TERROR GROUPS
To much of the world, the unremitting series of suicide attacks against Israelis has been the work of Palestinian terrorists. But that label hides the fact that several distinct organizations are behind the attacks. Here is a look at some of them:
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
WHO THEY ARE: Smaller and more exclusively militant than its sister group Hamas, Islamic Jihad has carried out roughly a third of the suicide bombings over the past 18 months. Some of the more ambitious operations have been in combination with other groups. PIJ traces its origins to the Muslim Brotherhood but was inspired by al-Jihad movement in Egypt. Followers believe they are the vanguard of a worldwide Islamic revolution that began with revolution in Iran.
WHAT THEY WANT: A full military confrontation that results in the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in what was once Palestine.
STRENGTH: Active militants number only 70 to 100. Support among the Palestinian population ranges from 5 to 10 percent.
LEADERSHIP: Nominally headed by Ramadan Shallah, a former director of World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a defunct think tank at the University of South Florida.
FINANCING: Iran provides cash and Syria provides logistical assistance.
Hamas
WHO THEY ARE: A militant and political Islamic-based movement that grew out of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas — the acronym in Arabic for Islamic Resistance Movement — was founded at the start of the first intifada, the violent uprising that began in 1987 against Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Aside from terrorism, Hamas provides medical clinics, schools and youth clubs, libraries, orphanages, mosques and other social services.
WHAT THEY WANT: Hamas has a declared goal to scuttle the peace process and carry on a religious war, or jihad, against Israel. Ideally, it wants to dismantle Israel and create an Islamic state in all of former Palestine — Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
STRENGTH: Hamas is most active in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Hebron. According to most polls, some 15 to 20 percent of the 3-million Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank support Hamas, but some experts say that number could be up to one-third. The Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, numbers between 200 and 500 hard-core members.
LEADERSHIP: Sheik Ahmed Yassin, 63, is its spiritual head. Yassin, released from prison by Israel in 1997, lives in Gaza. Khalid Meshal, based in Qatar, is the political leader. Other academics and activists form the core of the group’s political leadership in the occupied territories. Yasser Arafat has some influence over Hamas.
FINANCING: Hamas operates on a budget estimated at as much as $100-million, with more than half the money spent on social and welfare services. The vast majority of the money comes from abroad, given as charitable contributions, many from Palestinian expatriates.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
WHO THEY ARE: This radical subgroup of Arafat’s secular Fatah organization is the newest, best-equipped and strongest of the current factions. It is tied directly to Palestinian security services. The Brigades account for about 70 percent of the attacks against Israel. It mostly carries out shootings, but has lately begun suicide bombings, too.
WHAT THEY WANT: The Brigades’ ideology is secular Palestinian nationalism rather than religious fundamentalism. It aims to push Israel into a cease-fire and to win major concessions if peace negotiations resume.
STRENGTH: Every Fatah member is a de facto member of the Brigades, with about 1,000 engaged in the military struggle. About 28 percent of Palestinians support the group.
LEADERSHIP: Regional field commanders answered to the West Bank Fatah chief Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti was arrested by Israel in April 2002 and is on trial on terrorism charges.
FINANCING: Monetary support comes directly from the Palestinian Authority.
Compiled by Steve Cavendish, Ron Brackett , Don Morris, John Martin and Susan Aschoff
