Fatah: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Fatah (Arabic: الفتح al-fatah -- literally: "the victory") is a Palestinian faction founded in 1957 by Yasser Arafat, now the current head of the Palestinian Authority. Fatah is committed to gaining full independence for the Palestinian people. In 1967 - 1968, Fatah joined the PLO and won the leadership role in 1969. Fatah's commanders were expelled to Lebanon from Jordan following violent confrontations with Jordanian forces during the period 1970 - 1971, beginning with Black September in 1970.

In the 1960s and the 1970s, Fatah provided training to a wide range of European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African militant and insurgent groups, and carried out numerous acts of international terrorism in Western Europe and the Middle East during the 1970s. When Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, the faction was dispersed to several Middle Eastern countries: Tunisia, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq and others. Arafat himself signed the Declaration of Principles with Israel in 1993 and renounced terrorism and violence, and was allowed to return to the Palestinian territories from exile in Tunisia, however, the group has subsequently been linked to continuing attacks against Israeli and foreign civilians within Israel and the occupied territories. Fatah maintains several armed groups, called wings, that have carried out operations, including Force 17, the Hawari Special Operations Group, Tanzim and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Fatah received weapons, explosives, and training from the former USSR and the former Communist regimes of East European states. China and North Korea have reportedly provided some weapons.

Fatah has "Observer Party" status at the Socialist International.