Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades

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The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Arabic: كتائب شهداء الأقصى) is a Palestinian militant group closely linked to the Fatah political party.The Brigades is one of the most active forces in al-Aqsa Intifada. The group targets civilians and is thus a designated terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S.,^[1] Canada,^[2] the European Union,^[3] and Japan.^[4] Despite the fact that it is named after the Islamic concept of martyrdom and the al-Aqsa Mosque, an Islamic holy site, the group is mainly considered a secular nationalist organization. The group's membership is primarily drawn from the ranks of Tanzim, a militant faction of al-Fatah. Following the death of Yasser Arafat on November 11, 2004, the group announced that they will sign their attacks in the name Brigades of Shahid Yasser Arafat.

The group initially vowed to target only Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and to carry out guerrilla warfare against the Israeli military, though from early 2002 it began a series of attacks against civilians in Israeli cities. In March 2002, after an al-Aqsa Brigade suicide bombing in Jerusalem, the group was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States Department of State.

At that time, many Palestinian sources stated that the group was not officially backed by Arafat and Fatah, though brigade members tend also to be members of Fatah, Arafat's political faction. Maslama Thabet, one of the group's leaders, told USA Today that "We receive our instructions from Fatah. Our commander is Yasser Arafat himself." On December 1, 2003, Fatah decided to ask the leaders of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades to join the Fatah Council, recognizing it officially as part of the organization. Israel has published documents found in Arafat's compound to support their claim that Arafat knowingly sponsored al-Aqsa attacks. In June 2004, now-Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas openly stated that the Brigades were part of Fatah. Israel charges that neither Fatah nor the Palestinian National Authority have made any attempt to prevent their attacks.

In October 2005, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as urging Arabs to "wipe [Israel] off the map," the Brigades issued a statement saying that they "hold identification with and overall support of the position and declaration of the Iranian president, who called with all honesty to wipe Israel off the map of the world".^[5]

1 Relationship with Arafat and Fatah
2 Female Suicide Bombers
3 Activities
4 Backing out of amnesty deal and commencement of campaign “Hole in the Wall II”
5 List of al-Aqsa Brigade members
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Relationship with Arafat and Fatah

The relationship this group had with Arafat today remains ambiguous, due to conflicting information from different leaders within the group. Maslama Thabet, one of the group’s leaders in the West Bank town of Tulkarm, told USA Today in March 2002: "We receive our instructions from Fatah. Our commander is Yasser Arafat himself." While another leader Naser Badawi, told the New York Times days later that while "we respect our leader," the decision "to carry out attacks remains with the Aqsa Brigades leadership." Badawi added that Arafat had, at that point, never approached the group to ask it to stop its suicide bombings, which Arafat publicly condemned.

In November 2003 BBC journalists uncovered a payment by Fatah of $50,000 a month to Al-Aqsa[2]. This investigation, combined with the documents found by the IDF, led Israel to draw the conclusion that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have always been directly funded by Arafat. In June 2004 then Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei openly stated this: "We have clearly declared that the Aksa Martyrs Brigades are part of Fatah. We are committed to them and Fatah bears full responsibility for the group."[3] In July he further declared "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, military wing of the Fatah movement will not be dissolved and Fatah will never relinquish its military wing."[4]

Israel arrested Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the group in April 2002, and in August charged him with multiple counts of murder, conspiracy to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. In addition to his "shadow job"^{[citation needed]} with the group, Barghouti had also served as the general secretary of Fatah in the West Bank.

[edit] Female Suicide Bombers

On 10 July 2006, Reuters reported on the female suicide unit that has been rearranged within the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the Gaza Strip. Between 2000 and 2006, the unit has succeeded in nearly seven bombings that have killed 37 and injured 250 people. The women identify themselves as members of the Fatah party; they march with machine guns and have their faces almost entirely (except the eyes) covered with the checkered black and white scarves or entirely black scarves.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Activities

The al-Aqsa brigades are responsible for dozens of suicide bombings and many more shooting attacks against Israeli vehicles in the West Bank. For a complete list of the suicide bombings carried out by the organization see: List of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades suicide attacks.

Some notable suicide bombings committed by the group were:

March 2, 2002: Beit Yisrael, Jerusalem - 11 killed.
January 5, 2003: Southern Tel Aviv central bus station - 22 killed.
January 29, 2004: Rehavia, Jerusalem, bus line 19 - 11 killed.
March 14, 2004: Port of Ashdod - 10 killed (together with Hamas).

On October 16, 2005, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, killing three Israelis and wounding three others.

On March 24, 2004, a Palestinian teenager named Hussam Abdo was caught in an IDF checkpoint carrying an explosive belt. Following his arrest, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade teenagers' militant cell was exposed and arrested in Nablus.[5]On September 23, 2004 a 15-year-old suicide bomber was arrested by Israeli security forces.[6][7]

Main article: child suicide bomber

The Brigades, like many militia groups, is noted for the use of promotional posters in the main cities of the Palestinian territories. The Brigades have attacked Palestinians as well as Israelis. In November and December, 2003 they killed the brother of Ghassan Shakaa (the mayor of Nablus).[8] In February 2004 Shakaa filed his resignation from office in protest of the Palestinian Authority's lack of action against the armed militias "rampaging" the city.[9][10] During the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were blamed on the Brigades as well, including the attack on the Arab television station Al-Arabiya's West Bank offices by masked men who identified themselves as members of the Brigades. Palestinian journalists in Gaza called a general strike on February 9, 2004 to protest this rising violence against journalists.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have taken prominent part in the July 2004 riots in the Gaza Strip, in which Palestinian officers were kidnapped and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were attacked by armed gunmen.[11] These riots led the Palestinian cabinet to declare a state of emergency. One media outlet described the situation in the Palestinian Authority as anarchy and chaos.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have carried out several joint attacks with the Islamist group Hamas. These attacks were committed mainly in the Gaza Strip. See also: PLO and Hamas.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have also carried out joint attack with other militant groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, The Popular Resistance Committees and with Hezbollah in the West Bank.

The firing of Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades into Israel is strongly opposed by those living closest to the firing location due to frequent Israeli military responses to Qassam rocket launches. On July 23, 2004, a 15 year old Arab boy was shot and killed by Palestinian militants after he and his family physically opposed their attempt to set up a Qassam rocket launcher outside the family's house. Five other individuals were wounded in the incident.[12][13]

The European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on 30 January 2006. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway regarding the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons and left 30 minutes later without shots fired or injuries.[14]

Internet reporter Aaron Klein regularly interviews senior brigades leaders.^{[citation needed]}

On June 9, 2007, in a failed assault on an IDF position at the Kissufim crossing between Gaza and Israel in a possible attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, 4 armed members of the al-Quds Brigades - the military wing of Islamic Jihad - and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - the military wing of Fatah -, used a vehicle marked with "TV" and "PRESS" insignias penetrated the border fence and assaulted a guard tower in what Islamic Jihad and the army said was a failed attempt to capture an Israeli soldier.^[6] IDF troops killed one militant, while the others escaped. The use of a vehicle that resembled a press vehicle evoked a sharp response from many journalists and news organizations.

Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah Whitsonn responded by saying,

“Using a vehicle with press markings to carry out a military attack is a serious violation of the laws of war, and it also puts journalists at risk.”^[7]

The FPA responded by saying,

"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."^[8]

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."^[9]

However, photos taken by the Associated Press as the attack was under way show the letters “TV” written in red on the front of the jeep.^[10]

On the July 14, 2007, Zakaria Zubeidi, considered the local Al-Aqsa leader for Jenin and the northern West Bank and has been wanted for many years for his terrorist activity against Israel, agreed to cease fighting against Israel^[11] after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave conditional pardon for 178 terrorists in the PA territories.^[12] In addition, Palestinian Authority sources say that many of the 178 will be eligible to receive up to 60,000 shekels ($15,000 USD) for turning in their weapons. An M-16 rifle will net them 55,000-60,000 shekels($13,750-$15,000 USD), a Kalachnikov - 15,000 shekels ($3700 USD), and a pistol between 12,000 and 24,000 shekels ($3000-$6000 USD).^[13] The PA will reissue weapons to many of the 178 who will join the PA's security forces.^[14]

[edit] Backing out of amnesty deal and commencement of campaign “Hole in the Wall II”

On August 22, 2007, according to Arutz Sheva, an unlicensed Israeli media news network identifying with Zionism, Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade announced that it was backing out of its commitment and promise to refrain from attacks against Israel and the Israeli backed amnesty deal giving amnesty to 178 Al-Aqsa gunmen who agreed to stop terrorist activities against Israel and surrender their weapons.^[15] Al-Aqsa said that it backed out of the deal due to the IDF’s arrest of two militants who were supposed to be on the amnesty list. According to the IDF, they said they caught the two men at a checkpoint and said they were involved in "terrorist activity" which consequently mandated their arrest according to the stipulations of the amnesty deal. Shortly after backing out of the amnesty deal and its promise of stopping to attack Israel that Al Aqsa agreed to a month earlier, Al-Aqsa gunmen in Gaza have announced that they are starting to launch hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities and named the campaign, “Hole in the Wall II.”^[16]

[edit] List of al-Aqsa Brigade members

Notable members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade (ordered lexicographically according to the last name) includes active militants and militants that were killed or arrested by the Israeli security forces.

Naif Abu-Sharah : local commander in Nablus (killed by IDF forces).
Fadi Kafisha: former head of the Tanzim in Nablus.
Sirhan Sirhan : (Not to be confused with the Sirhan Sirhan responsible for killing Robert Kennedy.) Responsible for killing 5 people, including a mother and her 2 children in Kibbutz Metzer. Killed in an Israeli house demolition.
Zakaria Zubeidi: local commander in Jenin, known for his relationship with Israeli far left activist Tali Fahima.