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From DEBKA 17 March 10

Reader comment on item: America's Shiny New Palestinian Militia

Submitted by alan (United Kingdom), Mar 17, 2010 at 14:51

More than 2,000 Fatah defect to Hizballah, Iran's first big Palestinian gain
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 17, 2010, 11:02 AM (GMT+02:00)

Munir Maghdad defects to Hizballah

Iran's Lebanese proxy, the Hizballah militia, has set up a Palestinian operations unit for 2,000 new recruits from the Lebanese Fatah, who came over in recent days full armed with their commander Col. Munir Maqdah, an important handler of the Fatah terrorist apparatus on the West Bank. Reporting this, debkafile's military sources add: The first major Palestinian defection to the Shiite Hizballah has given Iran and its proxy a large foot inside Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization and swelled Hizballah's fighting strength by some 15 percent.
Most of the defectors came from the big Ain Hilwa refugee town near the southern Lebanese port of Sidon.
Col. Munir Maqdah, commander of Fatah units in Ain Hilwa, carried the formal title of Commander of the Armed Struggle Units of Palestinian Forces in Lebanon.

Mahmoud Abbas reacted to the blow by signing orders expelling Maqdah from the Fatah along with dozens of Palestinians officers who followed him. He was forced to accept that Fatah-Lebanon's 5,000-man fighting strength has been pared down to 3,000 and its top officer ranks depleted.
The biggest loss was Maqdah, who maintained close ties with the Palestinian terrorist sleeper cells in the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin - mainly by means of large dollops of cash. His networks and contacts are now available to Tehran.
The renegade officer also acted as liaison between Fatah and al Qaeda's affiliates in Lebanon, such as Fatah al-Islam. His men took active part in more than one Katyusha rocket bombardment of northern Israel from South Lebanon.

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Reader comments (35) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Are we surprized! [86 words]K. HuttonAug 1, 2011 12:29187899
All foreseen [133 words]yuval Brandstetter MDMar 25, 2010 01:50170612
Ally? [51 words]yuval Brandstetter MDMar 23, 2010 15:06170561
And furthermore.... [74 words]pdmMar 23, 2010 13:31170560
Go Palestine! [43 words]WinstonMar 21, 2010 10:17170469
Palestine cannot go anywhere! [282 words]Isaac HaskiyaMar 27, 2010 06:08170469
The US gives Israel?? [80 words]yuval Brandstetter MDMar 28, 2010 01:51170469
PA militia as threat [235 words]trans-parereMar 19, 2010 11:02170409
Not a threat [65 words]Iver PetersonMar 18, 2010 09:07170358
Bolshevik! [102 words]pdmMar 19, 2010 12:21170358
Is Petraeus the new Glubb Pasha and is this the founding of the new Arab Legion a la 1948 [151 words]alanMar 18, 2010 08:08170355
Brother and friend [215 words]Kurt BaskingMar 18, 2010 03:08170344
From DEBKA 17 March 10 [283 words]alanMar 17, 2010 14:51170300
The Palestinian Army? an enemy of Israel. [244 words]Carmen Waggoner, Ph.D.Mar 17, 2010 13:22170292
I smell an argument based on pure fear [297 words]HansMar 20, 2010 17:55170292
Maybe I could see paying the 100 million a year , IF at the same time Israel received a huge amount of real firepower ie. Nukes, I.C.B.M.s and nuclear subs. ...Mar 2010 [106 words]Phil GreendMar 17, 2010 01:00170269
The Philistinian Authority [29 words]Arlinda DeAngelisMar 16, 2010 22:02170257
No friend [53 words]Joe Six-PackMar 18, 2010 12:37170257
Thanks to Condi Rice for introducing this training of Palestinian Militia. [28 words]M.D.Mar 16, 2010 20:01170247
Who is the Militia? [13 words]alanMar 16, 2010 15:49170238
Why Stupid (program)? [8 words]PavaMar 16, 2010 14:59170236
Why evil? ...It serves some short-term US interests. [124 words]IanusMar 17, 2010 06:26170236
palestinian militia [125 words]JACQUES HADIDAMar 16, 2010 14:48170235
1Dayton must have enjoyed a nice cup of tea with a smiling Palestinian instead of reading the Palestinian newspapers [43 words]Abu NudnikMar 16, 2010 13:11170231
Now you're in rhythm!!! [45 words]David P.Mar 16, 2010 12:26170229
Realistic sequel to any development [142 words]RealisticMar 16, 2010 11:02170225
.In Consideration of The Obvious [108 words]Mike RamirezMar 16, 2010 09:33170221
The devil and the deep, etc. [103 words]A. SilvermanMar 16, 2010 09:27170220
The missing possibility [116 words]Craig IskowitzMar 16, 2010 08:12170218
Palestinians agree with Dr. Pipes [153 words]Gamaliel IsaacMar 16, 2010 07:07170214
Extraterrestrial Stupidity [267 words]Porf. Paul EidelbergMar 16, 2010 05:30170209
Brilliant analyses [33 words]RoyalelMar 16, 2010 05:20170208
West Bank Arabs face only 2 real options: (a) Hamas rule, (b) Jordanian rule. [108 words]G MarcusMar 16, 2010 04:05170203
New Arab Legion [26 words]Charles OrenMar 16, 2010 02:53170194
Rehearsal for the reconcialiation with Iran ? [189 words]IanusMar 17, 2010 06:04170194

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