Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
   
 
Special Information Bulletin
August 2004
   
   
 

Iranian money and Hezbollah are behind terrorism in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories: high-ranking Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members and Arafat himself publicly announce the receipt of funds from Iran and Hezbollah. In the meantime, in Nablus, another group of Fatah/Tanzim terrorists directed by Hezbollah to perpetrate suicide bombing attacks was exposed.

 


Hezbollah leader: a source of inspiration for Fatah operatives
   
  Fatah/Tanzim operatives in Ramallah standing in front of a poster of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. On the left is Nasser Muhammad Yussuf Naji Abu Hamid, responsible for dozens of attacks against Israel (the picture was found in a album captured in Operation Defensive Shield, April 2002). Hezbollah uses its financial leverage to influence Fatah operatives in the PA-administered territories to perpetrate suicide bombing attacks .
   
  Overview
  1. Shortly after the death of Ghaleb Awaleh on July 19, 2004, Hassan Nasrallah publicly admitted for the first time that there was a faction in his organization active in providing operational support for Palestinian operatives ( Al-Manar TV, July 19, 2004). His announcement was met with scathing criticism within Lebanon.
  2. Afterwards, local Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades leaders publicly admitted that they had received support from Iran and Hezbollah, including financial support . The first instance was at the memorial service for Ghaleb Awaleh held in the Sheikh Radwan suburb of Gaza, organized by the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC). Spokesmen of the various organizations praised Hezbollah's support of the Palestinians. Prominent were the remarks of the Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades representative, who said that “he [Ghaleb Awaleh] was one of the few who had supported the Palestinian cause and the jihad [holy war] of the Palestinian people throughout the intifada …” (the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Internet site).
  3. Other high-ranking Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades operatives have also made public the support they receive from Iran and Hezbollah . Prominent among them was “ Abu Mujahid ,” a nickname for a local senior operative in Nablus Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. He gave an interview given to ‘Ali Waqid of Ynet on August 3, 2004, saying critically:-
    a. “We do not hide the fact that some active operatives of our organization are financed and encouraged by interested parties, from senior Palestinians who finance operations to inflame the situation to operatives who are financed by Hezbollah and Iran .”
    b. “ Both work to promote their own personal interests and those of their supporters, interests contrary to the good of the Palestinian people . But the Brigades, the real activists, are part of Fatah and are not an armed band working for one group or another .”
  4 In another interview, Zakaria Zubeidi , the commander of Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, was asked: “It is claimed that Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades receive money from Hezbollah. What is your opinion?” He replied: “That rumor is untrue, but for the sake of the argument, let us say that the Brigades receive support from Hezbollah. What's wrong with that ? Hezbollah is an Arab movement . It didn't come from the moon. It is not Israeli or Jewish.” The interviewer then said: “But this week didn't a Brigades commander in Nablus [e.g., Abu Mujahid] say you received financial support from Hezbollah?” Zubeidi replied: “We are in favor of every Arab element supporting the Palestinian people ” (www.Arab.48.com, August 4, 2004).
  5. In addition, there were other expressions about external support:-
    a. Arafat , meeting with activists from the Israeli Peace Block, spoke about Iranian support of various terrorist elements in the PA-administered territories in relation to a cease fire. A statement from the Peace Block (as reported by Al-Khaleej of the UAE) quoted Arafat's ( spurious ) claim that “the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are not a part of Fatah.” Rather, he said, “there are some operatives in the Brigades who claim that I [Arafat] am their commander, but they receive money from Iran through an officer named Munir al-Maqdah who left the organization [Fatah] in Lebanon several years ago ” (Al-Khaleej, UAE, Internet site, August 9, 2004).
    b. Arafat was joined by Jibril al-Rajoub , his adviser for national security. In an interview with Al-Haqa'iq on August 13, 2004, he noted that Hamas and the PIJ had executed a number of activities attributed to Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. That had been done, he added, as a service to Syria and Iran and served the programs of [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon.
   
  In Nablus, another group of Fatah/Tanzim terrorists directed by Hezbollah to perpetrate
suicide bombing attacks is exposed
   
  6. On July 27, 2004, Israeli security forces arrested Khaled Bassal Suliman Shashtari, a Fatah/Tanzim operative from Nablus, who, directed by Hezbollah , was planning to perpetrate a suicide bombing attack against Israeli soldiers at a road block.
  7. The Fatah/Tanzim group to which Shashtari and his brother belonged had failed in a previous attempt to send a suicide bomber with an explosive belt to attack Israel : On July 17, 2004, Israeli security forces arrested the potential suicide bomber and his guide, and safely detonated the belt. It had been hidden in a truck and was supposed to reach the intended suicide bomber the following day.
 
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