Abd Al Aziz Awda

Awda and Shaqaqi founded the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine between the late 1970s and early 1980s.[13][lower-alpha 4] Awda became the organization's spiritual leader upon its foundation.[27] Based in the al-Qassam Mosque, Awda promoted the cause of "Islam, jihad, and Palestine" — Islam as an ideological foundation for and jihad as a means of liberating Palestine — at his Friday sermons,[28][29] and garnered much respect in Gaza for his preaching and speaking skills.[12] Mosques were important recruitment locations for the PIJ and the al-Qassam Mosque in particular was retrospectively referred to as a "jihadist center" by the PIJ in 1989.[30] However, the PIJ's differences with the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch led to harassment and attacks on Awda and other PIJ leaders, including a physical assault in 1983 that left Awda hospitalized.[28] These difficulties forced the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's leadership, including Awda, to meet in the homes of sympathizers, most importantly that of Mahmud al-Khawaja,[31] who would go on to direct the PIJ's militant activities.[32]

Beginning in August 1983, when PIJ members murdered a yeshiva student in Hebron, resulting in mass arrests and Awda's banning from the IUG campus, he and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad became the focus of greater scrutiny from the Israeli government.[33] In 1984 he was arrested and spent eleven months in prison for incitement.[12] Although Awda avoided directly associating himself with PIJ attacks, he continued to promote its cause and convened with three of its members prior to an attack in October 1986.[34] After a series of clashes between the Israeli Defense Forces and six PIJ members, beginning with their escape from prison on 18 May 1987 and ending with their deaths in Shuja'iyya on 6 October, Awda praised them and called on his fellow Palestinians to follow the principle of martyrdom.[35] As violence and tensions between Palestinians and the Israeli government rose, Awda's ability to motivate and mobilize demonstrators became a cause for concern.[36] On 17 November 1987, Commander Yitzhak Mordechai ordered his deportation from Gaza, sparking protests at the IUG and the al-Qassam Mosque.[21][37][lower-alpha 5] Awda protested the decision, denying membership in any extremist organizations and arguing that he was promoting jihad as self-defense rather than violence.[39] Shaqaqi would be deported as well on 1 August 1988.[8]

After Awda and Shaqaqi's deportation, the two moved the PIJ's headquarters to Beirut, Lebanon, assisted by the Iranian embassy and members of Hezbollah.[40] The move marked the start of a deepening of ties between the PIJ and Iran, as the country and Hezbollah began to provide financial and logistical support to the PIJ, and Awda and Shaqaqi would meet with the Iranian Embassy and Hezbollah members multiple times.[41][42] Awda and Shaqaqi publicly expressed support for the Iranian Revolution,[37] and Awda defended Iran's continuation of the Iran-Iraq War in a column published in Al-Fajr on 23 August 1987.[43] Awda traveled abroad frequently to garner support, with destinations including Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Chicago, Illinois,[44] the latter of which he traveled to multiple times in order to attend and speak at conferences of the Islamic Concern Project,[45] a nonprofit headed by fellow PIJ member Sami Al-Arian.[46]

Despite Awda's activity in support of the PIJ, he along with other founding members became increasingly frustrated with Shaqaqi's style of leadership in the 1990s. In 1993, Awda supported a statement from another member, Salih 'Abd al-'Al, condemning Shaqaqi's leadership abilities.[47] In a column in al-Mujahid, a PIJ-produced periodical,[48] published on 12 March 1993, Awda indirectly criticized Shaqaqi's sidelining of other founding members, referencing how Muhammad's companions were involved in his decision-making, making the whole group feel like equals.[41] The PIJ's poor finances were a major point of contention, with Awda being convinced by PIJ treasurer Taysir al-Khatib not to send money to Shaqaqi when the latter requested it.[49] However, Musa Abu Samir, the PIJ's leader in Lebanon,[50] has alleged that the main source of the dispute between Awda and Shaqaqi was the latter's attempt to include Palestinian Christians in the organization; Awda wished the PIJ to be Muslim-only, resulting in his suspension from the organization.[51] On 26 October 1995, Shaqaqi was assassinated in Malta by Mossad agents, and was replaced as secretary-general of the PIJ by Ramadan Shalah.[13][52] According to Abu Samir, Awda's relationship with Shalah, a supporter of Shaqaqi, was similarly poor, and the new secretary-general expelled Awda entirely from the organization almost immediately after taking office.[51] This is denied by the FBI, which states that Awda is still involved with the PIJ.[6] Awda was allowed to return to Gaza by the Palestinian Authority in April 1999, with Israel consenting to the decision in March 2000. After his return, Awda resumed his position as imam at the al-Qassam Mosque.[53]