Jaljalat
Encyclopedia
Jaljalat is an armed Islamist
group operating in the Gaza Strip
taking inspiration from al-Qaeda
. In September 2009, the organization revealed it had attempted to assassinate former US president Jimmy Carter
and Quartet
Middle East envoy Tony Blair
.
Abu Mutasem al-Maqdisi, is the leader of Jaljalat. A former commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
, Hamas
' armed wing, Taleb left Hamas and formed Jaljalat in opposition to Hamas' decision to participate in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections
. Taleb is seeking to establish an Islamic "emirate" in the Gaza Strip and has been described as "the Palestinian Osama bin Laden
." The organization has an estimated 750 members, including dozens of former Hamas militiamen who oppose any sort of cease-fire deal with Israel
and what they perceive as Hamas' move to religious "moderation."
Taleb has openly declared his organization's al-Qaeda inspiration: "We don't belong to al-Qaida organizationally, but we follow their ideology
. We pray to Allah
that we will become part of them. They are our brothers and it's our duty to support them." He further added that Jaljalat loyalists consider Osama bin Laden to be the "emir" and "guardian" of all Muslims.
, Talib condemned Hamas, claiming it exploits Salafists groups such as his to fight Israel: "The Hamas movement has tried to gather the Salafist youth and channel their thinking towards fighting the (Israeli) occupation whenever they want and however they want in an unannounced way."
Hamas officials have accused Jaljalat of perpetrating two bombing attacks outside government-controlled security institutions in Gaza City on 29 August 2009. The attacks, Hamas said, were carried out to avenge a recent crackdown on Jund Ansar Allah
, another armed group operating in Gaza.
In October 2009, Hamas sources said they had captured Mahmoud Taleb after a year-long search and would "put him on trial for violating national security". "We will strike the Salafists with an iron fist and without mercy," a Hamas security commander said.
. Taleb disclosed that Hamas had foiled the plot and arrested those who attempted to carry it out. In response, Taleb has threatened that his members were preparing to launch attacks against Hamas.
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
group operating in 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...
taking inspiration from al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. In September 2009, the organization revealed it had attempted to assassinate former US president Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and Quartet
Quartet on the Middle East
The Quartet on the Middle East, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or Madrid Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and international and supranational entities involved in mediating the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Quartet are the United Nations, the...
Middle East envoy Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
.
Background
Mahmoud Taleb, also known by the kunyaKunya
Kunya can refer to:*Kunya an honorific in Arabic names*Kunya Urgench, a town in Turkmenistan*Kunya River, a river in northwestern Russia*Kunya, Russia, an urban-type settlement in Pskov Oblast, Russia...
Abu Mutasem al-Maqdisi, is the leader of Jaljalat. A former commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals 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...
' armed wing, Taleb left Hamas and formed Jaljalat in opposition to Hamas' decision to participate in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
. Taleb is seeking to establish an Islamic "emirate" in the Gaza Strip and has been described as "the Palestinian Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
." The organization has an estimated 750 members, including dozens of former Hamas militiamen who oppose any sort of cease-fire deal with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and what they perceive as Hamas' move to religious "moderation."
Taleb has openly declared his organization's al-Qaeda inspiration: "We don't belong to al-Qaida organizationally, but we follow their ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
. We pray to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
that we will become part of them. They are our brothers and it's our duty to support them." He further added that Jaljalat loyalists consider Osama bin Laden to be the "emir" and "guardian" of all Muslims.
Relations with Hamas
The organization has openly criticized Hamas. In an interview with the Palestinian newspaper Al-AyyamAl-Ayyam
al-Ayyam is an Arabic language newspaper, based in Ramallah. It was established in 1995, and it's the second-largest circulation daily newspaper in the Palestinian territories.- References :*...
, Talib condemned Hamas, claiming it exploits Salafists groups such as his to fight Israel: "The Hamas movement has tried to gather the Salafist youth and channel their thinking towards fighting the (Israeli) occupation whenever they want and however they want in an unannounced way."
Hamas officials have accused Jaljalat of perpetrating two bombing attacks outside government-controlled security institutions in Gaza City on 29 August 2009. The attacks, Hamas said, were carried out to avenge a recent crackdown on Jund Ansar Allah
Jund Ansar Allah
Jund Ansar Allah is an armed Islamist organization operating in the Gaza Strip. On August 14, 2009, the group's spiritual leader, Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa, announced the establishment of an Islamic emirate in the Palestinian territories and criticized the ruling power, Hamas, for failing to...
, another armed group operating in Gaza.
In October 2009, Hamas sources said they had captured Mahmoud Taleb after a year-long search and would "put him on trial for violating national security". "We will strike the Salafists with an iron fist and without mercy," a Hamas security commander said.
Assassination plot
On 6 September 2009, the group revealed that it had attempted to assassinate former US president Jimmy Carter and Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair, calling the two "infidels" whose hands "are stained with Palestinian blood." The group also announced that it was planning to launch attacks on fellow militant Islamist group HamasHamas
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...
. Taleb disclosed that Hamas had foiled the plot and arrested those who attempted to carry it out. In response, Taleb has threatened that his members were preparing to launch attacks against Hamas.