Transcripts For ALJAZ Masters Of Their Own Destiny 20240713

16 years later in 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organization or the p. L. O. Was founded. Made up of different factions the p. L. O. Has been at the heart of the struggle to regain palestine ever since. Setting up an independent Palestinian Organization was not easy. The 1st challenge the palestinians faced was to wrest control of their own destiny from the at abrasions. In early 1965 a series of attacks were carried out against israeli civilians and infrastructure. A previously unknown Palestinian Group calling itself a loss if i meaning the storm seen here in training claimed responsibility for the times. And also if i was started by a small group of palestinian activists in the diaspora they believed Armed Struggle was the only way to end back their last homeland. Breeze eames did not share this view they feared being drawn into a conflict with israel for which they did not feel prepared. This time had been an area of conflict for many years in 1047 Great Britain announced it was terminating its mandate over palestine. I repeat again that his majestys government of the time and the face to face their policy on the assumption that they must lay down the mandate under which they have sought for 25 years to discharge their obligations to fulfill the growth of the Jewish National home and to protect the interest of the end of appeal a ship. In order that there may be no misunderstanding of the execute and policy of britain i have been instructed by his majestys Government Join now with all solemnity that they have consequently decided that in the absence of a 2nd meant they must plan for an early withdrawal of British Forces and of the British Administration from palestine britain handed over palestine to the United Nations in 1947 the Un General Assembly decided to partition palestine into 2 states one out of the other jewish. This partition plan was rejected by palestinians in neighboring arab states. In early 1948 open conflict erupted between jews and palestinians in a confidential briefing at the time americas Central Intelligence agency predicted a defeat for the jews. As the arabs gradually corden ate their war effort the jews will be forced to withdraw from isolated positions and having been drawn into a war of attrition will gradually be defeated. Following the withdrawal of the last british troops in may 148 jewish leaders proclaimed their stablish went on the state of israel. On the very next day 5 out of armies from jordan egypt lebanon syria and iraq immediately declared war. One Young Palestinian activist who was living in cairo at the time was keen to join the fight. And i thought. That. The thought that there was were stem and not to lobby for the 13 for should ban him as they mean i left school we gathered the Young Muslims Association and we decided that whoever wanted to fight would have to bend their books. I was among those who burned their books and went and joined the army of all the struggle. That. The arab armies were defeated. The newly declared state of israel seized control of most of palestine with the exception of jerusalem the west bank and the gaza strip. Where. By 949 close to 3 quarters of a 1000000 palestinians had become refugees. In the late 1950 s. In kuwait and made the popular sentiment of arab unity common in the region a group of palestinian exiles established a secret organization. They called it the Palestinian National Liberation Movement it became known more popularly as fact that. Yasser arafat was one of the ringleaders of this new organization which favored Armed Struggle to achieve the liberation of palestine if it quotes him in happen it was in kuwait that we named it factor it before it was a continuation of our Palestinian Nationalistic activities such activities were aimed at gaining autonomy from the arab regimes most dominant of which was the regime of egyptian president. Rival Palestinian Groups emerged advocating coordination with nassers regime. Madness waiting for the mossad would look at decision to form a Palestinian Branch and coordinated this with the president that it was agreed that our actions would conform with the overall Egyptian Military strategy that we wouldnt carry out military action that would prematurely do egypt into a war with israel for which it wasnt yet crip that. In 1904 president nasser convened the 1st arab summit his aim was to lead an arab response to the continued existence and growing dominance of israel. The arab leaders voted to set up a body to organize the palestinians in their diaspora a commercial katie seen here on the right a palestinian diplomat from a well known family was chosen to head the newly formed body. From the outset he wanted an organization which would not just kowtow to arab regimes who love allow are going on at the eyelet the arabs agreed to set up the p. L. O. As a means of releasing the frustrations felt by the palestinians but then came when the shook lady who decided he was going to form a proper p. L. O. And he did he must take the credit for setting up the p. L. O. Structure a National Charter he was a great man who should be recognized as such for months later in may of 1964 should they reconvene the 1st Palestinian Parliament in jerusalem it was called the Palestine National council king hussein of jordan the country which had administered the west bank since 1950 attended the meeting of the parliament consisted of palestinian elders as well as a Younger Generation who called for a more forceful approach to winning back their own about. The parliament formally announced the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization and declared the state of israel as illegal to guarantee jordanian acceptance of the meeting should play the al a jordanian fears by announcing that the p. L. O. Had no designs on the west bank and was only interested in regained territory from israel should be spent the next few years Building Support for the p. L. O. He set out to create a body that could truly be considered a voice for the status palestinians who traveled far and wide in his endeavors. Here he is seen in china where he was accorded a welcome usually reserved for visiting heads of state. And shook at 1st. Sight. They is a palestinian 1st and foremost true he was close to nasser but he proved more than once that he was a palestinian 1st and. He didnt take on the job to be a tool of nasser but to channel the energies of the Palestinian People he raised the bar when it came to losses views on Palestinian Nationalism got him off. About how sitting we were supposed to launch in 1964 before the Palestine National Council Meeting in jerusalem in it i was there in jerusalem but i didnt attend the meeting i was preparing to launch military operations as a gift to the p. And c. But we decided against it because we thought it might be perceived as an attempt to upstage the Council Meeting and its resolutions. I felt that his revolutionary comrades in fact that viewed the newly created p. L. O. With great suspicion. They felt the organization was the product of the same impotent arab regimes that had lost palestine in 1948. That had the activists wanted instead to take matters into their own hands and in january 1905 they began attacking targets in israel. Although militarily insignificant the 1st attack was a sign of things to come. That i dont know what i meant why not that that would. That fact had declared it had mounted the 1st operation although i dont believe it was the 1st palestinian petrol to go into a coup by palestine but the significance is that fact his declaration heralded the independence of palestinian Decision Making that palestinians would no longer be subservient to Arab Government dicta which would never have approved the launching of the Armed Struggle arab leaders greeted fathers operations with distrust in this day in they were wary of a radical Palestinian Group acting on its own initiative. President nasser of egypt suspected fattah who was an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood with whom he was engaged in a vicious struggle palestinians who are allied to nasser hurled elaborate accusations against their fellow palestinians and father quality. Which i felt that with being an anti nasser buddy affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood even a creation of the cia there was a real battle going on between egyptian intelligence and fattah so one fact that launched its 1st operation and announced the beginning of the Armed Struggle in the Arab Nationalist movement mounted an all out assault on fatah and accused it of trying to drag nasser into war. Other arab leaders openly spoke out in favor of negotiation rather than Armed Struggle in 1916 asean president habibie arrived in egypt on a tour of the region while in the west bank he advised his palestinian audience to seek a negotiated settlement in order to resolve the Palestinian Refugee problem. A message he repeated in lebanon on. My roof and i. Have a. Senator mythical we traveled to beirut which was known for its free press we had a lot of illogical things and the press Conference Held by brilliant. Someone said were prepared to wait 100 years for a solution to the palestinian issue to which remember replied youre a journalist and not a palestinian had you been up an athenian you would be adamant that a solution be found a soon as possible. But give us comments through a hostile response out of press denounced him as a traitor and the madman. In cairo that an easy an embassy was set alight by angry demonstrators. That had to be there seemed to be out of step with the mood on the street. For his part president nasr sought to convince the west of the need to address the problem of the palestinians before it provoked further violence and instability i was there i took the i have a list of what expel him whenever i run in you know if its expected. You know the date israelis speak about. An. Hour day with betty to get me in the 2nd world war before the war so they treated the arabs the same way expel them kill them get their children tried their religious and it was scared. To do. It on. Their way to the United Nations it is a huge security comes to receive resolution and nothing was. And then israel took a look at the power of those people anything. And everything but are there others in the company except still get my shit kill some other people. And if youre an american i ask if you accept to get california or some other people or to get the status gold occupying majesty by some other by the chinese. Ha. After explaining the people of manchester from their car driving them from their feet from every reason to question 1st this question is not presented in. The west because of the influence of the jewish lobby i dont want to return to their home. Game there. But trying to answer the israelis the answer basically hes well known he would not seem to be. And he would not give them there. But he can do the. Job and nobody is. Any good. So if the solutions. Are rendered we think well go back to palestine nassers views were echoed by Palestinian Refugees who believed liberation was close a town. How do you think youre going to do that. How do you. Ingrown could have at it but its. Hard to go into liberated reporter volatile how are you going to get the 3 of the above the political are developed yet by part of all. The revolutionaries of led by Yasser Arafat found refuge and support within syria viewed as one of the most hardline regimes in the region at the time and it was syria that brought matters to a head in 1967. But at last i absolutely didnt when the israeli and us that border syria began to cry was claiming that israel was about to wage war against it and the soviets concurred so nasa sent an Egyptian Military delegation to the golan that studied the situation and returned with the view that war was not in the offing but then the soviets repeated their claims of a come and warm. With the mantle of leader of the arab world firmly upon his shoulders president also found it difficult to step back from the escalating tensions in the region in may 967. 00 he requested the withdrawal of United Nations observers from sinai and closed the suez canal to israeli shipping to israel these moves were tantamount to a declaration of war. With conflict imminent out of leaders attempted to close ranks king hussein of jordan who had been the target of accusations and insults by Egyptian State media made a hasty reconciliation with an awesome. Job. Letting bygones be bygones was a means of escaping the insults egyptian media perfected personal attacks on his majesty but the euphoria of the reconciliation and path to a war was soon transformed into weeping which has continued to this day. A frenzied arab world waited for the outbreak of the bomb was was. As a 948. 00 expectations of an out of victory and the destruction of israel where i. Was. Was. The reality proved very different. In june 1967 in a matter of hours israel decimated the egyptian air force. Israeli Ground Troops seized the Sinai Peninsula overran syrias Golan Heights and occupied East Jerusalem the west bank and gaza with. The arab world was shocked and stunned. The arabs lost what remained of palestine. And even more palestinians were for. To flee their home and. Father has been the key to. The arab states had yet again proved incapable of defeating israel. With arab regimes in disarray the past now lay open for the palestinians to fight for themselves. Again it was a citizen. Can it have his ear in the public the defeat in 1967 was very painful that but at the same time it was a great incentive for us to work harder and achieve something and that at the. Story after the war i used to make my way from the lebanese border to syria on to jordan i was never questioned my car was full of weapons the arab armies were defeated broken we used to go to the golan together weapons left by that are treating syrians there was a state of utter destruction in which the palestinians whose cause it was rose and took action. Travelling incognito made his way into the occupied west bank in an effort to organize resistance but the israelis were close on his heels. With for the able the feel that we had at least 500 to 600 members in the west bank in about 15 days Israeli Defense minister dion managed to capture about 300 of them and everything fell apart i remember arafats being in the west bank at the time traveling under assumed names and having to escape. In september 1907 arab leaders met and talked to him to define a clearer and more uncompromising stance to israel. They issued what became known as the phrenologists no peace with israel no negotiations with israel and no recognition of israel. Chastened by the 1967 defeat president nasser made the political u. Turn and embraced fattah well in them and can a lot of the last 5. Years of most of your sort of it at last a group of us in fact went to egypt and we finally met with nasser i told him i was a masochist i said we had a group of young men who believed in their god im country and were intent on liberating it he said egypt what from now on sure everything was us. Egypt began providing training and support for a fact that was on the condition that operations not be mounted from egyptian territory jordan quickly became the springboard of attack the government in a man could only stand by and watch. In march 1968 palestinian guerrillas attacked a bus killing 2 israelis. Defense minister moshe dianne vowed to teach the palestinians a lesson. The target was the jordanian village of kut army in the Jordan Valley which had become a factor stronghold. Some 15000. 00 israeli troops were mobilized and took part in that attack. The palestinian defenders put up a stiff resistance. Jordanian army and artillery support proved crucial inflicting heavy casualties on the invading israelis. But not all palestinian factions had favored the fight some had withdrawn from karami on the eve of the battle leaving only out of facts battle in the field. You know how to call me in the Arab Nationalist movement believe it was a mistake for a Guerrilla Force to face the enemy head on and therefore would do its fighters from karami but i thought took into account the popular reaction to such a close contention and the support that the day you know again in its aftermath. Potentiate. The jordanian chief of staff and the command out of the iraqi forces try to convince me to withdraw from cut on me and then i must want to be here. And in a necessity i told them after the defeat of 1967 how did we took an oath to fight to the very end and even if it meant martyrdom. The israeli army defeated the palestinians and got on it. But a potent legend was born. That the arabs would stand and fight and that the israelis were not invincible. The tremendous mustafa fights for the movement. Thousands of volunteers flocked to palestinian girl accounts while arabs across the middle east donated funds and supplies to these fighters. 3 years after its launch the high on the palestinian arms struggle now emerged into the mainstream. By gaining autonomy from out of states and fighting for themselves the palestinians now became masters of their own destiny. From now on the way of the gun was the path forward but those guns would soon face off with fellow arabs a history of guerrilla warfare a place on the global stage. The pira gaining strength there revolutionary zia knowing no bounds but did a series of violent acts by their splinter groups damage the palestinian cause or ensured survival chronicling the turbulent story of the struggle for a palestinian homeland p. L. O. History of a revolution on aljazeera. The latest news as it breaks with no treatment or vaccine for her on a virus volunteers do still continue to provide the Service Began to fight the disease with details coverage along down without any planning for indias millions of lives and workers. And fearless journalism from around the world for many coming to this place if the only chance they have to leave at least once a day. Be the hero world needs right go. Wash. Rewind returns a can bring your people back to life im sorry with brand new updates on the best of aljazeera documentaries there has been a number of reforms put in place since the prime gram was filmed rewind continues with hamas of darkness we were following orders we sing young people to fight these wars put them in the most complex situations you can imagine and have them make life and death decisions rewind on aljazeera. Aljazeera. Entry. This is aljazeera. Hello im sam and this is the news hour live from doha coming up in the next 60 minutes. So much death has been caused by their mistakes donald trump cuts off u. S. Funding to the World Health Organization saying its badly mishandled the coronavirus and demick. The u. N. Says its not the time for a funding