Fighting alongside Hamas—Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The terror organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was founded around the period of the late 1970s or early 1980s by Fathi Shaqaqi and Abd al-Aziz Awda as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their goal? To establish a sovereign Palestinian Islamic State within the geographic borders of pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine. Unlike its Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejects the political process completely and states that its goals can only be achieved through violence.

Iran is the organization’s primary supporter providing PIJ with money, weapons, and training, making them one of several terrorist proxies of the regime in Tehran. The closeness of the relationship between Iran and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was demonstrated by the presence of Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Tehran for a meeting with the Iranian regime’s leadership while his terror group launched barrages of rockets at Israel.

While PIJ’s manpower is estimated to be less than 10,000, its level of fanaticism and support from Iran coupled with its ability to launch deadly terror attacks mean the organization will continue to pose a real threat to Israeli safety and security until it is destroyed.

As Israel fights in Gaza, it is not just dismantling Hamas but their allies PIJ as well. As Christians United for Israel, we must remain informed about threats to Israel so we can be the strongest defenders of the Jewish state and her people.

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To learn more about the threat PIJ poses to Israel, read CUFI’s Fact Sheet, “Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”