Shadia Abu Ghazaleh (Arabic: شادية أبو غزالة; 8 January 1949 – 28 November 1968) was a Palestinian political activist. After completing her studies, she joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and was one of the first Palestinian women to take up arms against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. She died in an accidental explosion, while preparing a bomb in her home in Nablus. Since her death, she has been regarded as a martyr in Palestine and is considered a terrorist in Israel.
Shadia Abu Ghazaleh | |
|---|---|
شادية أبو غزالة | |
.jpg) Abu Ghazaleh, during a military operation (c. 1968) | |
| Born | 8 January 1949 |
| Died | 28 November 1968 (aged 19) Nablus, West Bank (occupied by Israel) |
| Cause of death | Accidental detonation of an improvised explosive device |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Alma mater | An-Najah National University |
| Political party | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| Other political affiliations | Arab Nationalist Movement |
| Movement | Palestinian nationalism |
| Opponent | Israeli Defense Forces |
Biography
Shadia Abu Ghazaleh was born on 8 January 1949,[1] in the Palestinian city of Nablus, in the West Bank.[2] She received an education at the Fatimid School for Girls in Nablus,[3] and later at the Al-Aishiyah School.[4] While she was still in school, in the early 1960s, she joined the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM).[5]
Upon graduating from school, in 1966, she moved to Cairo,[6] where she studied sociology and psychology at Ain Shams University for a year.[3] Following the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967, she returned to Palestine,[7] despite her family's attempts to dissuade her.[8] She moved back to her hometown of Nablus, where she completed her education at An-Najah National University.[3]
She joined the nascent Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),[9] which had been founded by former members of the ANM.[10] She quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the leading figures in the organisation.[10] She was one of the first women to participate in the Palestinian militant resistance to the occupation.[11] She organised and led women's units,[4] and took part in a number of military operations against the occupation.[10] By participating directly in armed action, she broke from traditional gender roles which restricted women to the role of caregiver.[12] A lover of poetry, she often sang the lyrics: "If I fall, my comrade in arms, please take my place."[10]
On 28 November 1968, she began manufacturing a bomb in her home,[10] which she planned to use to blow up an Israeli building in Tel Aviv.[13] She died after the bomb accidentally detonated.[9]
Legacy
As the first Palestinian woman to be killed while resisting the Israeli occupation,[14] Abu Ghazaleh is considered a martyr by the Palestinian nationalist movement.[10] She has also been regarded as a terrorist by Israeli sources.[15]
Abu Ghazaleh has frequently been cited as an example of women's participation in armed struggle against the State of Israel;[16] she has been listed alongside other Palestinian militant women, including Dalal Mughrabi[17] and Leila Khaled.[18] Khaled herself even adopted Abu Ghazaleh's name as her nom de guerre.[19] A portrait of Abu Ghazaleh is kept in the offices of the South African socialist organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo, alongside the portraits of several other revolutionary figures.[20]
In early 2014, a new secondary school for Palestinian girls was named after Abu Ghazaleh; the Israeli organisations Arutz Sheva and Palestinian Media Watch claimed it to be a promotion of terrorism by the Palestinian authorities. One Palestinian student at the school held Abu Ghazaleh to be a "model of the wonderful Palestinian fighter" and said that they "follow her path in this school".[15] In December 2023, the school was the site of a massacre reportedly carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[21]
References
- ^ Passia 2018.
- ^ Alsaafin 2014; Omar 2022, p. 21; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Passia 2018; Toubi 2019.
- ^ a b c Omar 2022, p. 21; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Passia 2018; Toubi 2019.
- ^ a b Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Passia 2018.
- ^ Omar 2022, pp. 21–22; Passia 2018.
- ^ Omar 2022, p. 21; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Toubi 2019.
- ^ Alsaafin 2014; Omar 2022, p. 22; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Toubi 2019.
- ^ Omar 2022, pp. 21–22; Toubi 2019.
- ^ a b Alsaafin 2014; Hawari 2019; Omar 2022, p. 22; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Passia 2018; Toubi 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Omar 2022, p. 22; Toubi 2019.
- ^ Hawari 2019; Pappe & Mansour 2022, p. 31; Passia 2018.
- ^ Hawari 2019.
- ^ Toubi 2019.
- ^ Omar 2022, p. 22.
- ^ a b Williamson 2024.
- ^ Abusalama 2016, p. 208; Aghabekian 2019, p. 20n3; Alsaafin 2014; Hawari 2019; Omar 2022, p. 22; Toubi 2019.
- ^ Abusalama 2016, p. 208; Aghabekian 2019, p. 20n3; Hawari 2019; Toubi 2019.
- ^ Aghabekian 2019, p. 20n3; Hawari 2019.
- ^ Khalili 2007, p. 123.
- ^ Aadnesgaard 2023.
- ^ Zaanin 2023.
Bibliography
- Aadnesgaard, Helen (2023). The Third Force of Ubuhlalism: Living Politics, Living Learning and Futurity (MA). Utrecht University. OCLC 1405299198. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Abusalama, Shahd (2016). "Women Revolt: Between Media Resistance and the Reinforcement of Oppressive Gender Structures". Kohl: A Journal for Body and Gender Research. 2 (2): 200–211. doi:10.36583/2016020212. OCLC 954275171. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Aghabekian, Varsen (2019). "Demanding a bigger role: Palestinian women in politics and decision making". Medicine, Conflict and Survival. 35 (3): 241–264. doi:10.1080/13623699.2019.1679948. ISSN 1362-3699. PMID 31680548. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Alsaafin, Linah (17 April 2014). "The role of Palestinian women in resistance". openDemocracy. ISSN 1476-5888. OCLC 456819048.
- Hawari, Yara (28 July 2019). "The Political Marginalization of Palestinian Women in the West Bank". Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Khalili, Laleh (2007). Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-86512-8.
- Omar, Abdullah (March 2022). "Shadia Abu Ghazaleh 1949–1968". The Women who Made Palestinian History (PDF). London: Middle East Monitor. pp. 21–22. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Pappe, Ilan; Mansour, Johnny (2022). "Abu Gazaleh, Shadia (1949–1968)". Historical Dictionary of Palestine. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 31. ISBN 9781538119860.
- Toubi, Asmaa (2019). "فلسطينيات خالدات في الذاكرة" [Unforgettable Palestinian Women]. Wafa (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- Williamson, Bill (2024). Lifeworlds and Change in Palestinian Education: Liberating Learning. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781032709529. ISBN 9781032709529. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- Zaanin, Mohamed (26 December 2023). "Classroom massacre: Survivors say Israel executed innocents in Gaza school". Al Jazeera. ISSN 1319-0253. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- "Abu Ghazaleh, Shadia (1949-1968)". Palestinian Personalities. Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. 2018. OCLC 45394970. Retrieved 2 October 2024.