See also: Al-Aqsa

The Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs (in Arab: كتائبشهداءالاقصى) is one of the militia of faction Al Fatah of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. This organization is one of most active during the the Second Intifada . Its targets often aim civilians and, for this reason, this movement is regarded as a group Terroriste by the State of Israel, the the United States, the Canada and the European Union.

Its name comes from the ic concept Islam of the Martyr ansi that name of the Mosquée Al-Aqsa, place holy in the Islamic religion. The first members of the Brigades came from the rows of the Tanzim, a militia of the Fatah. Following the death of Yasser Arafat, on November 11th 2004, the movement states that it will sign from now on its actions of the name of Brigades of Yasser Arafat the Chahid .

At the beginning, the group had like objective only the only Israeli defense forces as well as the colonists of the Occupied territories. The goal was to carry out a Guerilla against the troops isaréliennes until with the beginning of the year 2000, the situation does not worsen and which the attacks touch of the civilians in the Israeli cities. In March 2002, after a attack-suicide of the Brigades, those were registered on the American list terrorist organizations although they did not commit any crime on the American territory.

At that time, of many Palestinian sources show that the group was not directed by Arafat, nor Fatah, although several members of the Brigades make also party of Fatah, the political movement of Arafat. Nevertheless, Maslama Thabet, one of the leaders of the group, being expressed in the daily newspaper USA Today, affirmed that " we receive our instructions of Fatah. Our chief is Yasser Arafat him-même". In June 2004, Mahmoud Abbas, then Prime Minister for the Palestinian Authority, announced officially that the Brigades belonged to Fatah. Israel specified that neither Fatah, nor the Palestinian Autorité had made effort to stop the terrorist attacks of the movement.

December 18th 2003, Fatah decided to ask for to the chiefs of the Brigades Al-Aqsa martyrs to sit at the council of the party, recognizing thus openly their membership of the movement. Israel published documents found in the files of Arafat and proving that this one had tacitly approved the attacks perpetrated by the Brigades.

In October 2005, when the president Iran IEN Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced, at the time of an official discourse, that " was needed; to stripe Israel of the carte" , the Brigades published an official statement in which they announced " their full identification with the words of the Iranian president and their support for these frank positions and honnêtes"

Relations with Arafat and the Fatah

The relations maintained by the Brigades with Arafat remain ambiguous still today because of unmatched information coming from different leaders from the group. If Maslama Thabet affirmed to receive its orders of Fatah, Naser Badawi, as for him, declared with the NewYork Times a few days later that, if " we respect our chef" , the decision " to lead the attacks remains the responsibility of Brigades". Badded added that, on this point, Arafat had never sought to dissuade the Brigades to carry out suicide bombings, as opposed to what had affirmed the chief of the Palestinian Authority.

In November 2003, of the journalists of BBC revealed a payment of an amount of 50.000 USD with the Brigades. The investigations, in addition to the documents found by the Israeli defense forces, made it possible the Hebrew State to conclude that the movement since had always been financially constant by Arafat. In June 2004, the Prime Minister for the Palestinian Authority, Ahmed Qurei, declared openly: " We clearly announced that the Al-Aqsa Brigades belonged to Fatah. We are bound and Fatah entirely assumes the responsibility for the acts of this groupe."

Israel stopped, in April 2002, one of the leaders of the group, Marwan Barghouti and accused it, in August, of multiple murders, complicities of murder and membership of an terrorist organization. In addition to its clandestine missions, Barghouti was also General secretary of Fatah in the Occupied territories.

female Attack-suicides

The July 10th 2006, the agency Reuters speaks about a female unit responsible for Attentat S suicides and belonging to the Al-Aqsa Brigades in the Gaza Strip.

Between 2000 and 2006, the unit proceeded to seven bomb attacks, causing death of 37 people and by wounding 200 others. The women are identified themselves like members of Fatah; they express with light machine guns and have the face almost entirely dissimulated (except for the eyes) behind a Keffieh white and black or entirely black.

Activities

This organization is responsible of more than one dozen of suicide bombings against Israel and of many shootings against the vehicles isaréliens in the occupied territories. For a complete listing of these actions, it is possible to consult the Liste of the attack-suicides of the Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs.

Among the list of the attacks appear:

October 16th 2005, the Brigades assert the responsibility for the murderous attack of Gush Etzion Junction , which had killed three Israelis and had wounded three others.

In March 2004, a Palestinian teenager, named Hussam Abdo, was challenged by the Israeli defense forces at a checkpoint whereas it was carrying a belt of explosives. Following this arrest, a " cell of adolescents" , members of the Brigades, was dismantled with Nablus.

September 23rd of the same year, young a 15 year old terrorist was stopped by the Israeli security forces

The Brigades, like many paramilitary groups, is known for its posters of publicity placarded on many walls in the Palestinian territories.

The Brigades attacked Israelis like Palestinians. In November and December 2003, they were responsible for the assassination of the brother of the mayor of Nablus, Ghassan Shakaa. In February 2004, Shakaa resigned of its station to protest against the absence of reaction of the Palestinian Autorité against the actions of the armed militia. During three permiers month of 2004, the Brigades were made responsible for several attacks against journalists in the Occupied territories and the Gaza Strip. These attacks make following that against the offices of Arab television Al-Arabiya with Ramallah, the September 13rd 2003, by masked men claiming Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs

February 9th 2004, the Palestinian journalists in Gaza called with a strike in sign of protest against the violences exerted in their opposition.

The Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs took a big part in the riots which took place in the Gaza Strip in July 2004. During these attacks, several Palestinian police officers were removed and from the police stations as well as official buildings attacked by men-at-arms

The Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs conducted several attacks jointly with the Islamic group of Hamas. These attacks were generally made in the Gaza Strip.

The Brigades also carried out joint actions with other groups, such as the Islamic Jihad Palestinian or the Hezbollah in the Occupied territories.

The shootings of rockets '' Qassam '' since the Gaza Strip, carried out by Hamas and the Brigades, cause many protests because of the frequent Israeli raids which they involve. July 23rd 2004, young Arabic a 15 year old was cut down by militiamans after him and its family opposed such shootings near their house. Five other people were wounded in this incident

January 30th 2006, the offices of the European Union in Gaza were taken by storm during 30 minutes by about fifteen members of the Brigades, requiring excuses of the Denmark and the Norway after the business of the caricatures

The " Web-reporter" Aaron Klein regularly obtains interviews of certain chiefs of the brigades.

May 28th, 2007, Khaled Abou Chaouich, an important person in charge of the Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs, was stopped in the West Bank in Ramallah whereas it circulated at the wheel of its car, not far from the general headquarter of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas by an special unit of the Israeli army. The members of an special unit of the Israeli army disguised as Palestinian civilians forced it to leave its vehicle and took along it. He was sought by Israel since many years.

July 14th, 2007, Zakaria Zubeidi, considered as chief of the militia in Jenin and in the north of the West Bank, accepted to deposit the weapons and to cease the combat armed against Israel. This agreement is reached within the broader framework of amnesties by Israel, which sees more and more in Fatah a rampart against the rise to power of the Hamas.

List activists of the Al-Aqsa Brigades

  • Naive Abu-Sharah: Ordering brigades local with Nablus (killed by the Israeli Defense forces).

  • Marwan Barghouti : high ordering Brigades (stopped by Tsahal for the murder of several Israeli civilians).
  • Sirhan Sirhan : shown murder of five people, including a mother and her children in the Kibbutz Metzer . Not to confuse with Sirhan Sirhan responsible for the assassination of Robert Kennedy.
  • Zakaria Zubeidi : ordering local brigade of Jenin, known for its relations with the activist of Israeli extreme-left Tali Fahima.

See too

External bonds

  • Official site

  • History of the Brigades
  • List of Internet sites of the Brigades of the Al-Aqsa martyrs
  • Questions and answers about terrorism: the Brigade of the Al-Aqsa martyrs
  • the Al-Aqsa Intifada of 1991 to 2006

References

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