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'''Palestinian fedayeen''' (from the ] ''fidā'ī'', plural ''fidā'īyun'', فدائيون: meaning, "](s)"<ref name=Nawawy>{{cite book|title=''The Israeli-Egyptian Peace Process in the Reporting of Western Journalists''|author=Mohammed El-Nawawy|publisher=Inc NetLibrary|year=2002|page=49|isbn=1567505457}}</ref> or "self-sacrificers"<ref name=Rea>{{cite book|title=''The Arab-Israeli Conflict''|author=Tony Rea and John Wright|publisher=]|year=1993|page=43|isbn=019917170X}}</ref>) is a term used to refer to ] (i.e. ]s or ]s) from among the ]. Considered "freedom fighters" by most Palestinians,<ref name=Glaser>{{cite book|title=''The Design of Dissent''|author=Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic|year=2005|publisher=Rockport Publishers|isbn=1592531172}}</ref> most Israelis consider them to be "]s". '''Palestinian fedayeen''' (from the ] ''fidā'ī'', plural ''fidā'īyun'', فدائيون: "one who is ready to sacrifice his life") is a term used to refer to militant ]s from among the ], including ]s. Considered to be "]" amongst Palestinians,<ref name=Glaser>{{cite book|title=''The Design of Dissent''|author=Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic|year=2005|publisher=Rockport Publishers|isbn=1592531172}}</ref> most Israelis consider them to be "]s". The ''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements'' defines "Fedayeen" as "Palestinian resistance fighters".<ref name=Osmanczyk>{{cite book|title=''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements''|author=Edmund Jan Osmanczyk|publisher=]|page=702|year=2002|isbn=0415939216}}</ref>


⚫ In attacks launched by Palestinian fedayeen from ], ], ], and ] on ] between 1949 and 1958, 1,300 ]s were killed or wounded. While the Palestinian fedayeen were generally supported by those governments, in some cases they came into conflict with them.<ref>], History of Israel, p. 450. cited at {{cite web |publisher= jafi.org |title= Fedayeen Raids 1951 -1956 |url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/maps/fed.html}}</ref>
The ''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements'' defines '''fedayeen''' as "Palestinian resistance fighters"<ref name=Osmanczyk>{{cite book|title=''Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements''|author=Edmund Jan Osmanczyk|publisher=]|page=702|year=2002|isbn=0415939216}}</ref> and they have been considered symbols of the ].<ref name=Milton/> Drawing inspiration from guerrilla movements in ], ], and ], the fedayeen have always been portrayed in a ] role.<ref name=Milton/> Beverly Milton-Edwards describes them as "modern revolutionaries fighting for ], not religious salvation," and distinguishes them from '']'' (i.e. "fighters of the ] for ]").<ref name=Milton>{{cite book|title=''Islamic Politics in Palestine''|author=Beverley Milton-Edwards|year=1996|pages=94-95|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=1860644759}}</ref> While the fallen soldiers of both mujahaddin and fedayeen are called ] (i.e. "martyrs") by Palestinians, Milton nevertheless contends that it would be political and religious blasphemy to call the "] fighters" of the fedayeen, mujahaddin.<ref name=Milton/>


⚫ ==Involvement of President Nasser and Egyptian intelligence==
==Early fedayeen attacks==

⚫ The first attacks by Palestinian fedayeen were launched by ]s of the ], living in camps in ], ], ], and ]. Between 1949 and 1958, 1,300 ]s were killed or wounded in such attacks. While the Palestinian fedayeen were generally supported by those governments, in some cases they came into conflict with them.<ref>], History of Israel, p. 450. cited at {{cite web |publisher= jafi.org |title= Fedayeen Raids 1951 -1956 |url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/maps/fed.html}}</ref>

⚫ Israel's complaints that the fedayeen attacks violated the 1949 UN Armistice Agreement forbidding hostilities by paramilitary forces were ignored. Between 1951 and 1956, hundreds of fedayeen attacks were carried out and over 400 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded seriously. The Israeli government cites dozens of these attacks as "Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis prior to the 1967 ]".
⚫ <ref>{{cite web | publisher=mfa.gov.il | title= Major terror attacks|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+Maps/1948-1967-+Major+Terror+Attacks.htm}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | publisher=mfa.gov.il | title= Palestinina terror|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+before+2000/Which+Came+First-+Terrorism+or+Occupation+-+Major.htm}}</ref> Between 1949 and 1956, 400 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded by fedayeen attacks. <ref>{{cite web | publisher=jafi.org | title=Map|url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/maps/fed.html}}</ref> In 1955, 260 Israeli citizens were killed or wounded by fedayeen". <ref>{{cite web | publisher= adl.org | title=Record | url=http://www.adl.org/ISRAEL/Record/sinai.asp}}</ref>

⚫ ] writes that the calculated acts of fedayeen terror, supported by the Arab countries, eventually contributed to the outbreak of the ].<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YUthqHRF-m8C&pg=PA420&lpg=PA420&dq=fedayeen+israel&source=web&ots=mz59gfgQCx&sig=MTOTo5reQeJnWZKeqnM7l9ZoSYg| title=Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and| author=]| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=1993| isbn=0198292627}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | publisher=palestinefacts.org | title= What happened during the period of the fedayeen attacks on Israel in the 1950s?|url=http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1948to1967_fedayeen.php}}</ref>

⚫ ===Involvement of President Nasser and Egyptian intelligence===


President ] (1918 - 1970) openly deployed forces whom he called "fedayeen" in a 1955 call to arms against Israel: President ] (1918 - 1970) openly deployed forces whom he called "fedayeen" in a 1955 call to arms against Israel:
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Scholars have noted that the fedayeen were trained and equipped by ] to engage in hostile action on its border with Israel, to infiltrate it and to to commit acts of sabotage and murder. The fedayeen also operated from bases in Jordan. The attacks violated the ] prohibiting hostilities by paramilitary forces, but it was Israel that was condemned by the UN Security Council for its counterattacks.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= jewishvirtuallibrary.org | title= Fedayeen |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/Fedayeen.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cT16EWF9I4cC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=fedayeen+israel&source=web&ots=mJR38hIH9V&sig=yGxT564et617hjyecoCKT8OX174#PPA58,M1| title=The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict| author=]| publisher=Routledge| year=2005| isbn=0415359015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380626879&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| title=An 'infidel' in Israel| author=Lela Gilbert| publisher=]| date=], ]| quote="t.-Gen. Mustafa Hafez, was appointed by president Gamal Abdel Nasser to command Egyptian army intelligence. Hafez founded Palestinian fedayeen units to launch terrorist raids across Israel's southern border. Between 1951 and 1956, the fedayeen killed some 400 Israelis."}}</ref> Scholars have noted that the fedayeen were trained and equipped by ] to engage in hostile action on its border with Israel, to infiltrate it and to to commit acts of sabotage and murder. The fedayeen also operated from bases in Jordan. The attacks violated the ] prohibiting hostilities by paramilitary forces, but it was Israel that was condemned by the UN Security Council for its counterattacks.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= jewishvirtuallibrary.org | title= Fedayeen |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/Fedayeen.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cT16EWF9I4cC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=fedayeen+israel&source=web&ots=mJR38hIH9V&sig=yGxT564et617hjyecoCKT8OX174#PPA58,M1| title=The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict| author=]| publisher=Routledge| year=2005| isbn=0415359015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380626879&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull| title=An 'infidel' in Israel| author=Lela Gilbert| publisher=]| date=], ]| quote="t.-Gen. Mustafa Hafez, was appointed by president Gamal Abdel Nasser to command Egyptian army intelligence. Hafez founded Palestinian fedayeen units to launch terrorist raids across Israel's southern border. Between 1951 and 1956, the fedayeen killed some 400 Israelis."}}</ref>


==Fedayeen attacks in the 1950s==
⚫ ===Israel establishes Unit 101===
⚫ {{Main|Unit 101}}


⚫ Israel's complaint that the fedayeen attacks violated the 1949 UN Armistice Agreement forbidding hostilities by paramilitary forces were ignored. During 1951-1956, hundreds of fedayeen attacks were carried out against Israelis and over 400 were killed and 900 wounded seriously.
⚫ In 1953, ] ] created ], to retaliate against a spate of Arab ''fedayeen'' violence against Israelis. Its commander was Major ]. Unit 101 was disbanded in late 1955.


From 1950 the attacks became much more violent and included deaths of Israeli citizens in nearby cities. The Israeli government cites dozens of these attacks as "Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis prior to the 1967 ]".
⚫ ==After 1967==
⚫ <ref>{{cite web | publisher=mfa.gov.il | title= Major terror attacks|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Israel+in+Maps/1948-1967-+Major+Terror+Attacks.htm}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | publisher=mfa.gov.il | title= Palestinina terror|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+before+2000/Which+Came+First-+Terrorism+or+Occupation+-+Major.htm}}</ref> Between 1949 and 1956, 400 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded by fedayeen attacks. <ref>{{cite web | publisher=jafi.org | title=Map|url=http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/maps/fed.html}}</ref> In 1955, 260 Israeli citizens were killed or wounded by fedayeen". <ref>{{cite web | publisher= adl.org | title=Record | url=http://www.adl.org/ISRAEL/Record/sinai.asp}}</ref>


⚫ The calculated acts of fedayeen terror, supported by the Arab countries, contributed eventually to the outbreak of the ].<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YUthqHRF-m8C&pg=PA420&lpg=PA420&dq=fedayeen+israel&source=web&ots=mz59gfgQCx&sig=MTOTo5reQeJnWZKeqnM7l9ZoSYg| title=Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and| author=]| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=1993| isbn=0198292627}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | publisher=palestinefacts.org | title= What happened during the period of the fedayeen attacks on Israel in the 1950s?|url=http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1948to1967_fedayeen.php}}</ref>
During the mid and late 1960s, a number of independent Palestinian fedyaeen groups emerged who sought to bring about "the liberation of all ] through a Palestinian armed struggle."<ref name=Ismael>{{cite book|title=''The Communist Movement In The Arab World''|author=Tareq Y. Ismael|publisher=]|year=2005|page=76|isbn=041534851X}}</ref> Fedayeen groups began joining the ] (PLO), beginning in 1968.<ref name=Gresh>{{cite book|title=''The New A-Z of the Middle East''|author=Alain Gresh and Dominique Vidal|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2004|isbn=1860643264}}</ref> While the PLO was the "unifying framework" under which these groups operated, each fedayeen organization had its own leader and armed forces and retained autonomy in operations.<ref name=Gresh/> Of the dozen or so fedayeen groups under the framework of the PLO, the most important were the ] (PFLP) headed by ]), the ] (DFLP) headed by ]), the PFLP-General Command headed by ], ] (affiliated with Syria), and the ] (formerly controlled from ]).<ref name=Gresh/>


⚫ ==Israel establishes Unit 101==
===Jordan===
⚫ {{Main|Unit 101}}


⚫ In 1953, ] ] created ], to retaliate against a spate of Arab ''fedayeen'' violence against Israelis. Its commander was Major ]. Unit 101 was disbanded in late 1955.
The ] in 1968 tranformed the Palestinian fedayeen into "daring heroes of the ]".<ref name=Schulz>{{cite book|title=''The Palestinian Diaspora: Formation of Identities and Politics of Homeland''|author=Helena Lindholm Schulz and Juliane Hammer|page=120|publisher=]|year=2003|isbn=0415268206}}</ref> Though the fedayeen lost the battle against Israeli forces at ], they did inflict much heavier casualties on Israel than had been expected. Thus, Karameh became what ] has termed the "foundation myth" of the Palestinian commando movement, whereby "failure against overwhelming odds brilliantly narrated as as heroic triumph."<ref name=Schulz/>


==Continuation==
The ] writer ] who visited Palestinian fedayeen at their bases in ] between 1970 and 1972, "memorialized what he perceived to be their bravery, idealism, flexibility of identity, and heroism" in his novel ''Prisoner of Love'' (1986).<ref name=Rubenberg>{{cite book|title=''The Palestinians: In Search of a Just Peace''|author=Cheryl Rubenberg|year=2003|page=40|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=1588262251}}</ref>


Even after the attacks against Egypt by France, the United Kingdom and Israel during the 1956 ], Egypt under President Nasser continued supporting fedayeen insurrections among Palestinians against Israel: Nasser encouraged fedayeen, or Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel from the Gaza strip and elsewhere. At this point it became part of the origin of the ] in 1964 as the fedayeen/PLO declared their intent to eradicate Israel. <ref>{{cite web | publisher= www.bc.edu | title= The Cold War: International Rivalry Promotes Conflict | url=http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/resources/education/Israel_Palestine/cold_war.htm}}</ref>
===Gaza Strip===


⚫ ==After 1967==
The emergence of a fedayeen movement in the Gaza Strip was catalyzed by Israel's occupation of the territory during the ].<ref name=Milton/> Palestinian fedayeen from Gaza "waged a mini-war" against Israel for three years before the movement was crushed by the Israeli military in 1971 under the orders of then Defense Minister, ].<ref name=Milton/>

Palestinians in Gaza were proud of their role in establishing a fedayeen movement there when no such movement existed in the ] at the time. The fighters were housed in refugee camps or hid in the ] groves of wealthy Gazan landowners, carrying out raids against Israeli soldiers from these sites.<ref name=Milton/>

The most active of the fedayeen groups in Gaza was the ] (PFLP) who enjoyed instant popularity among the secularised, ] population who had come of age during Egyptian President Nasser's rule of Gaza. The emergence of armed struggle as the liberation strategy for the Gaza Strip reflected larger ideological changes within the Palestinian national movement toward political violence. This armed struggle was conceived of in secular terms with exhortations to take up arms not as part of a jihad, but in order to "free the oppressed from the ] ] regime."<ref name=Milton/> The "radical left" dominated the political scene, and the overarching slogan of the time was, "We will liberate Palestine first, then the rest of the Arab world."<ref name=Milton/>

During Israel's 1971 military campaign to contain or control the fedayeen, an estimated 15,000 suspected fighters were rounded up and ]ed to detention camps in Abu Zneima and Abu Rudeis in the ]. Tens of homes were ] by Israeli forces, rendering hundreds of people homeless. According to Milton-Edwards, "This security policy successfully instilled terror in the camps and wiped out the fedayeen bases."<ref name=Milton/> It is also paved the way for the rise of the Islamic movement, which began organizing as early as 1969-1970, led by ].

===Lebanon===

], supported by ] and ] who entered Lebanon on ] ] in an operation code-named "Peace for Galilee", encountered "fierce resistance" from the Palestinian fedayeen there.<ref name=Tanca>{{cite book|title=''Foreign Armed Intervention in Internal Conflict''|author=Antonio Tanca|year=1993|page=178|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=0792324269}}</ref>


During a ] ] press conference at the ], ] stated that, "] was the first Palestinian fedayeen who carried his sword along the path on which the Palestinian today carry their cross."<ref name=Yeor>{{cite book|title=''The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam''|author=]|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univeristy Press|page=145|year=1985|isbn=0838632629}}</ref> During the mid and late 1960s, a number of independent Palestinian fedyaeen groups emerged who sought to bring about "the liberation of all ] through a Palestinian armed struggle."<ref name=Ismael>{{cite book|title=''The Communist Movement In The Arab World''|author=Tareq Y. Ismael|publisher=]|year=2005|page=76|isbn=041534851X}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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Revision as of 17:31, 6 January 2008

Palestinian fedayeen (from the Arabic fidā'ī, plural fidā'īyun, فدائيون: "one who is ready to sacrifice his life") is a term used to refer to militant guerrillas from among the Palestinian people, including Palestinian refugees. Considered to be "freedom fighters" amongst Palestinians, most Israelis consider them to be "terrorists". The Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements defines "Fedayeen" as "Palestinian resistance fighters".

In attacks launched by Palestinian fedayeen from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria on Israel between 1949 and 1958, 1,300 Israelis were killed or wounded. While the Palestinian fedayeen were generally supported by those governments, in some cases they came into conflict with them.

Involvement of President Nasser and Egyptian intelligence

President Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918 - 1970) openly deployed forces whom he called "fedayeen" in a 1955 call to arms against Israel:

Egypt has decided to dispatch her heroes, the disciples of Pharaoh and the sons of Islam and they will cleanse the land of Palestine....There will be no peace on Israel's border because we demand vengeance, and vengeance is Israel's death.

Scholars have noted that the fedayeen were trained and equipped by Egyptian intelligence to engage in hostile action on its border with Israel, to infiltrate it and to to commit acts of sabotage and murder. The fedayeen also operated from bases in Jordan. The attacks violated the 1949 Armistice Agreements prohibiting hostilities by paramilitary forces, but it was Israel that was condemned by the UN Security Council for its counterattacks.

Fedayeen attacks in the 1950s

Israel's complaint that the fedayeen attacks violated the 1949 UN Armistice Agreement forbidding hostilities by paramilitary forces were ignored. During 1951-1956, hundreds of fedayeen attacks were carried out against Israelis and over 400 were killed and 900 wounded seriously.

From 1950 the attacks became much more violent and included deaths of Israeli citizens in nearby cities. The Israeli government cites dozens of these attacks as "Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis prior to the 1967 Six-Day War". Between 1949 and 1956, 400 Israelis were killed and 900 wounded by fedayeen attacks. In 1955, 260 Israeli citizens were killed or wounded by fedayeen".

The calculated acts of fedayeen terror, supported by the Arab countries, contributed eventually to the outbreak of the Sinai Campaign.

Israel establishes Unit 101

Main article: Unit 101

In 1953, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion created Unit 101, to retaliate against a spate of Arab fedayeen violence against Israelis. Its commander was Major Ariel Sharon. Unit 101 was disbanded in late 1955.

Continuation

Even after the attacks against Egypt by France, the United Kingdom and Israel during the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt under President Nasser continued supporting fedayeen insurrections among Palestinians against Israel: Nasser encouraged fedayeen, or Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel from the Gaza strip and elsewhere. At this point it became part of the origin of the PLO in 1964 as the fedayeen/PLO declared their intent to eradicate Israel.

After 1967

During the mid and late 1960s, a number of independent Palestinian fedyaeen groups emerged who sought to bring about "the liberation of all Palestine through a Palestinian armed struggle."

See also

References

  1. Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic (2005). The Design of Dissent. Rockport Publishers. ISBN 1592531172.
  2. Edmund Jan Osmanczyk (2002). Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. Taylor & Francis. p. 702. ISBN 0415939216.
  3. Howard Sachar, History of Israel, p. 450. cited at "Fedayeen Raids 1951 -1956". jafi.org.
  4. "fedayeen". jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  5. "Fedayeen". jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  6. Martin Gilbert (2005). The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. ISBN 0415359015.
  7. Lela Gilbert (October 23, 2007). "An 'infidel' in Israel". The Jerusalem Post. t.-Gen. Mustafa Hafez, was appointed by president Gamal Abdel Nasser to command Egyptian army intelligence. Hafez founded Palestinian fedayeen units to launch terrorist raids across Israel's southern border. Between 1951 and 1956, the fedayeen killed some 400 Israelis. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. "Major terror attacks". mfa.gov.il.
  9. "Palestinina terror". mfa.gov.il.
  10. "Map". jafi.org.
  11. "Record". adl.org.
  12. Benny Morris (1993). Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198292627.
  13. "What happened during the period of the fedayeen attacks on Israel in the 1950s?". palestinefacts.org.
  14. "The Cold War: International Rivalry Promotes Conflict". www.bc.edu.
  15. Tareq Y. Ismael (2005). The Communist Movement In The Arab World. Routledge. p. 76. ISBN 041534851X.

External links

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