Force 17
| Force 17 | |
|---|---|
| Active | Early 1970s - 2007 |
| Country | Palestine |
| Type | Commandoand special operations unit |
| Part of | PalestinianFatahmovement and later of the Office of the Chairman of thePalestinian Authority |
| Garrison/HQ | Al-Fakhani Street in Beirut |
| Engagements | Uganda–Tanzania War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ali Hassan Salameh(Founder) |
Force 17(Arabic:القوة 17) was a commando and special operations unit of thePalestinianFatahmovement and later of the Office of theChairman of the Palestinian Authority.It was formed in the early 1970s byAli Hassan Salameh(Abu Hassan).[1]Initially, the group was housed in building 17 of Al-Fakhani Street in Beirut.[2]
History
Force 17 was formed by Ali Hassan Salameh in the 1970s in an attempt to professionalize Fatah's intelligence services.[3]Force 17 was also initially responsible forYasser Arafat's personal security.[4]Salameh is believed to have masterminded the 1972Munich massacreand was assassinated in January 1979 byMossadas part ofOperation Wrath of God.[5]
Dissolution
In 1994, the unit was largely absorbed into Yasser Arafat’s personal security force, the Palestinian Authority's "Presidential Security".[6][2]In 2006, the unit was separated, to become thePresidential Guardas part of thePalestinian Security Services.[7]During the Lebanese Civil War, then-14-year-oldImad Mughniyehjoined Force 17 in 1976. He worked as a sniper in Beirut, targeting Christian fighters on theGreen Line.[8]
In 2007, a plan to dismantle the remnant of Force 17 and incorporate it into the Presidential Guard of PresidentMahmoud Abbaswas unveiled byYnet.[9]The Force was merged into the Presidential Guard and theNational Security Forcesin December 2007.[10]
Operations
- 1979: Force 17 elements were dispatched to Uganda to assist thePLO's efforts to defendthe regime ofIdi Aminduring theUganda–Tanzania War.[11]
- September 1985: Gunmen allegedly part of Force 17 stormed a yacht moored inLarnaca, Cypruskilling three Israeli citizens.[12]PLOauthorities at the time denied involvement.[13]
- December 1985: Force 17 claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and murder ofIDFsoldier Moshe Levi. His body was found burning nearMazor.[14]
Rumored operations
- The group has been accused by some of having carried out the 1987 assassination of Palestinian cartoonistNaji al-Aliin London.[15]
Operations against Force 17
- On January 28, 2001, the IDF captured six members of Force 17, who were believed responsible for the shooting deaths of at least seven Israelis in the Ramallah area, includingBinyamin Ze'ev Kahaneand his wife Talya Kahane. Binyamin Kahane was the son ofKachleader,Rabbi Meir Kahane.[16]
- February 2001, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile killing prominent Force 17 member Massoud Ayyad.[17]
Leadership
According to most reports Force 17 was founded in the early 1970s byAli Hassan Salameh.[18]In 1979 Salameh and his bodyguards were assassinated inBeirutby Israeli intelligence.[19]
Mahmoud Awad Damra reportedly commanded Force 17.[1]In 2006, he was sentenced by an Israeli court to 15 years in prison for his role in planning several attacks against Israel. He was released as part of theGilad Shalit prisoner exchange.[20]
See also
References
- ^ab"Who are Force 17?".BBC. December 4, 2001.
- ^ab"القوة 17والجناح العسكري لفتح".BBC. 1 December 2006.
- ^Bird, Kai (2014).The Good Spy.Crown Publishers.ISBN9780307889751.
- ^"Palestinian Political Organizations".PBS.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^Noam Shalev (24 January 2006)."The hunt for Black September".BBC News Online.
- ^The Palestinian Security Services: Past and PresentArchived2017-07-03 at theWayback Machine.MIFTAH, 30 May 2006.
"Presidential Security: What was Yasser Arafat’s former personal-security force comprised of a highly trained group of some 3,000 officers, now guards Mahmoud Abbas. Most of these men were members of Force 17, an armed unit whose duties included guarding VIPs and securing important locations such the presidential compound in Ramallah." - ^Friedrich, Luethold,2007: Appendix A, p. 161.
- ^"Profile: Imad Mughniyeh".Al Jazeera English.2008-02-17.Retrieved5 July2024.
- ^Waked, Ali (10 August 2007)."Abbas to dismantle Force 17".Ynetnews.Ynet News.
- ^Roland Friedrich, Arnold Luethold and Firas Milhem,The Security Sector Legislation of the Palestinian National AuthorityArchived2016-10-07 at theWayback Machine,p. 272; Decision No. ( ) of 2007, 6 December 2007 (3,2 MB). Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), January 2008.On websiteArchived2015-03-07 at theWayback Machine
- ^Major General Orabi Klub (29 April 2020)."الشهيد العقيد عبد الغفار حلمي الغول"[The martyr Colonel Abd al-Ghaffar Hilmi al-Ghoul].w6an(in Arabic).Retrieved28 February2021.
- ^"3 Israelis Slain by Palestinians in Cyprus".The New York Times.September 26, 1985.
- ^"Israel Asks Cyprus to Extradite Pro-Palestinian Gunmen Accused of Killing 3 Aboard Yacht".Los Angeles Times.September 27, 1985.
- ^"Kidnappings of IDF Soldiers".Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^"Can a murder that happened three decades ago now be solved?".The Economist.31 August 2017.Retrieved2017-09-06.
- ^"Israel Security Agency IDF forces arrested terrorists suspected of shootings".Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^"Arafat aide killed in helicopter ambush".The Telegraph. February 14, 2001.
- ^"The Wooing of the Red Prince".Newsweek. May 20, 2014.
- ^"Robert C Ames and the death of an American view of the Middle East".The National. June 19, 2014.
- ^"Terrorist released in Schalit deal named PA adviser".The Jerusalem Post. January 2, 2012.
