A Profile of the Palestine Guerrillas
| Published date | 01 March 1972 |
| Date | 01 March 1972 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/001083677200700102 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
A Profile of the Palestine Guerrillas
DANIEL HERADSTVEIT
The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo
Heradstveit, D. A Profile of the Palestine Guerrillas. Cooperation and Conflict, VII,
1972, 13-36.
The objectives and strategy of the Palestine guerrilla movement as well as the im-
mediate problems faced by it are analysed. It is concluded that future development
will depend on the internal evolution of the guerrilla movement which is confronted
with serious internal power struggles. Developments will also be determined by the
future pattern of politics among the Arab States. The Arab world including the Pales-
tinians themselves is divided over whether or not to support the Palestine guerrilla
movement, and about the form and extent of any such support.
Daniel Heradstveit, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo.
1. OBJECTIVES
Liberation of Palestine versus revolution
3£Iinimalists
El Fatah has stated that the ultimate goal
-
maximalists
of the struggle for freedom is the establish-
In the Arab world a distinction is made
ment of a Palestinian State, independent
between the ’minimalists’ and the ’maxi-
and democratic for all religious denomin-
malists’ in the conflict with Israel. The
ations. The Popular Front has made it
minimalists seek a negotiated settlement
clear that as far as it is concerned,
with the State of Israel, and would be
it considers it equally important to change
content with an Israeli withdrawal from
the conditions in the Arab world through
the territories occupied during the June
a revolution. They claim that not until
War. The maximalists reject negotiations
the revolution is accomplished will the
and claim that a military struggle is the
Arabs be capable of liberating Palestine.
only solution. Their objective is to abolish
El Fatah sums up its objectives as fol-
the State of Israel in its present form and
lows :
create a new Palestinian State in the area.
Most of the guerrilla are maximalists;
’( 1 ) El Fatah is a movement which is
Jordan and Egypt have appeared as the
completely Palestinian without being
minimalists. This has led to an internal
directly connected to any specific
Arab struggle for power. Disagreement on
Arab country.
policies and tactics in the confrontation
(2) It is a popular movement which is
with the State of Israel has sometimes
not connected to any political party.
paralyzed the Arabs in their struggle.
(3) By the simple fact that it is not con-
Yet it is not sufficient in an analysis of
nected to any State, it does not accept
objectives simply to put the guerrilla in
political settlements that do not in-
the category of the maximalists. There are
clude the interests of the Palestinian
some guerrilla groups which do not have
people.
congruent interests and objectives. Further-
(4) For El Fatah the only solution to the
more, the struggie is still at such a prelim-
Palestinian problem is a liberation
inary stage that it would be hard to define
of the territory which is now Israel
the objectives in a precise and accurate
and the establishment of a Palestin-
way. They will move with the political
ian State.
and military fluctuations of the guerrilla.
(5) This liberation will only come to
An objective given high priority today
pass through the struggle of El
may not necessarily be given high priority
Fatah, through the armed revolu-
tomorrow.
tionary struggle.
14
(6) The struggle of El Fatah for the
thing against the Jews as a race, but that
liberation of Palestine is part of a
it is Zionism they are fighting. The aim of
global struggle for the liberation of
all the national Arab movements since
all peoples from imperialism.
1920 has been the liquidation of Zionism
which led to the establishment of the State
We find within the Palestinian guerrilla
of Israel. They have never had anything
a national objective which aims at a
liberation of
against the Jews as a race, on the
Palestine. At the
contrary
same time
they claim that they are of common origin
we find a revolutionary objective which
and talk about the Jews who fight in the
alongside the liberation of Palestine aims
guerrilla. The status which the Jews had
at a revolution in the Arab world.
earlier in the Middle East where they
Many people within the guerrilla con-
could live side by side with the Arabs in
sider it their main objective to- overthrow
King Hussein of Jordan. The King is
peace is often referred to.
a
Bedouin, and the Palestine Arabs feel
that they are discriminated by him and
Tactical slogan or reality
look forward to a new government formed
It has been said by some that the guerrilla
by Palestine Arabs.
does not view the establishment of a so-
Examples of guerrilla groups with di-
called democratic Palestinian State on the
verging views are the partisan groups that
territory which is now Israel as being very
were formed in Jordan in early 1970. They
realistic, but that it is being used as a
sprung up from communist groups at local
tactical slogan to
level, and
gain
keep the door
support from the
open for a nego-
Arab masses and
tiated settlement with the State of Israel.
internationally. It has
also been claimed that the guerrilla itself
is
What will happen to the Jew2
perfectly aware that it cannot beat Is-
rael by military means and that it never
What would happen to the Jews should the
will. From this, the conclusion can be
Zionist State suffer a military defeat is
drawn that there is a great discrepancy
not certain. Guerrilla organizations dis-
between the officially proclaimed objec-
agree among themselves as to what policy
tive of the guerrilla and what it con-
to pursue. There has for instance been
siders a realistic aim.
disagreement on whether the Israelis
should have complete civil rights in the
new State. El Fatah has chosen to consider
Summary
the Jews as a religious minority which
There are two objectives in the guerrilla:
should have a similar status to that of
military-political and socio-political.
other Jewish minority groups in the Arab
In the military-political objective there
world.
is a wide consensus, and it can be summed
Other guerrilla groups accept the Jews
up in the words ’Liberation of Palestine’.
as a particular national group and reject
This implies a dissolution of the State of
the idea of reducing the Israeli people to
Israel in its present form, and the estab-
a religious minority group. The question
lishment of a new Palestinian State which
was discussed at the Palestinian Congress
would include the territory which is now
in 1969 when the majority was in favour
Israel.
of allowing the Jews complete religious
In the socio-political objective there is
and cultural rights, but not political, in
little consensus, and it can be summed up
the future Palestinian State.
in the word ’Revolution’. This implies the
overthrow of present Arab regimes to make
Not based on racism
way for regimes seeking greater equality
Common to all the guerrilla organizations
between the various social groups (social-
is the stress they put on not having any-
ism).
15
The military-political objective is a core
are among those who have the best educa-
objective; the existence of the guerrilla
tion. The Palestine Arabs have been com-
has been built up around it. The socio-
pared with the Jews who also have distin-
political objective can also be a core ob-
guished themselves through education.
jective for the group which advocates it.
The objectives during the period we
Basis of recruitment
analysed are still the same today.
The Palestine Arabs who join the guer-
rilla are basically younger people who
II. PROBLEMS
come from the Palestinian middle class,
and often have a university education.
The number of guerrilla organizations is
Many students have dropped their studies
variously estimated from 30 up to about
to devote themselves to the Palestinian
100.
fight for freedom, and as far as religion
The reason for this variation in estimate
is concerned most are Muslims, but some
seems to lie in the ever-changing organiza-
have a Christian background, and spokes-
tion
situation.
Organizations change
men for the guerrilla also claim that there
names, sometimes resulting in them being
are Jews in the ranks.
registered twice. Some have split up, the
Yet they do not all come from the middle
splinter groups often joining other organi-
class. The guerrilla has its foundation in
zations. The whole situation is rather
the refugee camps, where it has an im-
chaotic, and it is therefore difficult to keep
portant recruitment from refugees who
a clear picture.
have never managed to get away from the
But it should be borne in mind that
camps. It was after the defeat in the June
when it comes to organizations worthy of
War that a Palestinian national feeling
attention, there are only 10-12 groups.
really started growing, and it was then that
El Fatah is the most powerful. In addition
a great number of students left university
to the fact that it overwhelms the other
to join the guerrilla. It is said that 80 °/o
groups in terms of followers and resources,
of the members of El Fatah have been to
it also controls a number of the other im-
university.
portant groups through the Palestine
The guerrilla also runs schools, and the
Armed Struggle Command.
first they started was called Jerusalem.
The relative strength of the various
There is reason to believe that the basis
groups is also unstable. Proposals about
of recruitment has been good, and that the
the distribution of delegates...
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