Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades

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The correct title of this article is al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.

For other uses, see al-Aqsa (disambiguation).

al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades emblem

The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Arabic: كتائب شهداء الأقصى) are a Palestinian militant and designated terrorist group closely linked to the Fatah political party and 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] and the European Union.^[3] Named after the Islamic concept of martyrdom and the al-Aqsa Mosque, an Islamic holy site, 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 although they haven't carried out attacks on American soil.

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." 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. 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 October 2005, when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as allegedly 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".^[4]

1 Relationship with Arafat and Fatah
2 Female Suicide Bombers
3 Activities
4 List of al-Aqsa Brigade members
5 References
6 See also
7 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. 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 the current Palestinian Prime Minister 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."[2]

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.

In July 2004, Ahmed Qurei, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority explicitly stated the relationship between Fatah and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades: "The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, military wing of the Fatah movement will not be dissolved and Fatah will never relinquish its military wing."[3]

[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.[4]On September 23, 2004 a 15-year-old suicide bomber was arrested by Israeli security forces.[5][6] See 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).[7] On 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.[8][9] Through the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been blamed on the Brigades as well, including the attack on the Arab television station Al-Arabiya's West Bank offices by masked men self-identifying 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 July 2004 riots in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian officers has been kidnapped and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were attack by armed gunmen.[10] 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 in the West Bank, even with Hizbullah.

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.[11][12]

The European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on 30th 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.[13]

Internet reporter Aaron Klein regularly interviews senior brigades leaders.

[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).
Marwan Barghouti : high commander. Arrested by the IDF and sentenced to life in prison for killing Israeli civilians, Barghouti and supporters claim that he was leader of Fatah in the West Bank, but not al-Aqsa. They contend that his trial was illegal and anticipate his release from prison. He has repudiated violence against civilians, and in his confinement he remains prominent in Palestinian politics. [14]
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.