Abu Nidal (Sabri al-Banna) was regarded as the most dangerous of the Palestinian political leaders. Abu Nidal, whose pseudonym means "father of struggle" (Abu meaning father and Nidal, a secular term, meaning "struggle" or "effort" in Arabic) was primarily active in the 1970s and 1980s in the left-wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization and later the secular/rejectionist front, and was accused by Western and Arab sources of acting as a mercenary for various Arab governments.
Most of its targets were Arab politicians, rivals, and activists they felt were soft on the Israeli issue, but Jews, as well as political representatives of Western nations were also targets, especially those involved in the peace process in the Middle East. Notably, ANO enacted a drastically violent policy towards its own members - executing some 600 members and their families in 1987.
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Maar wat die man super interessant maakt, is het volgende:
Patrick Seale is one of Britain's respected Middle East specialists, with 30 years of experience and several books to his credit. This one is based largely on interviews with defectors from Abu Nidal's organization to Arafat's Fatah group during the 1980s. When Random House released it in February 1992, the Washington Post headline read, "Book Alleges French, Saudi Deals With Abu Nidal." A new State Department report had blamed Abu Nidal for more than 100 terrorist attacks since 1974 that resulted in the deaths of over 280 people, and since Washington boasts a thriving counter- terrorism industry (half of it government-sponsored and the other half self-appointed), any new angle on Mr. Big naturally draws a headline.
This one referred to Seale's contention that between 1976 and 1988, Abu Nidal extorted about $50 million from France, the Saudis, and other Western enemies, who found it less expensive to pay him off than to fight him. The major allegation in Seale's book, the evidence for which is mainly circumstantial, is that Israel's Mossad has penetrated Abu Nidal's organization, and encourages their activities in order to make Palestinians look bad.
The Post article is skeptical. Experts can buy the penetration part, but doubt that Mossad would see it as in their interests to assist Abu Nidal in selecting targets and carrying out actions.
Bron: Seale, Patrick | Abu Nidal: A Gun for Hire | New York: Random House | 1992
De waarheid schaadt nooit een zaak die rechtvaardig is.
