The Organization of the Oppressed on Earth is a group that claimed responsibility for kidnappings, bombings, and executions in Lebanon in the 1980s. It was considered a precursor to, or another name for, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.

Connection to Hezbollah

The US, Israel, and Canada consider the names "Islamic Jihad Organization", "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" and the "Revolutionary Justice Organization" to be synonymous with Hezbollah.[1][2][3]

Jeffrey Goldberg in the New York Post wrote:

Using various names, including the Islamic Jihad Organization and the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Hezbollah remained underground until 1985, when it published a manifesto condemning the West, and proclaiming, ".... Allah is behind us supporting and protecting us while instilling fear in the hearts of our enemies."[4]

Activities

Bombings

The group claimed responsibility for a 1985 bombing attack against the Madrid offices of British Airways and Trans World Airlines.[5]

Kidnappings

The group kidnapped 4 Jews in 1985, including Isaac Sasson, leader of the Jewish community in Lebanon, and Dr. Ellie Hallaq, the community doctor. [5] Sasson (Arabic: إسحق ساسون) was taken at gunpoint March 31, 1985, on his way from the Beirut International Airport, after a trip to Abu Dhabi.[6] The group killed the abductees one-by-one.[7][8]

In 1987, the group kidnapped British citizen Terry Waite who was in Lebanon as a hostage negotiator.[9] Waite remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement. He was finally released on 18 November 1991.[10]

In 1989, the group kidnapped and then later hung United States Lieutenant Colonel Richard Higgins. Higgins was a member of the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization observer unit and was accused of spying by his captors.[11][12] A videotape was released July 31, showing his body hanging from a gallows.[13]

References

  1. ^ Levitt, Matthew. "Hezbollah Finances – Funding the Party of God." The Washington Institute. February 2005. 1 February 2015.
  2. ^ Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (11 April 1996). "Hizbullah". Retrieved 17 August 2006.
  3. ^ "SOR/2003-53: Criminal Code; Regulations Amending the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities" (PDF). Canada Gazette Part II. 137 (1 extra): 1. 12 February 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2012.
  4. ^ In The Party Of God Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Part I, By Jeffrey Goldberg, The New Yorker, 14 October 2002
  5. ^ a b ""Shiite Moslem Faction Says It Holds 4 Lebanese Jews"". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Jack Anderson (Sep 17, 1985). "Caught in the cross-fire". Lewiston Daily Sun. p. 3.
  7. ^ "URGENT Police Find Body of Missing Lebanese Jew". Associated Press.
  8. ^ "Terrorism in the Cold War: State Support in the West, Middle East and Latin America". p. 202.
  9. ^ "Who are Hezbollah?". 4 April 2002.
  10. ^ "From the archive: Bells ring nationwide to welcome Terry Waite". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  11. ^ Hijazi, Ihsan A. (August 1989). "GROUP IN BEIRUT SAYS IT HANGED US COLONEL". The New York Times.
  12. ^ " "Hostage-Taking and Kidnapping Terror in the COE".
  13. ^ "Sketches of Groups Holding Hostages in Lebanon With AM-Hostages, Bjt". Associated Press.
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