Fatah Hawks
Encyclopedia
The Fatah Hawks is the name of two Palestinian
militant groups. One is a popular movement of Palestinian youth in the West Bank
and Gaza
in the 1980s. The other is an offshoot of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
which has links to the dominant Fatah
movement. The group has carried out attacks against Israel
i military personnel in the Gaza Strip
.
During the First Intifada
that started in 1987, the Hawks were led by young Palestinians in the large cities of Nablus
, Tulkarm
, Ramallah
and Bethlehem
in the West Bank, and Gaza City and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. Most of their attacks were carried out using improvised weapons; stone throwing, stabbing attacks, and use of stolen firearms. The amount of weaponry that they received from PLO sources outside of Israel was negligible, and most of their successes were in the use of stabbing attacks or roadside amnbushes of Israeli soldiers in the occupied Palestinian Territory. This organisation was disbanded under the provisions of the Oslo Accords
.
The group reappeared during the Al-Aqsa Intifada
by claiming joint responsibility with Hamas
for an attack on the Rafah
border crossing on the Israeli military-controlled Egyptian border crossing with Gaza near Rafah on December 12, 2004, which resulted in 5 Israeli soldiers being killed and ten others wounded.
Following the Death of Yasser Arafat in 2004 the Fatah hawks suffered like many other Fatah based militant groups from increasing Palestinian apathy as the corrupt and old faced style Fatah lost public confidence in favour of Hamas.
The number of attacks have decreased. The Fatah Hawks' last activity was in 2005 when Fatah Hawk gunmen blockaded a Palestinian road and prevented Palestinian National Authority
(PA) officials from passing in protest at not being assigned to the PA security system.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
militant groups. One is a popular movement of Palestinian youth in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
in the 1980s. The other is an offshoot of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
which has links to the dominant Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
movement. The group has carried out attacks against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military personnel in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
.
During the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
that started in 1987, the Hawks were led by young Palestinians in the large cities of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, Tulkarm
Tulkarm
Tulkarem or Tulkarm is a Palestinian city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate in the extreme northwestern West Bank adjacent to the Netanya and Haifa districts to the west, the Nablus and Jenin Districts to the east...
, Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
and Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
in the West Bank, and Gaza City and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. Most of their attacks were carried out using improvised weapons; stone throwing, stabbing attacks, and use of stolen firearms. The amount of weaponry that they received from PLO sources outside of Israel was negligible, and most of their successes were in the use of stabbing attacks or roadside amnbushes of Israeli soldiers in the occupied Palestinian Territory. This organisation was disbanded under the provisions of the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
.
The group reappeared during the Al-Aqsa Intifada
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
by claiming joint responsibility with Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
for an attack on the Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
border crossing on the Israeli military-controlled Egyptian border crossing with Gaza near Rafah on December 12, 2004, which resulted in 5 Israeli soldiers being killed and ten others wounded.
Following the Death of Yasser Arafat in 2004 the Fatah hawks suffered like many other Fatah based militant groups from increasing Palestinian apathy as the corrupt and old faced style Fatah lost public confidence in favour of Hamas.
The number of attacks have decreased. The Fatah Hawks' last activity was in 2005 when Fatah Hawk gunmen blockaded a Palestinian road and prevented Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
(PA) officials from passing in protest at not being assigned to the PA security system.
External links
Official website Dead Link- International Middle East Media Center: Fatah Hawks reopen road leading to Rafah crossing