PFLP founder, George Habash, dies in Jordan at the age of 82

Sunday January 27, 2008 02:29 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

George Habash, the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) died on Saturday evening at a Jordanian Hospital one week after he was admitted to the facility after facing sharp deterioration in his health condition.

Habash was hospitalized in Jordan ten days ago after suffering from heart problems, he died approximately at 8 P.M Jordan time (6 P.M GMT).

 Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, mourned Habash and declared a three-day mourning in Palestine in respect to the deceased leader.  

Habash was born in the Arab Palestinian town of Lod in 1925, and is the founder of the DFLP and one of the prominent Palestinian figures in the Palestinian political history.

He was born to a Palestinian Greek-Orthodox Christian family, his family left Palestine after the war in 1948.

Habash studied Medicine at the American University in Beirut – Lebanon and graduated in 1951 after specializing in Pediatric Medicine . One year later, he founded the Arab Nationalist Movement, with calls for unifying the Arab world against the Israeli occupation.

He worked in medicine until 1957, he went to Syria and then to Lebanon between the years of 1958 and 1963, and in 1961 we married a woman from Jerusalem. He and his wife Hilda had two daughters.

He was forced to go underground in 1957 due to his political activities in Jordan, and after leaving Jordan, he concentrated his activities on the Palestinian Cause, and liberation.

His ideas and styles of liberation adopted the Marxist – Leninist approach. He moved to Syria and stayed there from 1958 until 1953, and after that he went to Lebanon.

In December 1967, Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, along with Mustafa Al Zeery and several other leaders. He became the Secretary-General of the Front until 2000 and was succeeded by Mustafa Al Zeery.

Habash will be buried at 1 P.M on Monday January 28, his funeral procession will start from Amman Hospital and will be heading to the Greek Orthodox Church and then to Sahab graveyard. A mourning home will be opened in front of the Palestinian National Council in Amman.

Funeral for PFLP founder George Habash to be held on Monday in Amman

Date: 27 / 01 / 2008  Time:  12:23

A PFLP supporter waves the
group's signature red flag [Ma'anImages]
Amman – Ma'an – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) announced on Sunday that the funeral procession of for Palestinian nationalist leader George Habash will be held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Monday afternoon.

The procession will leave Jordan Hospital for an Orthodox church, and then on to a cemetery in the Sahab neighborhood.

Habash died of a heart attack on Saturday night.

The PFLP said condolences could be offered at the offices of the Palestinian National Council in Amman.

Spontaneous rallies took place throughout the occupied Palestinian territories when word of Habash's death spread. Rallies were reported in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Duheisha refugee camp. PFLP supporters carried posters bearing Habash's portrait and the portrait of the PFLP's late secretary general, Abu Ali Mustafa, who was assassinated by Israel in 2001.

Known as "Al Hakim," the Wise Man, Habash was a founder of the Arab National Movement, and later, the Marxist-Leninist PFLP. Famous for its high-profile actions against Israel, the PFLP was the second most prominent Palestinian faction after Fatah, until the rise of Hamas.

Palestinians rally in West Bank cities to mourn PLFP leader George Habash

Sunday January 27, 2008 18:13 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News ghassanb at imemc dot org

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of several West Bank cities on Sunday to mourn the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), George Habash, who died on Saturday evening in the Jordanian capital Amman.



PFLP supporters in Bethlehem Sunday– Photo by IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura

In the central West Bank city of Ramallah around 500 Palestinians gathered in the city centre, carrying Palestinian flags, banners and photographs of Habash.

A similar protest took place in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday afternoon. The protest started at the Duheisha refugee camp, which is a PFLP stronghold, located in the southern part of Bethlehem. The protesters then marched towards a local cultural organization which will be open for mourners to gather over the next three days.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced three days of national mourning starting from Sunday. In other West Bank cities PFLP followers also gathered in centres to mourn his passing. The centres will be open for three days for people to pay their respects.

PFLP founder George Habash died on Saturday evening in a Jordanian Hospital, a week after he was admitted to the facility following a sharp deterioration in his health.

Habash was born in the Arab Palestinian town of Lod in 1925 and was one of the most prominent Palestinian figures in Palestinian political history.

His Palestinian Greek-Orthodox Christian family was forced to leave Palestine after the 1948 war. Habash studied medicine at the American University in Beirut in Lebanon and, graduating in 1951 after specializing in pediatric medicine. One year later, he founded the Arab Nationalist Movement, calling for the unification of the Arab world against the Israeli occupation.

He worked in medicine until 1957 and traveled to Syria and then to Lebanon between the years of 1958 and 1963. In 1961 he married a woman from Jerusalem. He and his wife Hilda had two daughters.

Habash was forced underground in 1957 due to his political activities in Jordan. After leaving Jordan, he concentrated his activities on the Palestinian cause. He adopted the Marxist – Leninist approach to liberation. He moved to Syria and stayed there from 1958 until 1963. From there he went to Lebanon.

In December 1967, Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, along with Mustafa Al Zeery and several other leaders. He became the Secretary-General of the Front until 2000 and was succeeded by Mustafa Al Zeery.

PFLP founder George Habash, 1925-2008

Date: 26 / 01 / 2008  Time:  21:40

Amman – Ma'an –

George Habash, the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a godfather of the Palestinian struggle, died of a heart attack on Saturday in the Jordanian capital, Amman, medical sources said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared three days of national mourning to honor Habash, who was known as "Al Hakim," the Wise Man.

Habash was born in Lydda, in Mandate Palestine in 1925 into a Greek Orthodox family. Like hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians, he became a refugee during the mass expulsion committed by the Israeli army in 1948.

He graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1951 with a degree in medicine. With a focus on pediatrics, he went to work in Palestinian refugee camps in Amman. While at AUB he met Hilda Habash, a Palestinian from Jerusalem.

In in 1952 he co-founded the Arab Nationalist Movement, which later spun off into several parties in individual countries.

Wanted by the Jordanian regime for his political activities, he fled Amman in 1957 for Damascus, where he was imprisoned several times, also for political reasons.

After leaving Jordan, Habash shifted his focus from Pan-Arab to Palestinian issues. His view was that the Palestinians should embrace Marxist-Leninist revolution.

In December 1967 he founded, with Abu Ali Mustafa, the PFLP. He remained the Secretary General of the Organization until 2000. He was succeeded by Abu Ali Mustafa.