(CNN) Michael Oren - Back in the mid-1960s, a Palestinian guerrilla group called Fatah - the Conquest - began launching cross-border attacks against Israeli civilians. Sponsored by Syria and led by Palestinian activists, among them the young Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah aroused admiration throughout the Arab world. Egypt, then Syria's rival, formed its own group and called it the Palestine Liberation Organization - the PLO - which also staged attacks into Israel. Though Fatah and the PLO merged long ago and are now headed by Mahmoud Abbas, who has since forsworn terror, other Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad are vying for power. By attacking Israel, they gain credibility in the Palestinian street and prestige throughout the region. The writer was formerly Israel's ambassador to the U.S.
2014-03-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive