Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Name(s). Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Goals and Objectives. PIJ’s goal is to establish an Islamic Palestinian state and topple the state of Israel.
Favored Tactics. The PIJ engages in suicide attacks against Israeli targets. Occasionally, the PIJ also uses gunfire in its operations.

Brief History. PIJ is a highly active Palestinian organization founded in 1979 by Palestinian students in Egypt. PIJ’s founding members — Fathi Shiqaqi, Abd al- Aziz Odah, and Bashir Musa — were once members of the Muslim Brotherhood (see also al-Jihad entry), but split from the group because of what they perceived as a moderate stance within the group and a diluted focus on the Palestinian issue. The founding members were inspired by the Iranian revolution and espoused several of its tenets. PIJ’s sole focus is to defeat the state of Israel (using "violence as a legitimate means") and establish an Islamic Palestinian state. To this end, PIJ militants have perpetrated suicide bomb attacks against Israeli civilian and military targets throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the start of the second Intifada (September 2000), PIJ has conducted attacks that have killed more than 100 people. On June 29, 2003, after 33 consecutive months of violence, the radical group ceded to Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas’ appeal for a cease-fire.

However, only about a week later, the group called off the cease-fire, complaining that Israel failed to fulfill aspects of the agreement, including the release of several jailed Islamic militants. The cease-fire is "effectively over" and ‘attacks will resume,’ said the Jenin leader of the PIJ Bessam Sa’adi. And the attacks did resume: on July 8, 2003, PIJ claimed a suicide bomb attack in central Israel that killed a 65-year old woman as well as the perpetrator.

Favored Tactics. The PIJ engages in suicide attacks against Israeli targets. Occasionally, the PIJ also uses gunfire in its operations.

Anti-American Activities. The PIJ does not directly target U.S. interests; however, Americans have died in PIJ attacks. For example, in November 2001, Shoshani Ben-Yishai, a 16-year old New York-born American student in Jerusalem died after a militant sprayed gunfire on the city bus she and her classmates were riding. Alisa Flatow, 20, was similarly killed in a bus attack in Apr. 1995. In February 2003, PIJ asserted that it would not target Americans in spite of a U.S. indictment of eight PIJ activists (four of whom were living in the United States). PIJ claimed that it would stay focused on its fight against Israel and that it wished not to ‘open any new fronts’ by targeting U.S. interests.

Primary Area(s) of Operation. PIJ conducts its attacks in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, PIJ leader Ramadan Abdallah Shallah reportedly lives in and operates from Damascus, Syria.315 (Shallah took over the leadership when Israeli forces killed Shiqaqi in 1994.) The PIJ also has a presence in Beirut, Tehran, and possibly Khartoum, where it raises money.

Strength and Composition. The exact number of PIJ members is unknown. At the beginning of the first Intifada (1987-1990), PIJ reportedly consisted of as few as 250 militants. The group has, however, increased its recruiting base over the course of the 1990s and may now have more members, including students.

Connections with Other Groups. The PIJ’s closest ally is Hamas (see entry above). Initially, PIJ and Hamas did not maintain ties, and in fact, some analysts viewed them as rivals.318 Since 1994, the two groups have apparently collaborated on several fronts: they have conducted joint attacks and planned simultaneous bombings. In 2000, Time Magazine reported that Hamas and the PIJ were being courted by Iran to coordinated their efforts and derail the Israeli- Palestinian peace process. Time also reported that Hizballah, a group deeply connected to Iran, was the intermediary that facilitated this process. There have also been numerous reports that Hamas provided training and logistical support from Hizballah facilities in southern Lebanon. In June 2003, PIJ and Hamas published a joint statement declaring a cease-fire to end attacks on Israelis and Israeli interests.

Some analysts still see a rivalry between the groups, as both groups compete to launch suicide attacks against Israeli targets. State Supporters and Other Sources of Funding. The State Department has said that PIJ receives financial support from Iran and logistical support from Syria.321 PIJ leader Shallah has reportedly taken refuge in Syria.322

Originally Designated as an FTO. October 8, 1997.

Re-designated. October 8, 1999, October 5, 2001. Syria’s role in aiding this group may be an issue of relevance to the Syrian Accountability Act, P.L. 108-175. This group has killed American civilians, and eight of its members are under U.S. indictment; however, it has claimed that it does not want to attack U.S. citizens and interests directly. The PIJ is an extremely violent group that uses suicide attacks and has killed a large number of Israeli civilians.