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August 22, 1981

Col. Horia Brestoiu and Lt. Col. Ioan Ciobanu, No. 0620/0013646

This document was made possible with support from Bilkent University

 

Ministry of the Interior

TOP SECRET

Iasi County Police

Copy no. 1

No. 0620/0013646 22.08.1981

 

 

To the Ministry of the Interior

Military Unit 0620 Bucharest

 

The intelligence we possess points out that there are several divergences within the Palestinian political group ‘Al Fatah’, generated by the diversity of opinions held by the leaders of the group and by the resolution [they envisage] for the Palestinian question.

 

As early as 1980, Abu Nidal, who used to be a member of the leadership of the group, withdrew to Iraq, where he took over a commando military training camp, which is very well supplied with weapons.

 

[His departure] was caused by the magnitude of the Israeli [reprisals], to which [Al-Fatah] did not respond firmly, making Abu Nidal organize ‘the total mobilization of the Palestinians to deliver the decisive blow [to the Israelis].’

 

[Abu Nidal] is supported by Syria, where he was given a residence from where he can coordinate the activity [of this camp], because he is ‘the only one who can ensure the security of the Palestinian people both internally as well as externally.’

 

It is believed that Abu Nidal organized a series of attacks against Yasser Arafat, attacks which culminated with the attack carried out in a pastry shop in Warsaw against Abu Daoud, who is regarded as Yasser Arafat’s envoy.

 

In Palestinian circles, there are rumors about a resurgence of Palestinian [terrorist attacks], given that Abu Nidal also coordinates the activity of ‘Black June’, which has been already involved in certain [terrorist] activities.

 

At the same time, Abu Nidal’s policies and propaganda sheds a bad light on Yasser Arafat, as Abu Nidal has already edited various pamphlets and materials which depict Yasser Arafat as someone who ‘messed up the Palestinian question’, and instead of taking decisive actions, he goes backward, taking cue from the instructions given by the Europeans.

 

Abu Nidal, in a communiqué released on June 4 1981, says that ‘all signs indicate that we cannot wait any longer, and that we must take action, and the head and coordinator of these actions will be an international specialist, called Karinhton, who comes from the UK and who has no vested interest.’

 

The support given by Syria to this action is decisive and it is meant to put Yasser Arafat in a corner, while constantly keeping the Palestinian population informed of the changes which are taking place at the top of the movement.

 

Fierce retaliations are expected from both [Abu Nidal and Yasser Arafat], retaliations which have already begun with the actions launched by Abu Nidal, [as part of the] struggle for primacy.

 

Signed by

Head of Security

Col. Horia Brestoiu

 

Head of Department

Lt. Col. Ioan Ciobanu

 

Report about Abu Nidal and his work developing the revolutionary group Al Fatah.


Document Information

Source

Consiliul Național pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securității (National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives), Folder D13891, Volume 43, Surveillance Target: OLGA [Palestine Liberation Organization], pp. 109-110. Contributed and translated by Eliza Gheorghe.

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Original Uploaded Date

2020-03-27

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Record ID

220062

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Bilkent University