Guerrilla Generation

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31923, 26 February 1969, Page 8

Guerrilla Generation

(Specially written for "The ‘ Press" by RALPH JOSEPH) ' It. was one of the warj songs of Al-Assifa; (Storm), the military, wing of the Palestinian! commando group AlI Fatah. In the name of God, In the name of Fatah, In the name of the national! revolution. In your name, Palestine, ■ We have declared the ! Storm. . . . The singers were not com-! mandos, or indeed the Ash-! bal (Lion Cubs), their junior group, They were little girls, all aged about six, all Palestinians, and all with one more thing in common. Each one's father or brother (the supporter of the family) had: been killed or was missing in action on a guerrilla mission into Israeli-occupied territory. They were being looked after by a newly-formed social services wing of the by now fairly well-organised Fatah There were 54 girls in the school, established by the Fatah itifte months ago. ] Besides free education, they are also given board and lodging at the school, along with the five volunteer Palestinian teachers (most of whom gave up good jobs to teach here), and the headmistress. The Fatah are next planning a boys’ school on similar lines, first at the primary level, and later at gradually higher levels. Symbolism In School

“I’m going to join the fedayeen (commandos),** said a girl of- about seven in another . class, when asked what she would do when she grew up. Another said: “I will be a nurse,” to aid the fedayeen. One sow a lot of symbolism in the school. It symbolised, for instance, the feeling among the Palestinians that their struggle will be a long one, going perhaps into the next generation: they are resigned to it and can think of nothing else. It symbolised the- new spirit of the Palestinians to take their struggle on -tberiiselves rather than depend on others. It symbolised the spirit of the Palestinian women to fight beside their men, much in. the manner of the Vietnamese.

The parallel' to Vietnam does not just end there. On the wall of one classroom was a chart illustrating the Arabic terms for “one,” “two” and “many.” “One” was depicted by a single Arab, “two” by two armed commandos sitting near a rock discussing, seemingly, a plan of action, and “many” by a picture of a group of commandos going on a mission. The last two pictures were action shots taken from a Western magazine.

If there is a bitter element about it all. one is quickly reminded that the teachers were just taking into the classroom a struggle that had begun elsewhere, on what was once their homeland. One young teacher from Gaza had been an active student demonstrator before being expelled after the June, 19«7, war. The headmistress, Mrs Tawaddud Abdul Hadi, aged 50, was from Jenin on the west bank of the Jordan, from where she was expelled a year ago. after giving refuge to guerrillas in her home. She was obviously an important person. The Israelis, after

' imprisoning her for a week, , released her when demon‘strations for her release had I begun building up. Describing the expulsion, she says she was put into a I car which was followed by a military vehicle behind and a helicopter above, and | driven in this manner for a ! distance of 40 kilometres from Jenin to Tubas. Here in Amman, besides running Al Fatah’s orphan s school. I she also heads the educational committee of the commando i group’s social service wing. ] | Another committee of the] ' same wing has set up medical, (facilities for the comman-] ' dos. The Palestine Red Cres- I cent Society (Al Fatah's ( ■ answer to the Red Cross) was) ■ established a month ago, and i i takes care of wounded guer- ; rillas returning from missions (into Israel. It has a hospital i in Amman, somewhat thinly. i disguised as a hotel, where] . wounded and disabled guer- ■ rillas are being looked after J ■ There is a blood bank here.] and a fairly good stock of, drugs, medicines, antiseptics,) i bandages and surgical instru- ■ ments, all contributed by I . other Arab or friendly charitable organisations. An . operating theatre is being i built shortly, and the organii sation has clinics and arnbui lances in various parts of , Jordan, mostly along the front with Israel. The guer-| ] rillas know in advance where to find an ambulance waiting jfor them in case some are . wounded on a mission. The doctors and nurses serve voluntarily, some part-time and some (who have other means of subsistence) full-

I time. A Fatah member told I me there were 350 doctors at i present working for the guerrillas. “We have so many ’ doctors offering their services, we can't find enough clinics for them,” he said with a short laugh. Refugees Treated The Fatah also have their own clinics at the refugee camps at Baq'aa, Marka, Wahadat, Gorsh, Erbit. alSalt, and al-Taiba villages. If I the Fatah figures are correct, 1 500 to 600 refugees visit each i Fatah clinic daily in prefer- , ence to those run by the United Nations Relief and i Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, Save the Child- | ren Fund and other such ? j charitable organisations. Each |of these, according to the i doctors, treat 150 to 200 ,patients a day—though Fatah' puts the figures somewhat : lower. I In addition to this, the' commando group say they .give financial relief to the families of those killed, ' wounded or missing in action, I amounting to 15 to 25 dinars [a month ($42 to $7O) per family, depending on its size. They are also planning smalltownships for these families,, in Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Kuwait. Each of these will be named “Medinet el Sho|hade” (City of Martyrs). There are plans also for a strangers' home for agedi Palestinians. All this is just a beginning,, of course. But anyone saying the Fatah are badly organised had better take a. closer look.