Black Hand (Palestine)
Encyclopedia
The Black Hand was an armed organization in the British Mandate of Palestine. It was founded in 1930 and led by Syria
n-born Shaykh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
until his death in 1935.
After the failure of the 1921 Syrian revolt that he led, al-Qassam escaped to Haifa
and engaged in recruitment and training of Arab peasants. The clandestine cells had no more than five people. This organization became known as the Black Hand. In all, he had enlisted between 200 and 800 men. In various acts of violence they targeted Jewish targets in northern Palestine between 1930 and 1935 and killed at least eight Jews. In one instance three members of kibbutz Yagur
were killed, and in another a father and son were killed in Nahalal
.
Al-Qassam justified violence on religious grounds
. After the 1929 Hebron massacre
, he intensified his anti-zionist and anti-British agitation
and obtained a fatwa
from Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Taji al-Hasani, the Mufti
of Damascus
, authorizing the armed resistance against the British and the Jews with increasing number through Aliyah.
On November 20, 1935, after killing a Palestine police officer, al-Qassam was surrounded by British police in a cave near Jenin
and killed in a gunbattle along with three of his fighters. Some of The Black Hand's surviving members participated in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.
Although al-Qassam's revolt was unsuccessful in his lifetime, many organizations gained inspiration from his revolutionary example. He became a popular hero and an inspiration to subsequent Arab militants, who in the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt, called themselves Qassamiyun, followers of al-Qassam.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n-born Shaykh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Sheikh Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Tijani Sufi who led militant activities against British, French, and Zionist organizations in the Levant in the 1920's and 1930's.-Early life:...
until his death in 1935.
After the failure of the 1921 Syrian revolt that he led, al-Qassam escaped to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
and engaged in recruitment and training of Arab peasants. The clandestine cells had no more than five people. This organization became known as the Black Hand. In all, he had enlisted between 200 and 800 men. In various acts of violence they targeted Jewish targets in northern Palestine between 1930 and 1935 and killed at least eight Jews. In one instance three members of kibbutz Yagur
Yagur
Yagur is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the slopes of Mount Carmel about 9 km southeast of Haifa, it is one of the two largest kibbutzim in the country, with a population of 1,124 in 2008. It falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council....
were killed, and in another a father and son were killed in Nahalal
Nahalal
-External links:** UNESCO* Jewish Agency for Israel*, "Jews made a garden" - aerial photo of Nahalal , and a girl from Girls' Agricultural Training Farm , at Google Books....
.
Al-Qassam justified violence on religious grounds
Religious violence
Religious violence is a term that covers all phenomena where religion, in any of its forms, is either the subject or object of violent behaviour. Religious violence is, specifically, violence that is motivated by or in reaction to religious precepts, texts or doctrines...
. After the 1929 Hebron massacre
1929 Hebron massacre
The Hebron massacre refers to the killing of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim holy places...
, he intensified his anti-zionist and anti-British agitation
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
and obtained a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
from Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Taji al-Hasani, the Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, authorizing the armed resistance against the British and the Jews with increasing number through Aliyah.
On November 20, 1935, after killing a Palestine police officer, al-Qassam was surrounded by British police in a cave near Jenin
Jenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
and killed in a gunbattle along with three of his fighters. Some of The Black Hand's surviving members participated in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.
Although al-Qassam's revolt was unsuccessful in his lifetime, many organizations gained inspiration from his revolutionary example. He became a popular hero and an inspiration to subsequent Arab militants, who in the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt, called themselves Qassamiyun, followers of al-Qassam.
See also
- 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine
- Abd al-Qadir al-HusayniAbd al-Qadir al-HusayniAbd al-Qadir al-Husayni was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and fighter who in late 1933 founded the secret militant group known as the Organization for Holy Struggle, , which he and Hasan Salama commanded as the Army of the Holy War during the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt and during the 1948...
- Cement IncidentCement IncidentThe Cement Incident took place in the port of Jaffa in Palestine on 16 October 1935. While Arab dockers were unloading a consignment of 537 drums of White-Star cement from the Belgian cargo ship Leopold II, which were destined for a Jewish merchant called J. Katan in Tel Aviv, one drum accidentally...
- JihadJihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...