Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (Arabic: كتائب أبو علي مصطفى, romanized: Katāʾib Abū ʿAlī Muṣṭafā) originally called the Red Eagle Brigade is the armed wing of the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the Palestinian territories (the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem).

Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades
كتائب أبو علي مصطفى
Katāʾib Abū ʿAlī Muṣṭafā
LeaderAhmad Sa'adat
Dates of operation1967–present
Allegiance Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Active regionsIsrael, Gaza Strip, West Bank
Ideology
Allies Al-Qassam Brigades
Al-Quds Brigades
National Resistance Brigades
 Hezbollah
Iran
Opponents Israel

History

Originally named the Red Eagle Brigade (Arabic: كتائب النسر الأحمر, romanized: Katā’ib al-Nasr al-Aḥmar), they were renamed in 2001 after Abu Ali Mustafa, PFLP's leader, who was killed by Israel in August 2001. They were active with attacks on both military and civilian Israeli targets during the al-Aqsa Intifada.

On 16 July 2007, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas requested that all Palestinian resistance groups relinquish their weapons to the Palestinian Authority. Although several members of Fatah's armed wing Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades complied, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades rejected this, stating that they will not cease their resistance until the Israelis withdraw from all parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades fought in the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.[5]

Attacks carried out by the Brigades
See also: List of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine suicide attacks

The PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades has carried out attacks on both civilians and military targets during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Some of these attacks are:

  • The killing of Meir Lixenberg, councilor and head of security in four settlements, who was shot while traveling in his car in the West Bank on 27 August 2001.
  • The 17 October 2001 assassination of right-wing Israeli politician and Israeli Minister for Tourism Rehavam Zeevi, the only Israeli politician to have been assassinated in the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
  • A suicide bombing in a pizzeria in Karnei Shomron in the West Bank, on 16 February 2002, killing three Israelis.
  • A suicide bombing in Ariel on 7 March 2002, which left wounded but no fatalities.
  • A suicide bombing in a Netanya market in Israel, on 19 May 2002, killing three Israelis. This attack was also claimed by Hamas, but the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades have identified the perpetrator on their website as one of their members.[6]
  • A suicide bombing in the bus station at Geha Junction in Petah Tikva on 25 December 2003 which killed 4 Israelis.[7]
  • A suicide bombing in Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council on 22 May 2004, which left no fatalities.[8]
  • A suicide bombing in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv on 1 November 2004, which killed 3 Israelis.[9]
  • The killing of four Israelis and another eight injured at a synagogue in West Jerusalem on 18 November 2014.[10]
  • A rocket attack which struck Sha'ar HaNegev, on 26 June 2017, caused no injuries or damage.[11]
  • During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades published videos of it storming Israeli watchtowers.[12][13]

Foreign support

The PFLP, and by extension the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, receive military and financial support by Iran. This relationship probably began around 2013, and although the actual extent of this support is unclear, the PFLP and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades have repeatedly declared themselves allies of Iran, Syria and the Axis of Resistance.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (1) Archived 2011-10-17 at the Wayback Machine." Terrorist Group Symbols Database. Anti-Defamation League.
  2. "Platform of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)" (1969). From Walter Laqueur and Barry Rubin, eds., The Israel-Arab Reader (New York: Penguin Books, 2001).
  3. "Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations ." Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, United States Department of State
  4. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/pflp-dflp-pflp-gc-palestinian-leftists
  5. "كتائب "الشهيد أبو علي مصطفى": أمام الصهيانة خياران.. الموت أو الرحيل". Al Mayadeen (in Arabic). 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. Anderson, Sean; Sloan, Stephen (2009). Historical Dictionary of Terrorism. Scarecrow Press. p. 539. ISBN 9780810863118.
  7. כהן, אבי (25 December 2003). "ארבעה הרוגים בפיגוע בצומת גהה – חדשות". Ynet. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  8. וייס, אפרת (22 May 2004). "מחבל פוצץ עצמו במחסום בבקעה, חייל נפצ – חדשות". Ynet. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  9. כהן, אבי (November 2004). "נשים וגבר נרצחו בפיגוע בשוק הכרמל בת"א – חדשות". Ynet. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  10. "Palestinians kill Israeli worshippers at Jerusalem synagogue". BBC News. 18 November 2014.
  11. "Rocket fire from Gaza hits southern Israel - Xinhua | English.news.cn". Archived from the original on July 8, 2017.
  12. "صادر عن كتائب الشهيد أبو علي مصطفى الجناح العسكري للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين". الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  13. English, Al Mayadeen (7 October 2023). "Side by side: Palestinian Resistance factions announce mobilization". Al Mayadeen English. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  14. "Iran Increases Aid to PFLP Thanks to Syria Stance". Al-Monitor. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  15. Truzman, Joe (11 November 2021). "PFLP Boasts About its Ties to Iran". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.