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Fatahland

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Fatahland or Fatah land was a pejorative term used by Israel to refer to the areas in Southern Lebanon controlled by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and its largest faction, Fatah, during the Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon from 1968 to 1982.[1] Today, the term is used to refer to Fatah's governance over the Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank, as opposed to Hamastan, in the context of the Fatah–Hamas conflict that has been ongoing since 2006.[2][3]

History[edit]

The term "Fatahland" emerged following the Six-Day War in 1967, after which the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) relocated to southern Lebanon and established a semi-autonomous region there. This effort gained momentum with the complete relocation of PLO leadership from Jordan to Lebanon following Black September from 1970 to 1971, which led to the PLO being expelled from Jordan.[4] With its own army operating freely in Lebanon, the PLO had effectively created a state within a state in Lebanon.[5] The 1969 Cairo agreement, signed by PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and Lebanese Armed Forces commander Emile Boustany, established that the presence and activities of Palestinian guerrillas in southern Lebanon would be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities.[6]

Israel regarded "Fatahland" as a serious threat, as Palestinian fedayeen used the area as a base for launching artillery shells and guerrilla operations into Galilee. Fatah grew in power in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.[7] In March 1978, Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in an effort to drive the PLO away from the Israeli border. Control of the area near the Israeli border was subsequently transferred to the South Lebanon Army. In 1982, Israel launched another invasion of Lebanon with the goal of eliminating the PLO. Following the Israeli siege of Beirut, the PLO evacuated and relocated to Tunisia.[4]

The term has been used widely in the media in the recent years, after the Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in June 2007 as part of the Fatah–Hamas conflict. This situation, in which the Gaza Strip is controlled by the Hamas and the West Bank is controlled by the Fatah, was described in the mass media as the division of the Palestinian Authority into two entities - Hamastan and Fatahland.[8][2] According to Riyad al-Maliki, instead of a two-state solution with a united State of Palestine and Israel as neighbors, the new map of the region may feature Gaza as a country and the West Bank as another, with Israel situated in between.[9] Scholars note that Israel, the United States, and the European Union viewed the split favorably as it allowed for the Islamist government in Gaza to be isolated while the Fatah government in the West Bank could engage in agreements more amenable to Israel.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Reich, Bernard; Goldberg, David H. (2008-04-25). Historical Dictionary of Israel. Scarecrow Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8108-6403-0.
  2. ^ a b c Asseburg, Muriel (July 2007). "Hamastan vs. Fatahland" (PDF). German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
  3. ^ Freedland, Jonathan (2007-06-19). "The scene of Fatahland flowering as Hamastan wilts is sheer fantasy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  4. ^ a b Carlill, Bren (2021-01-02). The Challenges of Resolving the Israeli–Palestinian Dispute: An Impossible Peace?. Springer Nature. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-3-030-63185-7.
  5. ^ Nisan, Mordechi (2003). The Conscience of Lebanon: A Political Biography of Ettiene Sakr (Abu-Arz). London, Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7146-5392-1.
  6. ^ Cobban, 1984, p. 47.
  7. ^ Robertson, William Glenn; Yates, Lawrence A. (2003). Block by Block: The Challenges of Urban Operations. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-78039-671-2.
  8. ^ Russia to keep contacts with Hamas: diplomat
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Jerry Martin (2007). Reawakening: The New, Broader Middle East. University Press of America. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-7618-3850-0.

Sources[edit]

  • Cobban, Helena (1984). The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power, and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521272165
  • Rubenberg, Cheryl A. (1986). Israel and the American National Interest: A Critical Examination. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252060741
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