The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades ( ar, كتائب ابو علي مصطفى '')'' is the armed wing of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist an ...
(PFLP) in the
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine that have been Military occupation, militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including E ...
(the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
,
Gaza
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
and
East Jerusalem).
History
Originally named the Red Eagles Brigades, 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
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i targets during the
al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israe ...
.
On 16 July 2007,
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas requested that all Palestinian resistance groups relinquish their weapons to the
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine, . Although several members of
Fatah
Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the Confederation, confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organizati ...
's armed wing
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () is a coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. The organization has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.
L ...
complied, the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades rejected this, stating that they will not cease their resistance until the Israelis withdraw from all parts of the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
and the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza. ...
.
The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades fought in the
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
A major outbreak of violence in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict commenced on 10 May 2021, though disturbances took place earlier, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. It was marked by protests and police riot ...
.
Attacks carried out by the Brigades
The PFLP's Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades has carried out attacks on both civilians and military targets during the
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israe ...
. Some of these attacks are:
* The killing of Meir Lixenberg
councilor and head of securityin four settlements, who was shot while traveling in his car in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
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
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israe ...
.
* 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
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
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
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, but the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades have identified the perpetrator on their website as one of their members.
* A suicide bombing in the bus station at
Geha Junction
The Geha Interchange is the confluence of Highway 4 and Road 481 in Israel. The interchange is named after the Geha Mental Health Center, which was once located near the Interchange. but was moved when it was decided to construct the Interchange. ...
in
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Jews of the Old Yishuv, and became a permanent s ...
on 25 December 2003 which killed 4 Israelis.
* A suicide bombing in
Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council
Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית בקעת הירדן, ''Mo'atza Azorit Bik'at HaYarden'', ''lit.'' Jordan Valley Regional Council), also Aravot HaYarden (''lit.'' Jordan Plains) is a regional council covering 21 Isr ...
on 22 May 2004, which left no fatalities.
* A suicide bombing in the
Carmel Market
Carmel Market ( he, שוק הכרמל, ''Shuk HaCarmel'') is an outdoor marketplace in Tel Aviv, Israel.
History
The Carmel market was established in the 1920s.Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
on 1 November 2004, which killed 3 Israelis.
* The killing of four Israelis and another eight injured at a synagogue in
West Jerusalem
West Jerusalem or Western Jerusalem (, ; , ) refers to the section of Jerusalem that was controlled by Israel at the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. As the city was divided by the Green Line (Israel's erstwhile border, established by t ...
on 18 November 2014.
* A rocket attack which struck
Sha'ar HaNegev, on 26 June 2017, caused no injuries or damage.
Foreign support
The PFLP, and by extension the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, receive military and financial support by
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
. This relationship probably began around 2013, and although the actual extent of this support is unclear, the PFLP and Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades have repeatedly declared themselves allies of Iran and the
Axis of Resistance
The term ''Axis of Resistance'' ( fa, محور مقاومت, translit=mehvar–e moqâvemat, ) refers to an anti-Western, anti-Israeli and anti-Saudi political and informal military alliance between Iran, Palestine, the Syrian Government and ...
.
See also
*
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP; ar, الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين, ''al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn'') is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organi ...
*
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front
The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front ( tr, Devrimci Halk Kurtuluş Partisi-Cephesi or DHKP-C) is a far-left Marxist–Leninist Communist party in Turkey. It was founded in 1978 as Revolutionary Left (Turkish: or ), and has been inv ...
*
Syrian Resistance
References
{{reflist
1967 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate
Arab nationalism in the Palestinian territories
Arab nationalist militant groups
Communism in the Palestinian territories
Marxist parties
Military wings of communist parties
Military wings of nationalist parties
One-state solution
Palestinian militant groups
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Secularism in the State of Palestine
Axis of Resistance