SUMMARY
PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami al-Filastini) is commonly referred to as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, simply Islamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy War. Just like Hamas PIJ was an outcropping of the Muslim Brotherhood’s group in the Gaza Strip, but PIJ was not inspired by the First Intifada, leaving the Brotherhood as early as between 1979 and 1980, concerned over the Brotherhood’s apparent reluctance to resistance towards Israel. PIJ was instead inspired by increasing Islamic militancy in Egypt (such as the elements which killed Sadat in 1981), and especially the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. The group, however, is Sunni.
PIJ had three founders, of which Fathi Abd al-Aziz Shqaqi, born in Gaza, became the leader, with Sheikh Abdul Aziz Awdah as the spiritual head. The PIJ is constituted by member cells of differing size, to which PIJ’s central organization functions as an umbrella. From its inception the goals of PIJ has been the destruction of the state of Israel and the overthrow of Arab governments that do not adhere to Islamic law and teachings. Much like Hamas PIJ advocates an armed struggle with all means possible to establish a Palestinian theocratic state on all the lands between the Mediterranean shore and the banks of the River Jordan. Their view of the liberation of Palestine is in many ways different than that of Hamas; whilst Hamas wishes to educate the people into Islamic zeal and Islamic unity PIJ believe that the liberation of Palestine will in itself have this effect on the Muslim Ummah. Although the organization is not actively hostile towards the PLO and Fatah it does not believe in the Oslo Accords, or a peace process in general with the Israelis.
PIJ lacks the political and social dimensions of such groups as Hamas and Hezbollah, and has a more explicitly militant orientation, materialized in its armed wing - the Al Quds Brigades. Due to this orientation PIJ lacks the kind of popular support given to Hamas and Hezbollah in their areas of operations. Some rivalry with Hamas was obvious in the early and mid-1990s, but decreased as Hamas grew to become the more popular radical group.
PIJ operates mainly out of Gaza and the West Bank, but southern Lebanon has in the past also been a base of operations and training, with strong connections to Hezbollah (and through them Iran and Syria). Reports also state that PIJ has received financial and logistical support from Iraq and Sudan. Since the start of the Second Intifada in September 2000 the PIJ collaborated in attacks on Israel with Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades but are, however, independent.
The PIJ leader for almost two decades was the founding member Fathi Abd al-Aziz Shqaqi. He was killed in Malta in 1995, allegedly by Mossad agents, but the circumstances regarding his death are not entirely clear. He was replaced by Abdallah Shalah, who resided in Damascus, Syria. In 2018, Abdallah Shalah suffered a series of strokes and fell into a coma. He was replaced by Ziyad al-Nakhalah.
PIJ has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
