The Organization of the Oppressed on Earth is a group that claimed responsibility for kidnappings, bombings, and executions in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

in the 1980s. It was considered a precursor to, or another name for, Islamic Jihad and

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...

Connection to Hezbollah

The US, Israel, and Canada consider the names "Islamic Jihad Organization", "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" and the "Revolutionary Justice Organization" to be synonymous with Hezbollah.

Jeffrey Goldberg Jeffrey Mark Goldberg (born September 22, 1965) is an American journalist and editor-in-chief of ''The Atlantic'' magazine. During his nine years at ''The Atlantic'' prior to becoming editor, Goldberg became known for his coverage of foreign affa ...

in the

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

wrote:

Using various names, including the Islamic Jihad Organization and the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Hezbollah remained underground until 1985, when it published a manifesto condemning the West, and proclaiming, ".... Allah is behind us supporting and protecting us while instilling fear in the hearts of our enemies."

Activities

Bombings

They had claimed responsibility for a 1985 bombing attack against the Madrid offices of British Airways and Trans World Airlines.

Kidnappings

They kidnapped 4 Jews in 1985, including Isaac Sasson the leader of the Jewish community in Lebanon and Dr. Ellie Hallaq, the community doctor. Isaac Sasson ( ar, إسحق ساسون) was taken at gunpoint March 31, 1985, on his way from the

Beirut International Airport Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...

, after a trip to

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. They murdered these abductees one-by-one. In 1987, they kidnapped British citizen

Terry Waite Terence Hardy Waite (born 31 May 1939) is an English humanitarian and author. Waite was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs for the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he ...

who was in Lebanon as a hostage negotiator. Waite remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

. He was finally released on 18 November 1991. In 1989, they kidnapped and then later hung United States Lieutenant Colonel Richard Higgins. Higgins was a member of the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization observer unit and was accused of spying by his captors. A videotape was released July 31, showing his body hanging from a gallows.

References

{{reflist Hezbollah Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist Organizations designated as terrorist by Canada Islamic terrorism in Lebanon 1985 establishments in Lebanon