Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين
PIJ logo
Also known asPalestinian Islamic Jihad
FounderAbd Al Aziz Awda
Fathi Shaqaqi
LeaderFathi Shaqaqi (1981–1995) X
Ramadan Shalah (1995–2018)
Ziyad al-Nakhalah (2018–present)
Dates of operationOctober 1981 – present
Split fromMuslim Brotherhood
CountryPalestine
Active regions Palestine
Lebanon
Syria
Ideology
Size8,000 (2011)[4]
Part ofPalestinian Joint Operations Room
Alliance of Palestinian Forces
Axis of Resistance
AlliesState allies:
Iran[5]
Syria[6] (until 2024)[a]
Non-state allies:
Hezbollah[5]
Hamas
PFLP
DFLP
Opponents Israel
Palestinian Authority
Designated as a terrorist group by Australia
Canada
European Union
Israel
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (Arabic: حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين, Ḥarakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn), commonly known simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization formed in 1981.[7]

PIJ formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and was influenced ideologically in its formation by the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It is a member of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which rejects the Oslo Accords and whose objective is the establishment of a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state.[8] It calls for the military destruction of Israel and rejects a two-state solution.[9] The organization's financial backing has historically come mainly from Syria and Hezbollah.[10][11] Since 2014, PIJ has seen its power steadily increase with the backing of funds from Iran.[12] PIJ has notably participated in the ongoing Gaza war (2023–present), fighting alongside Hamas and other allied Palestinian factions.[13][14][15]

The armed wing of PIJ is Al-Quds Brigades (also known as "Saraya"), also formed in 1981, which is active in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with its main strongholds in the West Bank being the cities of Hebron and Jenin. Its operations have included suicide bombings, attacks on Israeli civilians, as well as the firing of rockets into Israel, targeting civilians. PIJ has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States,[16] the European Union,[17] the United Kingdom,[18] Canada,[19] Australia,[9] New Zealand[20][21] and Israel.[22]

History and background

PIJ was formally established in Gaza in 1981 by two Palestinian activists: Fathi abd al-Aziz Shaqaqi, a Rafah-based physician, and Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Awda, an Islamic preacher from the Jabaliyya refugee camp, as well as Ramadan Shalah, Bashir Moussa, and three other Palestinian radicals. Based in Egypt, Shaqaqi and Awda were originally members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their views on the destruction of Israel led them in 1979 to establish Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi Faction, a branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.[23] and conducted operations out of Egypt. The Shaqaqi Faction was expelled from Egypt in 1981, following the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the 3rd president of Egypt, by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.[24] Shaqaqi and Awda returned to Gaza where they formally established PIJ,[25][26] from where it continued its operations.

The aim of the organization was the establishment of a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state within the geographic borders of pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine. Completely rejecting the political process, the organization professes that its goals can only be achieved through military means.[27][28]

PIJ began its armed operations against Israel in 1984. In 1988, its leaders were exiled by Israel to Lebanon. While in Lebanon, the group received training, support and other backing from Hezbollah and its backers in Iran, and developed a close relationship with the organization. In 1990, the headquarters of PIJ moved to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where it continues to be based,[29] with offices in Beirut, Tehran, and Khartoum.

PIJ masterminded several suicide attacks in Israel,[30] and is considered by Israel the most extreme organization in its operational methods and commitment to the destruction of Israel.[31] By 1995 PIJ was, according to Robert Fisk, "perhaps the fiercest of all Israel's modern-day enemies."[32] There was a subsequent crackdown on the PIJ by Israel and the Palestinian National Authority which led to a significant weakening of the organization.[33]

On 20 February 2003, University of South Florida computer engineering professor Sami Al-Arian was arrested after being indicted on a terrorism-related charge. U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft alleged at a press conference that Al-Arian was the North American head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. On 6 December 2006, Sami Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison, pursuant to a plea bargain.[34] In November 2006 he was found guilty of civil contempt for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury and served 21 months in prison on that conviction. On 27 June 2014, the US Federal Government dropped all charges against Al-Arian.[35]

PIJ have allegedly used minors for its operations. On 29 March 2004, 15-year-old Tamer Khuweir of Rifidia, a suburb of Palestinian city Nablus in the West Bank, was captured by Israeli forces as he planned to carry out a suicide mission. His older brother claimed he was brainwashed and demanded the Palestinian Authority investigate the incident and arrest those responsible for it.[36]

On 23 January 1995, the founder of PIJ, Abd Al Aziz Awda, was indicted under United States law and added in 2006 to the United States FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.[37]

In February 2012, the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip distanced itself from PIJ. During the March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes, which followed the Israeli assassination of Popular Resistance Committees leader, Zuhir al-Qaisi, who bragged of kidnapping Gilad Shalit, PIJ and PRC opened attacks on Israel. Hamas refrained from joining PIJ and PRC in attacking Israel.[38] Over a hundred Palestinians were killed or injured in the ensuing violence, but no Hamas targets were killed.[39] The subsequent ceasefire was negotiated between Israel and the militant groups, not Hamas.

In May 2015, London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that Iran had stopped funding PIJ due to the group's neutrality over the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, throwing PIJ into a severe financial crisis. Iran had expected PIJ to condemn the intervention led by Saudi Arabia, Iran's chief regional rival. Palestinian newspaper al-Quds reported that Iran is now supporting an offshoot of PIJ called as-Sabirin (Arabic for "the patient ones"), headed by Islamic Jihad veteran Hisham Salem.[40]

Under the former leadership of Ramadan Shalah, the group would receive approximately US$70 million per year from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.[41]

Ideology, motives and beliefs

Ramadan Shalah was interviewed by Scott Atran and Robert Axelrod in Damascus, Syria, on 15 December 2009. In the interview, he said that hope for a two-state solution was gone and that there was little international support for a one-state solution in which "Palestinians have rights in all of historic Palestine". Thus he advocated for armed struggle until Israel's defeat.[2]

We are the indigenous people of the land. I was born in Gaza. My family, brothers and sisters, live in Gaza. But I am not allowed to visit them. But any American or Siberian Jew is allowed to take our land. There is no possibility today of a two-state solution. That idea is dead. And there is no real prospect of a one-state solution...

I will never, under any conditions, accept the existence of the state of Israel. I have no problem living with the Jewish people...

We have lived together in peace for centuries. And if Netanyahu were to ask if we can live together in one state, I would say to him: "If we have exactly the same rights as Jews to come to all of Palestine. If Khaled Meshaal and Ramadan Shalah can come whenever they want, and visit Haifa, and buy a home in Herzliyah if they want, then we can have a new language, and dialogue is possible."[2]

In 2009 interview with Al-Jazeera, PIJ leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah rejected the two-state solution, said "the one-state solution is better than the two-state solution" and accused the Palestinian Authority of being complicit with the Israeli occupation.[42]

In a 2002 book, Yonah Alexander wrote that PIJ calls for the destruction of Israel, rejects the option of a peaceful settlement with Israel, and advocates the use of guerrilla tactics to achieve that aim. Israel's eradication is viewed as an essential prerequisite for addressing the challenges facing the Muslim world. It envisions laying the groundwork for a future scenario in which a significant Islamic Arab army engages in military confrontation to achieve Israel's destruction. The PIJ has been accountable for some of the deadliest suicide attacks in Israel.[43]

The group is a Sunni Jihadist movement but includes other religious beliefs.[1]

Activities

Militant activities

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad pledges that armed resistance will continue as long as Israel maintains the occupation and conducts military operations against Palestinians.[44] Nonetheless, it states "the decision to end resistance belongs to that of the people". PIJ has employed suicide bombing as a tactic in realization that Palestinian military capabilities are outmatched by Israeli sophisticated weaponry.[44] Its objectives are to "maximum[ize] amount of loss to the Israeli military".[44] PIJ states that their policy is that targeting innocent civilians is prohibited.[44] However, it allows for targeting Israeli civilians in response to Israeli targeting of Palestinian civilians. Nevertheless, PIJ states that in such scenarios they prioritize targeting the Israeli military over targeting civilians. Finally, PIJ states they reject any use of force against non-Israelis.[44] PIJ has also deployed its own rocket, similar to the Qassam rocket used by Hamas, called the al-Quds rocket.

List of attacks

Armored vehicles marked with TV are an invaluable protection for genuine journalists working in hostile environments. The FPA has long campaigned for the continued availability of armored vehicles for its members, despite official opposition in some quarters. The abuse of this recognized protection for the working journalist is a grave development and we condemn those that carried it out. Such an incident will reduce the protection offered by marked vehicles.[59]

During a press conference, an Islamic Jihad spokesperson Abu Ahmed denied that they had put press markings on the jeep used in the attack and said, "The Al-Quds Brigades used an armoured jeep resembling military armoured jeeps used by the Zionist intelligence services."[61]

Social services

Islamic Jihad also control dozens of religious organizations in the Palestinian territories that are registered as NGOs and operate mosques, schools, and medical facilities that offer free services.[70] Like other Islamic associations, these are heavily scrutinized by the Palestinian National Authority who have shut some of them down.[70] In one Islamic Jihad kindergarten graduation, children dressed up in military uniforms, waved guns, shouted anti-Israel slogans, and spoke of blowing themselves up to kill "Zionists".[71][72]

Islamic Jihad also operates dozens of summer camps for children. They have opened up 51 summer camps which attracted approximately 10,000 children in 2010.

We teach the children the truth. How the Jews persecuted the prophets and tortured them. We stress that the Jews killed and slaughtered Arabs and Palestinians every chance they got. Most important, the children understand that the conflict with the Jews is not over land, but rather over religion. As long as Jews remain here, between the [Jordan] river and the sea, they will be our enemy and we will continue to pursue and kill them. When they leave we won't hurt them.[73]

Notable PIJ members

Secretaries-General

Other members

See also

Notes

  1. Ba'athist Syria lost its territory and was dissolved in December 2024

References

  1. Ahronheim, Anna and JP Staff. (3 November 2019). "Who is Abu Al-Ata: the man behind rocket fire from Gaza Strip?". Jerusalem Post website Archived 12 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. "Interview with Ramadan Shallah, Secretary General, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Damascus, Syria, December 15, 2009)" (PDF). Perspectives on Terrorism. IV (2). 23 July 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2013.
  3. Skare, Erik (2021). A history of Palestinian Islamic Jihad : faith, awareness, and revolution in the Middle East. Cambridge, United Kingdom. pp. 39–43. ISBN 978-1-108-95444-0. OCLC 1196822773.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. Ben Gedalyahu, Tzvi (7 November 2011). "Iran Backs Islamic Jihad's 8,000-Man Army in Gaza". Israel National News. Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 8 November 2011.
  5. "Iran Update, October 30, 2023". Institute for the Study of War.
  6. Rudoren, Jodi (3 May 2014). "Islamic Jihad Gains New Traction in Gaza". The New York Times.
  7. Skare, Erik (28 January 2021). A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 2. doi:10.1017/9781108954440. ISBN 9781108845069.
  8. BBC Who are Islamic Jihad? 9 June 2003
  9. "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Australian National Security. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015.
  10. "The Terrorist Connection - Iran, The Islamic Jihad And Hamas". fas.org. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017.
  11. "Australian Government Attorneys General's Department - Palestinian Islamic Jihad". 20 August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
  12. "The Gaza Strip: Who's in charge?". The Economist. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014.
  13. "Not only Hamas: eight factions at war with Israel in Gaza". Newsweek. 7 November 2023.
  14. "Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas-led militants in north and south Gaza". Reuters. 15 May 2024.
  15. "The Order of Battle of Hamas' Izz al Din al Qassem Brigades, Part 1: North and Central Gaza". Institute for the Study of War.
  16. "US - Office of Counterterrorism". Archived from the original on 11 November 2019.
  17. "List of organisations recognized as terrorist groups" (PDF). europa.eu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009.
  18. Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013.
  19. "Keeping Canadians Safe". Archived from the original on 19 November 2006.
  20. "Lists associated with Resolution 1373". New Zealand Police. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018.
  21. Statement Of Case To Renew The Designation Of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) As A Terrorist Entity Archived 19 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 2013
  22. "Islamic Jihad". haaretz.com.
  23. Quintan Wiktorowicz (2004). Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach. Indiana University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-253-21621-2. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014.
  24. "Sadat as a president of Egypt". News Egypt. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
  25. STATEMENT OF CASE TO DESIGNATE PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD (PIJ) AS A TERRORIST ENTITY Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, New Zealand, October 2000
  26. Marlowe, Lara (6 February 1995). "Interview with a Fanatic". Time. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
  27. Fletcher, Holly (10 April 2008). "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
  28. "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Archived from the original on 22 January 2009.
  29. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., "The Damascus-Based Alliance of Palestinian Forces: A Primer" Journal of Palestine Studies (Spring 2000), pp. 60–76 (JSTOR ref.)
  30. "Palestinians swear revenge for assassination". Herald Journal. Gaza City. 28 October 1995. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  31. Reich, Bernard; Goldberg, David H. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Israel. Scarecrow Press. pp. 373–375. ISBN 978-0-3133-2485-7. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016.
  32. Fisk, Robert (30 January 1995). "The doctor who finds death a laughing matter". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
  33. Shay, Shaul (2004). The Axis of Evil: Iran, Hizballah, And The Palestinian Terror. Transaction Publishers. pp. 76–77. ISBN 141281779X. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014.
  34. St. Petersberg Times, 23 April 2006.
  35. ""Details and Statements On Federal Court Dismissing All Charges Against Sami Al-Arian," Jadaliyya, 27 June 2014". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  36. "Brother slams Palestinian militants for luring teenager into suicide mission". Yahoo News. AFP. 30 March 2004. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014.
  37. "FBI – ABD AL AZIZ AWDA". FBI. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
  38. Ilan Ben Zion (14 March 2012). "The eye of the Islamic Jihad storm". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012.
  39. Marc Tracy (12 March 2012). "Terrorist Killing Prompts Gaza Rocket Exchange". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012.
  40. Elhanan Miller (26 May 2015). "Iran said to pull Islamic Jihad's funding over group's neutrality on Yemen". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015.
  41. Eldar, Shlomi. (5 February 2019). "Islamic Jihad, the new lord of Gaza?" Al-Monitor website Archived 14 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  42. "'Two-state solution is a disaster'". Al-Jazeera English. 14 October 2009.
  43. Alexander, Yonah (1 January 2002). Palestinian Religious Terrorism: Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Brill | Nijhoff. p. 29. doi:10.1163/9789004479814. ISBN 978-90-04-47981-4.
  44. Engeland, Anisseh van; Rudolph, Rachael M. (2008). From terrorism to politics. Aldershot, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate. pp. 106–107. ISBN 9780754649908.
  45. "Palestinian accused in bus crash". Rome News-Tribune. AP. 7 July 1989. p. 6-A. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016.
  46. Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1990 Archived 7 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Middle East Overview
  47. "Savage Murder of Israeli Recruits Badly Tarnishes Reputation of IDF". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 20 March 2015.
  48. Middle East International No 423, 17 April 1992, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Gerald Butt pp.11,12
  49. "Human rights situation in the OT - Note verbale from Israel". Question of Palestine.
  50. O'Ballance, Edgar (27 July 2016). The Palestinian Intifada. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 171. ISBN 9781349261062.
  51. Fletcher, Elaine Ruth. "Terror deals a blow to Mideast peace". SFGATE.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  52. "1996 Global Terrorism: Middle East Overview". 1997-2001.state.gov.
  53. "The Listing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)" (PDF). Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2008.
  54. "Hebron ambush scene dubbed 'Death Alley'". Haaretz. 17 November 2002. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
  55. Toolis, Kevin (22 November 2003). "Walls of death". The Guardian.
  56. "BBC NEWS - Middle East - Five die in Israel market bombing". 27 October 2005.
  57. Islamic Jihad: More attacks coming, Ynet News, 26 October 2005
  58. Urquhart, Conal (17 April 2006). "Suicide bomber strikes Tel Aviv". The Guardian.
  59. "Satellite News and latest stories | The Jerusalem Post". fr.jpost.com.
  60. "Gaza: Armed Palestinian Groups Commit Grave Crimes". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 7 November 2008.
  61. "Journalists slam use of 'press vehicle' by Gaza militants". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  62. Stoil, Rebecca Anna. "Two Islamic Jihad conspirators jailed." Jerusalem Post. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  63. "Rockets hit near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises". Reuters. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
  64. "6 Gaza rockets hit south; IDF retaliates". ynet. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014.
  65. "Six rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel's South". The Jerusalem Post. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014.
  66. "Six rockets fired from Gaza explode in southern Israel". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014.
  67. Isabel Kershner, "Rocket Fire From Gaza Shakes Cease-Fire With Israel" Archived 3 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 25 June 2013.
  68. "Islamic Jihad Leader: Israel Attack Coordinated with Hamas; Despite Truce, Threatens Tel Aviv - Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com". Algemeiner.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
  69. Yagna, Yanir (18 November 2025). "One killed in West Bank terror ramming, stabbing". The Jerusalem Post. ISSN 0792-822X.
  70. Palestinian civil society: foreign donors and the power to promote and exclude Archived 21 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Benoît Challand. p. 67-69.
  71. Levy, Elior (12 June 2012). "Gaza kindergartners want to 'blow up Zionists'". Yedioth Ahronot. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
  72. "سرايا القدس الاعلام الحربي". Saraya. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
  73. "Jihad summer camp: Sand, soccer and the Zionist enemy". Haaretz. 27 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
  74. Rees, Matt (2002). "The Battle of Jenin". TIME. Archived from the original on 11 October 2003.
  75. "Samtal med en terrorist". Stockholms Fria. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  76. Blast kills senior Gaza militant BBC News
  77. Senior Jihad man, 14 others die in IDF strikes Archived 30 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Ynet, 29 December 2008
  78. IAF kills senior Islamic Jihad commander, JPost, 3 April 2009
  79. "Israel kills Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, Iran-backed militants respond with rockets". CBS News. 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019.
  80. "Islamic Jihad says senior commander targeted in Damascus strike, son killed". The Times of Israel. 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019.
  81. "Islamic Jihad leader warns of escalation if Israel doesn't meet understandings". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019.
  82. אוסמו, ליעד; ערביד, אייל (5 August 2022). "יורשו של בהא אבו אל-עטא חוסל בדירת מסתור. מנהיג הארגון: "הולכים ללחימה"" [The successor of Baha Abu al-Ata was killed in a hiding place. The leader of the organization: "Going to fight"]. Ynet (in Hebrew).
  83. "IDF says it killed Islamic Jihad's southern command chief". Ynet. 6 August 2022.
  84. "Palestinians Killed during Operation Shield and Arrow in the Gaza Strip Findings and Analysis" (PDF). 16 May 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2023.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.