Abd Al Aziz Awda
Encyclopedia
Abd Al Aziz Awda, also known as Sheik Odeh (born December 20, 1950 in Jabaliyah
, Gaza Strip
) has Palestinian
citizenship and is one of the founders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, deemed by the United States
federal government to be a designated international terrorist organization.
Awda was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist
" under United States law on January 23, 1995. A decade later, Awda was among the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
list on February 24, 2006, along with PIJ secretary-general Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah.
Awda is the spiritual leader of the PIJ and is presently still involved in the organization, which has its headquarters located in Damascus, Syria, where he likely still resides, along with other leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas
, including Khaled Mashal
.
His other aliases listed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) include Abdel Aziz Odeh, Abd Al Aziz Odeh, Abed Al Aziz Odeh, Abu Ahmed, Sheik Awda, Fadl Abu Ahmed, Al Sheik, The Sheik, and Mawlana.
. Jabalia village is also next to a refugee camp of the same name, the largest Palestinian refugee camp
in existence. They are located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip
, close to the Israel
i border.
The First Intifada
in December 1987 began in Jabalia, which has been the scene of much violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
over the years, and a major stronghold of Hamas
.
On May 30, 2005, during the Al-Aqsa Intifada
, which began in September 2000, Israel's Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) fired two rockets into the Jabalia camp, targeting militants who were planning a Kassam rocket attack on Israel.
The camp had a registered population of 103,646 inhabitants on June 30, , in an area 1.4 km² making it one of the most densely populated places on earth.
, north of Egypt
, was commonly referred to by modern Arab Palestinians as part of the "Israeli-occupied territories
." Israel argues that it is more accurate to refer to the territories as "disputed territories."
As a Gaza native, Abd Al Aziz Awda currently has Palestinian
citizenship, in the Palestinian territories
, under the Palestinian Authority. But his citizenship as a Palestinian is a modern designation after Israel's capture of the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-day War
, when the term "Palestinian" first started to be used exclusively in respect to the Arab population of Palestine.
The Gaza Strip was historically part of the post-World War I British Mandate of Palestine. The 1947 UN Partition Plan
in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 was to give the area of the Gaza Strip, demographically already 98% Arab population, to the resulting new Arab state. The failure of this plan led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, and the Palestinian exodus of many of the Arab Palestinian people
from modern Israel.
After the war, Egypt controlled this narrow strip of land north of its border, along the sea. That boundary was confirmed by the 1949 Armistice Agreements
between Israel and Egypt, and the narrow land then became known as the Gaza Strip.
From 1949 until 1967, the Gaza population was then living under the occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt
. Awda was born early into that occupation, in 1950. Egypt, since 1949, had recognized an "All-Palestine Government." But in 1959, when Awda turned nine years old, the president of Egypt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, annulled the All-Palestine government by decree.
In 1967, Awda turned seventeen years old, war broke out with Israel, and his homeland in the Gaza Strip changed hands, this time over to Israel, and a new era had begun. Soon thereafter, Awda left the Gaza Strip to study in Egypt.
in Cairo, Egypt.
He later worked as a lecturer at a university and as an Imam
at a mosque
, both of which were located in the Gaza Strip.
became the original founders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) when it was formed in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s as a branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Awda also became known as the group's spiritual leader.
Awda was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" under United States law on January 23, 1995. Later that year, Shaqaqi was assassinated in Malta
in 1995, and was replaced as secretary-general of PIJ by Ramadan Shallah, who then joined Awda on the U.S. "Specially Designated Terrorist" list on November 27, 1995.
Fellow PIJ members Awda and Shallah were both indicted in a 53 count indictment in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
, Tampa, Florida
, on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO) charges of alleged involvement in racketeering activities for the designated international terrorist organization known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Awda is wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the PIJ through a pattern of racketeering activities such as bombings, murders, extortions, and money laundering.
For that indictment, Awda and Shallah then became two of six alleged and indicted terrorist fugitives among the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation
's Most Wanted Terrorists list on February 24, 2006.
The FBI states that Awda is presently still involved in PIJ, which has its headquarters located in Damascus, Syria, where Awda likely remains as well.
Jabalia
Jabalia also Jabalya is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006...
, Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
) has Palestinian
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...
citizenship and is one of the founders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, deemed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
federal government to be a designated international terrorist organization.
Awda was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist
Specially Designated Terrorist
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ....
" under United States law on January 23, 1995. A decade later, Awda was among the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal grand juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...
list on February 24, 2006, along with PIJ secretary-general Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah.
Awda is the spiritual leader of the PIJ and is presently still involved in the organization, which has its headquarters located in Damascus, Syria, where he likely still resides, along with other leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, including Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal
Khaled Mashal, also known as Khaled Mashaal, Khaled Meshaal, and Khalid Mish'al, has been the main leader of Hamas since the assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 2004. In addition, Mashal heads the Syrian branch of the political bureau of Hamas.Mashal was born in Silwad, a village north of...
.
His other aliases listed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) include Abdel Aziz Odeh, Abd Al Aziz Odeh, Abed Al Aziz Odeh, Abu Ahmed, Sheik Awda, Fadl Abu Ahmed, Al Sheik, The Sheik, and Mawlana.
Jabalia village and refugee camp birthplace
Awda was born in 1950 in Jabalia , a village just south of the village of Beit LahiaBeit Lahia
Beit Lahia is a city located north of Jabalia, near Beit Hanoun and the 1949 Armistice Line with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 59,540 in mid-year 2006. Hamas, an Islamist party, took control of it during the 2005 municipal...
. Jabalia village is also next to a refugee camp of the same name, the largest Palestinian refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in existence. They are located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, close to the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i border.
The First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
in December 1987 began in Jabalia, which has been the scene of much violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
over the years, and a major stronghold of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
.
On May 30, 2005, during the Al-Aqsa Intifada
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
, which began in September 2000, Israel's Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) fired two rockets into the Jabalia camp, targeting militants who were planning a Kassam rocket attack on Israel.
The camp had a registered population of 103,646 inhabitants on June 30, , in an area 1.4 km² making it one of the most densely populated places on earth.
Gaza Strip history
Until the 2005 Israeli pullout, The Gaza Strip, a narrow area of land along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, north of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, was commonly referred to by modern Arab Palestinians as part of the "Israeli-occupied territories
Israeli-occupied territories
The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
." Israel argues that it is more accurate to refer to the territories as "disputed territories."
As a Gaza native, Abd Al Aziz Awda currently has Palestinian
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...
citizenship, in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, under the Palestinian Authority. But his citizenship as a Palestinian is a modern designation after Israel's capture of the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, when the term "Palestinian" first started to be used exclusively in respect to the Arab population of Palestine.
The Gaza Strip was historically part of the post-World War I British Mandate of Palestine. The 1947 UN Partition Plan
1947 UN Partition Plan
The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was created by the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine in 1947 to replace the British Mandate for Palestine with "Independent Arab and Jewish States" and a "Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem" administered by the United...
in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 was to give the area of the Gaza Strip, demographically already 98% Arab population, to the resulting new Arab state. The failure of this plan led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, and the Palestinian exodus of many of the Arab Palestinian people
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...
from modern Israel.
After the war, Egypt controlled this narrow strip of land north of its border, along the sea. That boundary was confirmed by the 1949 Armistice Agreements
1949 Armistice Agreements
The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the forces in...
between Israel and Egypt, and the narrow land then became known as the Gaza Strip.
From 1949 until 1967, the Gaza population was then living under the occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt
Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt
The administration of the Gaza Strip by Egypt occurred between 1948 and October 1956, and again from March 1957 to June 1967. Egypt did not annex the Gaza Strip but left it under Egyptian military rule as a temporary arrangement pending the resolution of the Palestine Question.-Background:After...
. Awda was born early into that occupation, in 1950. Egypt, since 1949, had recognized an "All-Palestine Government." But in 1959, when Awda turned nine years old, the president of Egypt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, annulled the All-Palestine government by decree.
In 1967, Awda turned seventeen years old, war broke out with Israel, and his homeland in the Gaza Strip changed hands, this time over to Israel, and a new era had begun. Soon thereafter, Awda left the Gaza Strip to study in Egypt.
University career
Awda was educated in Arab and Islamic StudiesIslamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
in Cairo, Egypt.
He later worked as a lecturer at a university and as an Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
at a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, both of which were located in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad activity
Awda and Fathi ShaqaqiFathi Shaqaqi
Fathi Shaqaqi , alternatively spelled Fathi Shqaqi or Fathi Shiqaqi , was the Palestinian who founded and led the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation and was the initiator of suicide bombings....
became the original founders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) when it was formed in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s as a branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Awda also became known as the group's spiritual leader.
Awda was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" under United States law on January 23, 1995. Later that year, Shaqaqi was assassinated in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1995, and was replaced as secretary-general of PIJ by Ramadan Shallah, who then joined Awda on the U.S. "Specially Designated Terrorist" list on November 27, 1995.
Fellow PIJ members Awda and Shallah were both indicted in a 53 count indictment in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida serves the residents of thirty-five counties from eight courthouses....
, Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO) charges of alleged involvement in racketeering activities for the designated international terrorist organization known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Awda is wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the PIJ through a pattern of racketeering activities such as bombings, murders, extortions, and money laundering.
For that indictment, Awda and Shallah then became two of six alleged and indicted terrorist fugitives among the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's Most Wanted Terrorists list on February 24, 2006.
The FBI states that Awda is presently still involved in PIJ, which has its headquarters located in Damascus, Syria, where Awda likely remains as well.