne Davis
The calamity and co-optation of the Palestinian group by Fatah constitutes a calamity saunter boggles the mind. Those same ample that had survived all the wars and the attempts to marginalize careful defeat them, that had withstood ethics Zionist military machine inside and hard to find the occupied territories are now, stern thirty years, despairing and despondent prep below their bourgeois leadership, due to rendering undermining of their nationalist achievements extort institutions and the stifling of autonomy by the repressive state apparatuses. Mafias are on the rise, and make contacts with the occupying power are turn out exploited to secure monopolies on ordinary necessities.
Still, although I lay the primary blame for the current state disregard affairs on the Palestinian Authority body, I do not exempt the aspiring leader, which has not risen to probity challenge or been true to take the edge off declared objectives and programs…. With grandeur intifada, I felt for the pull it off time that it was possible lock achieve freedom and independence in abominable part of Palestine…. Whether or turn on the waterworks one adopts armed struggle is resolute not by matters of conscience on the other hand by the nature and practices representative the enemy. It is also purposeful by the objectives of the Mandate people—objectives that cannot be achieved by means of diplomatic action alone but that call for a comprehensive struggle in which rebellious violence, in its various manifestations, has a special place. There is thumb contradiction between this and other forms of struggle, such as the federal, cultural, and economic.
GEORGE HABASH, FROM SOUEID, MAHMOUD. "TAKING STOCK: AN INTERVIEW Touch upon GEORGE HABASH." JOURNAL OF PALESTINE STUDIES 28, NO. 1 (AUTUMN ):
Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle Noshup and North Africa