Dalal Mughrabi
Encyclopedia
Dalal Mughrabi was a Palestinian
militant
who was a member of the Fatah
faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and directed the 1978 Coastal Road massacre
in Israel
. The attack resulted in the death of 37 Israeli citizens, including 13 children, and one American photographer. Mughrabi and nine or ten other militants were also killed in the course of the operation. She has been hailed as a martyr and a national hero among Palestinians, while in Israel she is a figure reviled as a terrorist.
, Lebanon
. Her father's family home prior to the 1948 Palestine war
was in Jaffa
, Palestine
. Her mother was Lebanese.
Originally educated as a nurse, Dalal Mughrabi decided to devote her life to politics when the Lebanese Civil War
broke out in 1975. She joined Fatah and began working within the organization's communications service. She took part in the fighting against the Syrian army in the mountains southeast of Beirut when Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 to assist the Phalangists and their allies. In 1977 she completed a three-month training course attaining her the rank of lieutenant
. She was offered a post in Italy by Fatah as political officer working at the PLO office, but she declined choosing instead a military career.
Rashida al-Mughrabi, interviewed about her sister's participation in the attack, said:
On the morning of March 11, 1978, Mughrabi and a group of between 11 and 13 Palestinian and Lebanese militants arrived on the coastal plain near Tel Aviv
from Lebanon
in rubber dinghies. According to The Guardian
, Mughrabi lead the group, which included one more woman. According to Khaled Abu Asba, one of the two perpetrators who survived, Mughrabi did not lead the team and was the only woman. The timing was aimed at scuttling peace talks between Menachem Begin
and Anwar Sadat
. Time
reported that the attackers' intent was to "kill as many Israelis as possible." According to Hugh MacLeod, their goal was to attack the ministry of defence in Tel Aviv. Dalal's sister Rashida said, "The objective was not to kill civilians, but to reach the Knesset
and demand the release of Palestinian prisoners
."
The first casualty of the operation was an American photographer named Gail Rubin, whom Abu Absa says was killed by Mughrabi because the militants feared she would inform authorities of their presence. According to Time, the militants opened fire at passing traffic and hijacked a taxi, killing its occupants. The militants then seized a bus and proceeded along the coastal highway
to Tel Aviv
. While driving south, the hijackers seized another bus, and moved the hostages (now numbering 71) to the first bus. Both hijacked buses were filled with militants and sightseers. Abu Absa says that at every intersection where police set up roadblocks to stop the bus, there was an exchange of fire, but that the militants "never shot the hostages."
Israeli forces stopped the bus, and a 9 to 15-hour shooting battle ensued before the bus exploded. During the shootout, according to MacLeod, Mughrabi raised the Palestinian flag
and declared the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel says the bus exploded after Mughrabi blew it up with a grenade, while Palestinians say it was struck by fire from an Israeli helicopter gunship, though reports said the bus was stopped by some 30 traffic police armed with .38 revolvers and Uzi sub-machine guns. Most of the militants and bus passengers were killed in the fighting and explosion, including one Israeli policeman. A total of 37 Israelis, including 13 children, were killed and 72 were wounded; Mughrabi and nine other militants died as well. While there was not time enough to order up special Israeli antiterrorist squads before the confrontation, and the Israeli rescue attempt was reportedly led by some 30 "terrified traffic cops", other reports say that Ehud Barak
, then an officer in the Sayeret Matkal
anti-terrorism unit, led the rescue operation. According to Hugh Macleod, a British journalist, there are reports of images of him firing shots into her dead body as it lay on the road.
The attack became known as the Coastal Road massacre
. In response, Israel launched Operation Litani
against PLO bases in southern Lebanon
three days later.
Mughrabi's remains were supposed to be exhumed and returned to Lebanon
but that never happened and Mughrabi's remains are still buried in the "numbers cemetery" where the bodies of many Palestinian militants lay.
Numerous Palestinian sites and institutions, including a few inaugurated by the Palestinian Authority, bear her name, including a public square, a computer center, soccer tournament, and summer camp. The dedication of the public square the city of al-Bireh
was controversial. It was initially scheduled for March 2010 on the 32nd anniversary of the Coastal Road attack, and would also have coincided with a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
. Public condemnation came from Benjamin Netanyahu
, Israel's Prime Minister, who said the honoring of Mughrabi was anti-Israel incitement that "encourages terrorism", and United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
, who said such actions were "provocations... needlessly inflaming tensions and imperiling prospects for a comprehensive peace." The mayor of el-Bireh declined to comment and apparently was not involved.
The event was officially delayed but dozens of Palestinian students from Fatah's youth division and a senior Fatah official gathered at the square. A few days later Fatah officials held an official ceremony inaugurating the square in her name. In addition, the PA launched a seminar called "Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Camp," to be held in Jericho
.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
militant
Palestinian political violence
Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence undertaken to further the Palestinian cause. These political objectives include self-determination in and sovereignty over Palestine, the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a Palestinian state, either in place of both Israel and...
who was a member of the Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and directed the 1978 Coastal Road massacre
Coastal Road massacre
The Coastal Road massacre of 1978 was an attack involving the hijacking of a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway in which 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed, and 71 were wounded. The attack was planned by Abu Jihad and carried out by the PLO faction Fatah...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The attack resulted in the death of 37 Israeli citizens, including 13 children, and one American photographer. Mughrabi and nine or ten other militants were also killed in the course of the operation. She has been hailed as a martyr and a national hero among Palestinians, while in Israel she is a figure reviled as a terrorist.
Early life
Mughrabi was born and raised in the Palestinian refugee camp of Sabra in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Her father's family home prior to the 1948 Palestine war
1948 Palestine war
The 1948 Palestine war refers to the events in the British Mandate of Palestine between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on November 30, 1947, to the end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949.The war is divided into two phases:...
was in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. Her mother was Lebanese.
Originally educated as a nurse, Dalal Mughrabi decided to devote her life to politics when the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
broke out in 1975. She joined Fatah and began working within the organization's communications service. She took part in the fighting against the Syrian army in the mountains southeast of Beirut when Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 to assist the Phalangists and their allies. In 1977 she completed a three-month training course attaining her the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. She was offered a post in Italy by Fatah as political officer working at the PLO office, but she declined choosing instead a military career.
Rashida al-Mughrabi, interviewed about her sister's participation in the attack, said:
I have no regrets about what my sister did. The Israelis are the ones who forced her to carry out the attack because they expelled us and stole our lands. They caused us a great injustice by turning us into a nation of refugees, and, if it weren't for the occupationMilitary occupationMilitary occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
, Dalal would never have carried out the attack. Maybe she would have raised a family and pursued a career.
Coastal Road massacre
On the morning of March 11, 1978, Mughrabi and a group of between 11 and 13 Palestinian and Lebanese militants arrived on the coastal plain near Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in rubber dinghies. According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Mughrabi lead the group, which included one more woman. According to Khaled Abu Asba, one of the two perpetrators who survived, Mughrabi did not lead the team and was the only woman. The timing was aimed at scuttling peace talks between Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
and Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported that the attackers' intent was to "kill as many Israelis as possible." According to Hugh MacLeod, their goal was to attack the ministry of defence in Tel Aviv. Dalal's sister Rashida said, "The objective was not to kill civilians, but to reach the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
and demand the release of Palestinian prisoners
Palestinian prisoners
Palestinian prisoners in Israel mainly refers to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel following apprehension resulting from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict...
."
The first casualty of the operation was an American photographer named Gail Rubin, whom Abu Absa says was killed by Mughrabi because the militants feared she would inform authorities of their presence. According to Time, the militants opened fire at passing traffic and hijacked a taxi, killing its occupants. The militants then seized a bus and proceeded along the coastal highway
Highway 2 (Israel)
Highway 2 is an Israeli highway located on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from Tel Aviv to Haifa. The highway is also called The Coastal Highway or The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway ....
to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. While driving south, the hijackers seized another bus, and moved the hostages (now numbering 71) to the first bus. Both hijacked buses were filled with militants and sightseers. Abu Absa says that at every intersection where police set up roadblocks to stop the bus, there was an exchange of fire, but that the militants "never shot the hostages."
Israeli forces stopped the bus, and a 9 to 15-hour shooting battle ensued before the bus exploded. During the shootout, according to MacLeod, Mughrabi raised the Palestinian flag
Palestinian flag
The Palestinian flag is based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt, and is used to represent the Palestinian people , and the Palestinian Authority.-Description:...
and declared the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel says the bus exploded after Mughrabi blew it up with a grenade, while Palestinians say it was struck by fire from an Israeli helicopter gunship, though reports said the bus was stopped by some 30 traffic police armed with .38 revolvers and Uzi sub-machine guns. Most of the militants and bus passengers were killed in the fighting and explosion, including one Israeli policeman. A total of 37 Israelis, including 13 children, were killed and 72 were wounded; Mughrabi and nine other militants died as well. While there was not time enough to order up special Israeli antiterrorist squads before the confrontation, and the Israeli rescue attempt was reportedly led by some 30 "terrified traffic cops", other reports say that Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
, then an officer in the Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
anti-terrorism unit, led the rescue operation. According to Hugh Macleod, a British journalist, there are reports of images of him firing shots into her dead body as it lay on the road.
The attack became known as the Coastal Road massacre
Coastal Road massacre
The Coastal Road massacre of 1978 was an attack involving the hijacking of a bus on Israel's Coastal Highway in which 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, were killed, and 71 were wounded. The attack was planned by Abu Jihad and carried out by the PLO faction Fatah...
. In response, Israel launched Operation Litani
Operation Litani
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict was an invasion in Lebanon up to the Litani River carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in 1978. It was a military success for the Israeli Defense Forces, as PLO forces were pushed north of the river...
against PLO bases in southern Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
three days later.
Release of remains
As part of the 2008 Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap2008 Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap
The 2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange took place on July 16, 2008 when Hezbollah transferred the coffins of two Israeli soldiers in exchange for 5 Lebanese militants held by Israel as well as the bodies of 199 mainly Lebanese and Palestinian militants captured in Lebanon or Israel in the...
Mughrabi's remains were supposed to be exhumed and returned to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
but that never happened and Mughrabi's remains are still buried in the "numbers cemetery" where the bodies of many Palestinian militants lay.
Legacy
Among Palestinians, Mughrabi is a popular figure that is viewed as a heroine and martyr in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. Among Israelis, she is viewed as a terrorist who was responsible for the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the State of Israel.Numerous Palestinian sites and institutions, including a few inaugurated by the Palestinian Authority, bear her name, including a public square, a computer center, soccer tournament, and summer camp. The dedication of the public square the city of al-Bireh
Al-Bireh
al-Bireh or el-Bira is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is above sea level, covering an area of...
was controversial. It was initially scheduled for March 2010 on the 32nd anniversary of the Coastal Road attack, and would also have coincided with a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
. Public condemnation came from Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
, Israel's Prime Minister, who said the honoring of Mughrabi was anti-Israel incitement that "encourages terrorism", and United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, who said such actions were "provocations... needlessly inflaming tensions and imperiling prospects for a comprehensive peace." The mayor of el-Bireh declined to comment and apparently was not involved.
The event was officially delayed but dozens of Palestinian students from Fatah's youth division and a senior Fatah official gathered at the square. A few days later Fatah officials held an official ceremony inaugurating the square in her name. In addition, the PA launched a seminar called "Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Camp," to be held in Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
.