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The Popular Front for the Libertion of Palestine (PFLP) was a left-wing nationalist group that organized after the devestaing Six Day War (December 1967). Dispairing of the possibility that the mainline Arab states could defeat Israel militarily, the PFLP adopted a strategy of terrorism abd sought a range of tactics that could be used effectively against Israel. One of the tactics adopted wasairline hijackings. The growth of international airline travel and lax security made intenational airliners easy targets that attracted intense publicity. The PFLP successfully gained a prisoner exchange with the Israeli Government following their hijacking of an Israeli El Al Flight (1968). El Al responded with a baggage check program making sure that every piece of luggage could be accounted for by a passenger and carefully monitoring passengers. As El Al proved a hard target, the PFLP and other Palistinian terrorists began targeting planes from mostly American and European airlines. The PFLP joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the main umbrella organization of the Palestinian national movement. The PLO was committed to a strategy of armed struggle. The largest PLO group was al-Fatah led by Yasser Arafat, a nephew of the Grand Mufti. The PFLP became the second-largest faction in the PLO. The PFLP believed that to destroy Israel, it was necessary to overthrow conservative Arab states not fully committed to the armed struggle as well as to attack Western states supporting Israel. Ideologically they were commited to Marxist doctrine which in interesting because ann important faction in the Zionist movement were socialists. Ideologically the Palestinian struggle was seen as part of a larger revolution against colonialism and the capitalist west. As a result, the PFLP received support from both the Soviet Union (through Eastern Europen client intelligence services) and China. The PFLP was active in the 1970 and 80s. It was associated with Carlos the Jackel, but eventually expelled him as a result of disagreements over ransome money. The rejectionist Abu Nidal organization began hijacking airliners and a range of other terrorist attacks. Western countries begn hardening airline security measures. The PFLP lost influence as the appeal of leftist ideology declined in the Middle East and Islamic fundamentakism gained strength. The disolution of the Soviet Union cut an important line of support. Yasir Arafat established the Palestinian Authority and initiated an overtly more moderate policy which included the dropping of the airline hijacking tactics.
The Popular Front for the Libertion of Palestine (PFLP) was a left-wing nationalist group that organized after the devestaing Six Day War (December 1967). Dispairing of the possibility that the mainline Arab states could defeat Israel militarily, the PFLP adopted a strategy of terrorism and sought a range of tactics that could be used effectively against Israel. One of the tactics adopted wasairline hijackings. The growth of international airline travel and lax security made intenational airliners easy targets that attracted intense publicity. The PFLP successfully gained a prisoner exchange with the Israeli Government following their hijacking of an Israeli El Al Flight (1968). El Al responded with a baggage check program making sure that every piece of luggage could be accounted for by a passenger and carefully monitoring passengers. As El Al proved a hard target, the PFLP and other Palistinian terrorists began targeting planes from mostly American and European airlines. The PFLP joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the main umbrella organization of the Palestinian national movement. The PLO was committed to a strategy of armed struggle. The largest PLO group was al-Fatah led by Yasser Arafat, a nephew of the Grand Mufti. The PFLP became the second-largest faction in the PLO. The PFLP believed that to destroy Israel, it was necessary to overthrow conservative Arab states not fully committed to the armed struggle as well as to attack Western states supporting Israel. Ideologically they were commited to Marxist doctrine which in interesting because ann important faction in the Zionist movement were socialists. Ideologically the Palestinian struggle was seen as part of a larger revolution against colonialism and the capitalist west. As a result, the PFLP received support from both the Soviet Union (through Eastern Europen client intelligence services) and China. The PFLP was active in the 1970 and 80s. It was associated with Carlos the Jackel, but eventually expelled him as a result of disagreements over ransome money. The rejectionist Abu Nidal organization began hijacking airliners and a range of other terrorist attacks. Western countries begn hardening airline security measures. The PFLP lost influence as the appeal of leftist ideology declined in the Middle East and Islamic fundamentakism gained strength. The disolution of the Soviet Union cut an important line of support. Yasir Arafat established the Palestinian Authority and initiated an overtly more moderate policy which included the dropping of the airline hijacking tactics.
Three Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) operatives hijacled El Al Flight 426 from Rome to Tel Aviv (July 23, 1968). They diverted it to Algiers in Algeria. The negotiations then dragged out over 40 days. Eventually both the hijackers and the hostages went free. This was the only successful El Al hijacking. El Al and Isreali security services immeduately developed and implemented stringent security controls. Other countries did not, assuming the Palestinians were after Isrealis and Jews.
Three Arab terrorists attempted to hijack an El Al Boeing 707 at Munich airport, Germany (February 10, 1970). They wre stopped when the El Al pilot who struggled with one of the terrorists in the terminal lounge. One Israeli is killed and eleven others wounded.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) blew up a Swiss airliner just after it took off from Zurich (February 21, 1970). The PFLP suceeded in killing all 47 people on board.
PFLP opeatives attempted to hijack four aircraft simultaneously (September 1970). The plot is known as Skyjack Sunday. This included the Dawson's Field hijackings. They successfully seized control of three planes (TWA, Swissair, and BOAC) with more than 400 passanbgers. They forced the pilots to fly to Jordan. The hijackers released most of the passangers and ten blew up the three planes in the Jordanian desert. The last hostage was freed in exchange for seven Palestinian prisoners held by Isreael. The fourth attack on an El Al plane was stopped by armed Isreli guards. They captured one of the hijackers, Leila Khalid, alive. The German, Swiss and British Governments all agreed to the PFLP's demands and released a number of terrorists, including Khalid, held in their jails.
Israeli commandos storm hijacked Belgian Sabena airliner at Ben Gurion airport, Israel (May 8). They kill the four Palestinian Black September terrorists aboard the aircraft and free the hostages. One passenger and five Israeli soldiers were killed.
Palestinian Rejectionist Front was formed to resist peace with Israel. It grouped together various resistance groups. Abu Nidal (Sabri al-Banna) was the most violent of the rejectionists. This was pseudonym meaning 'father of struggle'. His operatives sized a British Airlines DC-10 flight from LOndon to the Far East. They seized the plane at Dubai, UAE (November 23). They flew the airliner to Tunisia where they murdered a German passenger. The hijackers were allowed to fly to Libya and freedom. Abu Nidal finding Israelis hard targets began targeting PLO officials.
Terrorists seize Air France Flight 139 (June 27). It is a joint German Baader-Meinhof/Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine operation. The hijackers diverted the plane to the Entebbe Airport in Kapala, Uganda. Some two hundred and fifty eight passengers and crew are held hostage but all non-Israeli passengers are eventually released. The hijacjkers were facilitated by President Idi Amin, aticularly brutal African leader receiving Arab money. The Isrelis launch Operation Entebbe. Israeli commandos in a unexpected percission attack assault the building holding the hijackers and hostages (July 4). They kill all the Palestinian hijackers and rescuing 105 persons, almost all the Israeli hostages. Three passengers and one commando are killed. Another passenger who had been taken to a hospital is subsquently murdered Amin's orders..
Four Palestinian terrorists hijack German Lufthansa Flight 181 (also known as the Landshut) from Palma de Mallorca to Frankfurt (October 13). They order it to fly around a number of Middle East destinations for 4 days. They then kill the plane's pilot. German GSG9 counter-terrorist comandos assisted by two British Army Special Air Service soldiers storm the plabe when it puts down at Mogadishu, Somalia, killing the three terroists. All the 90 hostages are rescued. The West Germany's Red Army Faction was believed to be involved.
Arab terroists shot and killed Yusuf Sebai, a prominent pro-Sadat Egyptian newspaper editor (February 18). Sebai was seen like President Sadat as being disloyal to the Arab cause. Hecwas about to about to address the Russian-sponsored Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization (AAPSO). He was the secretary general. He was shot by the Nicosia Hilton. They then hijacked an airliner at Larnica, Cyprus taking the passangers hostage. The terrorists were refused permission to land at a number of Arab capitals so the hijacker returns to Larnica. The Cypriot government, led by President Spyros Kyprianou, personally oversaw negotiations with the terrorists. A complicated series of communications between Cyprus, Egypt, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) followed. Meanwhile the Egyptians dispatched a crack anti-terrorist commahdo group obstensibly to free the hostages, but more likely to arrest or kill the terrirists. The Egyptian troops landed and attempted to free the hostages without the authorization of President Kyprianou. The Egyptians were intent on an Entebbe-style rescue operation. Instead they ended up in a 50-minute fire-fight with the Cypriot National Guard. The Cypriots kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy their C-130H transport. Seven Cypriot soldiers and a German cameraman were also killed. Cyprus was apparetly focused ion demonstrating their ability to defend their sovereignty even while negotiating with terrorists and batteling an anti-terrorist unit. This was the last Palestinian terrorist hijacking for nearly a decade. We are not sure just why. We suspect it reflects the fact that Egypt was so central to Palestinian aspirations.
Three Palestinian Abu Nidal Organization operatives hijacked Egypt Air Flight 648 from Athens to Cairo (November 23, 1985). Athens had notoriously poor security. They diverted the flight to Malta. The hijacking was ended when Egyptian comandos stormed the plane. The rescue opeation proved to be a disater. There were 60 people killed, mostly passengers inadvertedly killed by the comando rescue team.
We are not extirely sure why the Palestinians turned away from airline hijackings. A reader writes, "They realized that they were not getting all the results they expected by these actions and suicide bombings were more effective. Change of tactics required a major overhaul in logistic plannings by many different groups which took many years of training."
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