The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was founded in 1981 in the Gaza Strip with the goal of destroying Israel through violent jihad and establishing an Islamic state. It rejects any political solutions and uses tactics like suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings against Israeli military and civilian targets. The PIJ is led from Damascus and receives funding from Iran. It has fewer than 1,000 members and its influence has declined due to a lack of social services and charismatic leadership.
2. Organization History
• PIJ is an Islamic militant group and was founded in 1981 in the
Gaza Strip by Shaykh Abd Al Aziz Awda and Fathi Shiqaqi.
• They are dedicated to the violent destruction of Israel and the
unification of the Muslim world under an Islam "purified" of
modern Western influence.
• The PIJ initially operated out of Egypt, but after the
assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Egyptian
radicals, the PIJ leadership was exiled to the Gaza Strip.
• In 1989, Shaqaqi established PIJ's headquarters in Damascus,
where it has remained since.
3. Organization History
Continued..
• They adamantly opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords and
attempted to derail the peace process by committing a
number of terrorist attacks against Israel.
• Israel dealt PIJ a severe blow in 1995 with its assassination of
Shaqaqi in Malta.
• The group rejects any political arrangements or diplomatic
activity to solve the conflict. PIJ believes that the only way to
inspire Palestinians to act is through jihadist violence leading
to the eventual destruction of Israel.
4. Leaders of PIJ
PIJ was founded in the late 1970s by Fathi Shaqaqi which was a
Palestinian who led the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization and was
the initiator of suicide bombings. He formed PIJ along with Sheik Odeh
also known as Adb Al Aziz Awda. Fathi Shaqaqi was born in 1951
under Egyptian rule in Gaza, to a refugee family from Jaffa. When
Shaqaqi was older he attended college at the West Bank University of
Bir Zeit, located in the Palestine territories, where he studied
mathematics. In the 1970s he went on to study medicine in Egypt, and
it was here, during his medical training that he became strongly
influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood. He returned to Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT) where he practiced medicine in Jerusalem.
While in Egypt Shaqaqi was also strongly influenced by the Iranian
Islamic Revolution that took place in January 1979, led by Ayatollah
Khomeini. Before being kicked out of Egypt he joined the military
group known as, Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the early 1980s.
5. After the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat,
Shaqaqi return to Gaza and formed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
along with Sheik Odeh. Fathi Shaqaqi was shot on October 26,
1995 in front of the Diplomat Hotel in Sliema, Malta, by Mossad.
His assassination produced disarray in Islamic Jihad since no
competent successor could replace Shaqaqi. His funeral in
Damascus on November 1, 1995 was attended by some 40,000.
6. Sheik Odeh also known as Adb Al Aziz Awda was born
December 20, 1950 in Jabaliyah, Gaza Strip. Awda was one of
the original founders and the spiritual leader of the PIJ and is still
involved in the organization, whose headquarters is in
Damascus, Syria. He was listed as a Specially Designated
Terrorist under United States law on 23 January 1995. Awda was
indicted in a 53-count indictment in the United States District
Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa. Awda was added to FBI
most wanted terrorists on February 24,2006
7. PIJ New Leader
Dr. Ramadan `Abdallah Shallah, earned a PH. D in banking and
economics from the University of Durham in England. Shallah
was a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He
moved to Damascus at the beginning of 1996, to head the
resistance of the PIJ
8. Funding
PIJ receives essential support from Syria, which permits it
sanctuary and from Iran which provides significant funding (and,
according to some sources, nearly the entirety of PIJ's budget).
9. Goals
• While the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) wants to wage war against all of
“the world’s leading infidel power”, the United States, their special focus
goes towards the elimination of Israel, which they call "Zionist entity".
• The majority of their attacks are violently planned and directed against
Israeli. Not only those living in Israel, but those in the Palestinian
territories as well.
• They have targeted rockets and explosives directly at Israeli cities and citizens.
Their goal is killing them, injuring the Israeli civilians and their military is not
enough for them. Violence is their only means; they are against any political
representation or process.
• The Jihad agreement states "Jihad against the Jewish existence in Palestine" and
says that "the Jihad is the obligation of every Muslim and must be carried out
immediately, regardless of the formation of an Islamic state.”
10. • They want to over throw the “evil regimes in the Muslim countries”, because they
believe that their leaders are only superficially Muslim. So it is their religious obligation
to fight and get rid of them so they can establish a “truly Islamic regime”.
• The liberation of Palestine and pan-Islamic revival are two inter-related commitments
of the Jihad. They believe that Jihad is the only way to liberate Palestine, since Muslim
victory and the elimination of Israel are destined by God’s words in the Quran.
• Just like the Hamas, the principles of the Jihad are derived from those of the Muslim
Brotherhood, but it does not work to benefit the Palestinian people. One of its primary
focuses is on the guerilla warfare and terror activities.
• They want to create an Islamic state in all of historic Palestine, including present day
Israel.
• “The ultimate goal of the Jihad is to impose Islam on the entire world as the only true
religion”.
11. Geographic
Operations/Location
• The Jihad operates mainly in Gaza with activity also in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, but has also carried out attacks in Jordan and Lebanon where some of their
leaders are located.
• The group’s senior leadership and controls are located in Syria, but they have
representatives spread throughout the Middle East.
12. Outlooks &
Expectations
•The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is losing support and seems likely to stay a
relatively small organization. They currently have fewer than 1,000 members.
– This is partially due to the fact that they are more concerned with committing
terrorist attacks rather than helping the poorer Palestinians, which then turn to
Hamas.
– It is also believe that their current leader Shallah, lacks the “charisma” of their
previously gunned down leader Shaqaqi.
– Many of their activities have been hindered in the United States after 9/11/01 due
to a series of arrests and accusations.
•Although they haven’t yet “directly targeted” the United States, we should
be aware since our most dominant religion is Christianity and to them that is
“wrong”. But, we have had U.S. citizens become victims in PIJ attacks.
•Regardless, they remain dedicated towards the violent destruction of Israel
and its citizens through their terrorist actions.
13.
14. Tactics
• guerrilla tactics such as ambushes
• Kidnappings
• Explosives
• suicide bombings
• rocket attacks
• PIJ has made little effort to develop a network of
social services
• Focuses on mainly violent acts to disrupt peace
and to destroy certain infrastructures
15. Method of Operations
• PIJ often favors suicide bombings as there method of choice
• Suicide bombings was controversial amongst the group in 1996 but has
gained support over the years
• These bombings are primarily aimed at military and civilians and military
personnel
• Suicide bombing is used amongst PIJ because it is
– Cost efficient
– Hard to predict/spot
– Causes massive casualties and panic
– Delivers a strong message
• There have been no direct attacks on U.S. properties or citizens—some
have died in attacks, although the PIJ threatened to attack the U.S.
embassy if it was relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv
16. Claimed Attacks
• An August 1987 shooting killed the commander of the Israeli military
police in the Gaza Strip
• A December 1993 shooting killed Israeli reservist David Mashrati aboard a
bus
• An April 1994 car bomb killed 9 people and injured 50 aboard a public bus
• A January 1995 a suicide bomb killed 18 soldiers and 1 civilian near
Netanya
• A March 1996 suicide bomb at a Tel Aviv shopping mall killed 13 and
injured seventy 5 more
• A June 2001 suicide bomb killed 21 people in a Tel Aviv nightclub
• A June 2002 suicide attack at the Meggido Junction killed 18 and injured
50
• An October 2003 suicide bomb at a Haifa restaurant killed 22 and injured
60
• An October 2005 bomb at a Hadera market killed 5 people
• An April 2006 suicide attack in Tel Aviv killed eleven
• A January 2007 suicide attack at an Eliat bakery killed three. Both the Al-
Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the PIJ claim responsibility.
17. Recruitment
• They target a younger demographic
• There method of recruitment is more secretive
then other groups
• The Tablighi Jamaat is main source of where
most of the new members come from
• The “exceptional” students of the Tablighi Jamaat
are selected for missionary work in Tablighi
center in Raiwind, Pakistan
• Here a representive of the terrorist group offers
membership and military training and students
often say yes
18. Female Terrorist
• The participation of women in Palestinian terrorism is increasing
• Israeli security forces are aware of as many as twenty cases in which
women were involved in terrorist activity against Israeli targets; some of
these women acted as facilitators in planning and carrying out terrorist
attacks, while others operated at the most radical level, carrying out
suicide bombings.
• An incident involving women Palestinian terrorism is the bombing of the
Maxim restaurant in Haifa on October 4, 2003
• Have a history of being young headstrong and educated, along with
having troubling past
• Advantages of using women as terrorist
- Woman arouse less suspicion
- They blend in western society easily
- They are able to hide bombs more efficiently
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22. Flag
Dome of the Al Aksa Mosque is at the center
with two rifles coming out of it diagonally and The flag uses the same
two fists coming out of the sides. colors as the Palestinian
Between the rifles it reads: flag.
“God is the greatest”
Superimposed in the center is Israel and its
Mosque – Palestinian
territories. Nationalism and Powerful
Religious Significance
Bottom line: Rifles – Groups Militancy
"Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.”
Fists – Commitment to the Jihad
Across the top (Koranic verse): Israel – Symbolizes that it
“And those who strive in Our (cause) - We should belong to the Muslims
will certainly guide them to our Paths, For
verily Allah is with those who do right."