The 1954-62 Algerian War of Independence led to the end of French colonial rule in Algeria and the departure of many European settlers. On the other hand the Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing in one form or another since the declaration of the state of Israel in 1948. Here, Daniel Boustead looks at how the Algerian conflict influenced – and continues to influence – the Palestinian movement.
Algerian fighters in the mountains during the war. Source: Fayeqalnatour, available here.
The 1954-62 Algerian War of Independence left a lasting mark on many Anti-Colonialist Resistance movements. Its greatest and longest lasting influence is on the Palestinian resistance movements. This relationship started before Algeria gained independence from France in 1962. Even after independence, Algeria continued to give important moral, financial, and ideological support to the Palestinian cause. This continues to this day. Palestinian anti- Israel groups borrowed tactics and lessons from the Algerian War of Independence. However, there are some important historical differences as to why Algerians succeeded in their cause and why the Palestinians have not had success in their struggle for freedom against Israel. The legacy of the Algerian War of Independence served as an important political inspiration to the Palestinian Resistance whose impact cannot be overstated or overlooked.
In December 1947 the French Gendarmerie found a leaflet in Ain-Beida in Eastern Algeria entitled “Against any partition of Palestine, for an Arab, free and independent Palestine(1). This document was reproduced in the Algerian nationalist newspaper El Maghrib Al Arabi on December 13, 1947. In the Algerian city of Ain Beida Algerian pro-independence leader Mohammad Zinai was suspected of organizing meetings in cafes to call young Algerian Muslims to enlist in the Arab Legion of Palestine to fight against Israel. On January 6, 1948 Algerian Muslim Mostefa Stambouli left his western Algerian hometown of Mascara along with (20 followers) to go Palestine to fight the Jews. Stambouli made a stop in Tunis, Tunisia where he planned to continue his journey to Palestine through Egypt. While he was in Tunis, he met with Algerian nationalists students Abdelhamid Merhi and M’Hamed Ferhat who hosted Stambouli at Zitounda University. After passing through the Tripolitania region of Libya, the British police arrested Stambouli. In February, 1948 Mustafa Stambouli was tried before the Sfax Court. For not holding a passport Stambouli was given a suspended sentence of 15 days imprisonment and fined 1,000 Francs. Stambouli then returned to Mascara Algeria. Stambouli’s comrade M’Hamed Ferhat tried to form a group of men to fight in Palestine but ultimately failed when he was also arrested by British police in the Tripolitania region of Libya. M’Hamed Ferhat was then sent back to Mascara, Algeria where he tried to recruit young men to fight in Palestine. On June 2, 1948 the Algerian Assistance Committee for Palestine was launched. This group failed when the main political party (the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties) left the organization because its pro Arab-Muslim political agenda destroyed the chance for other political organizations to join the group in the name of the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian-Algerian Links
During the Algerian War of Independence the Palestinians displayed their solidarity to the Algerian Revolution by supporting them through fundraising (2). The reciprocal support that the Algerians and Palestinians gave to each other during this early period of time to each other’s respective resistance movements allowed for a bond that flourishes right to this present day.
The Algerian War of Independence would come to have a profound impact on the Palestinian militant groups. This was shown by Algeria’s moral, political, financial, and ideological support for the Palestinian cause. In turn the Palestinians preserved the memory of the Algerian War of Independence into their own struggle. The Algerians also viewed the Palestinian struggle as their own struggle via the legacy of the Algerian War of Independence. The future leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasir Arafat, was present when Algerian liberation forces entered the Algerian capital of Algiers on July 3, 1962, after successfully ending French colonial rule (3). Algeria’s future first President Ahmad Ben Bella said he was prepared to send 100,000 soldiers “to liberate Palestine” and in October 1962 stated that Israel would remain Algeria’s permanent enemy (5). The National Liberation Front’s (FLN’s) use of terrorist attacks on the European settler population of Algeria forced not only France but also the European settler population of Algeria to give up and leave Algeria at the end of the conflict (4).
The events of the Algerian War of Independence helped give inspiration and a solution to Palestinian revolutionary Yasir Arafat on how to end Israel’s existence as a state (4). Palestine Liberation Organization member Abu Iyad said of the Algerian War of Independence and Revolution: “They symbolized the success we dreamed of”(4). Algeria’s new rulers opened material aid to future Palestinian Liberation Organization faction Fatah which was led by Yasir Arafat. Future Palestine Liberation Organization member and Fatah member Abu Jihad moved with his family to Algeria in 1963 to set up a Palestinian office for Fatah. The Algerians also helped Yasir Arafat establish contacts with the Syrian Baathist Regime which took power in Syria in 1963. Algeria was using the legacy of their colonial struggle against France to now become a host nation and a host base for Third World Anti-Colonialist revolutionary organizations. In 1988, when Palestine declared its independence, Algeria was the first country in the world to recognize its statehood (6). The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas considers the legacy of Algerian War of Independence important (7). It is Hamas’ strategy to achieve the decisive outcome of the expulsion of what they see as the Zionist occupier (7). On August 13, 2020 in the aftermath of United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, North Sudan, and Morocco announcing they would formalize diplomatic relations with Israel, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated “There is a mad rush among (some) Arabs to normalize ties. We will not participate in it. We will not accept it. We will not bless it. [The] Palestine cause is sacred, and we will not give it up”(6). On July 25, 2021 Algeria denounced the African Union in granting Israel observer status (8).
Battle of Algiers
The Palestinian militant groups received important inspiration from a film about the Algerian War of Independence and from actual events that happened during the conflict. In 1966, Gillo Pontecorvo’s film, Battle of Algiers, was released and it instantly became a training manual and guidebook for third world revolutionary militant movements fighting against colonialism (9). The film’s historical accuracy has been questioned by some historians. The film’s depiction of France’s brutal colonial occupation complete with checkpoints, house demolitions and separation barriers, seems relevant to the current conditions the Palestinian resistance groups are fighting in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. The film’s depiction of the FLN’s use of targeting civilians and urban warfare tactics helped provide a blueprint for Palestinian militant groups with how to fight against an occupying force. The film was so controversial that it was banned from public screening in Israel and did not legally become available in Israel until 1975. It was during the Second Intifada (which occurred between 2000 to 2005) when the film gained the most relevance in the Gaza Strip and West Bank among Palestinian resistance groups. The film’s portrayal of the FLN’s use of letting off bombs in public places in order to bring the war to the enemy’s doorstep directly mirrored that of Palestinian resistance groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Furthermore, justifications for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s actions are directly mirrored in the film. The character Larbi Ben M’hidi had a famous retort to his French interrogators by saying “Give us your bombers sir and you can have our baskets”. In the film, basket bombs were used as weapon by the FLN women who dropped them off at places to target civilians (10). This ultimately led to dividing French society and ending support for its colonial project in Algeria (10).
In both the film and real life, the FLN did use women to place bombs against civilian targets. On September 30, 1956 FLN operative Zohra Drif successfully placed a beach bag bomb at the Milk Bar on the corner of Place Bugeaud across from General Salan’s 10th headquarters, while her fellow FLN colleague Samia Lakhdari successfully placed a bomb at the Cafeteria on smart Rue Michelet in Algiers (11). Samia and Zohra were successful in their deception because of their appearance and their western style dress, which made them look European. This enabled them to pass French check points, while their male counterparts could not. Samia and Zohra’s bombs were also concealed inside beach bags under various feminine miscellany of bikinis, towels, and sun-oil. Samia and Zohra’s attack killed 3 people and injured 50.
Comparisons
Palestinian groups have perfected the art of terror. With the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in August, 2005 the Palestinian resistance stepped up attacks against Israel (7). In Algeria, terrorism and urban warfare tactics successfully forced the French out of the country. Likewise, the Palestinian militant groups felt that their terror attacks and urban warfare tactics were paying dividends for them by making the Israelis retreat.
There are key important differences between the Algerian conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict both sides claim a religious tie to the land. This did not exist in the Algerian conflict. At the end of French colonial rule in 1962, much of the European settler population left Algeria (12). In contrast, the Jews of Israel have few other places to go. Partly due to that, Palestinians have not been as successful as the Algerians were in their fight against Israel.
Algerians and Palestinians were supportive of each other’s causes early on. Algeria continued to give important ideological and political motivation to the Palestinian cause after independence. This was done via Algeria’s legacy of their fight for independence and both sides appropriating their struggle as their own political cause to support. The Algerian War of Independence’s legacy provided Palestinian groups with lessons and tactics on how to fight the Israelis. The influence of the Algerian War of Independence on Palestinian resistance movements cannot be denied.
What do you think of the connection between the Algerian War of Independence and the Israel-Palestine conflict? Let us know below.
Now, you can read World War II history from Daniel: “Did World War Two Japanese Kamikaze Attacks have more Impact than Nazi V-2 Rockets?” here, “Japanese attacks on the USA in World War II” here, and “Was the Italian Military in World War 2 Really that Bad?” here.
1 Moussa, Nedjib Sidi. “A Contingent Nationhood: the Jewish Question and the Palestinian Cause within the Algerian Independence Movement”. Hamsa: Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies No. 4 Miscellaneous-Open Edition Journals. (2018). 6 to 7. Accessed on September 7th, 2021. http://journals-openedition.org. translate.goog/hamsa/580?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=ajax,sc,elem.
2 Takriti, Abdel Razzaq. Interview with Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Kamel. Algeria and Palestine-Revolutionary Fraternity in the World of Independence Movements: Five Minutes with Abdel Razzaq Takriti. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs February 5th, 2017. Accessed on August 31st, 2021. https://www.georgetownjournalofinternationalaffairs.org/online-edition....orld-of-indepdence-movements-five-minutes-with-abdel-razzaq-takriti
3 Shepard, Todd. The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France. Ithaca: New York. Cornell University Press. 2006. 1.
5 Laskier, Michael M. “Israel and the Maghreb at the Height of the Arab-Israeli Conflict; 1950s-1970s”. Middle East Review of International Affairs Vol.4 No.2 (June, 2000). 7, accessed on September, 2nd, 2021, https://ciaotest.cc.columbia/edu/olj/meria/meria00_lam01.html#note*
4 Rubin, Barry and Rubin, Judith Colp. Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography. Oxford: United Kingdom. Oxford University Press. 2003. 30.
6 Cafiero, Giorgio. “Algeria is unapologetically pro-Palestinian, and it won’t change”. Last Modified or Updated January 27th, 2021. TRT World. Accessed on September 1st, 2021. https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/algeria-is-unapologetically-pro-palestinian-and-it-won-t-change-43634
7 Gur, Haviv Rettig. “Analysis: The tragic self-delusion behind the Hamas war”. Last Modified or Updated July 17th, 2014. Times of Israel. Accessed on August 30th, 2021. https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-tragic-self-delusion-behind-the -hamas-war/ .
8 “Algeria Denounces African Union granting Israel observer status”. Last Modified or Updated July 26th, 2021. Times of Israel. Accessed on September 2nd, 2021. https://www.timesofisrael.com/algeria-denounces-african-union-granting-israel-observer-status/
9 Norris, Jacob. “The Battle of Algiers transposed into a Palestinian key”. Modified or Updated February 11th, 2013. Open Democracy.net. Accessed on August 31st, 2021. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/battle-of-algiers-transposed-into-palestinian-key/
10 Khalidi, Rashid. The Hundred Years’ War on PALESTINE: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. New York: New York. Metropolitan Books and Henry Holt Company. 2020. 180.
11 Horne, Alistair. A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962: With a New Preface. New York: New York. New York Review Books. 2006. 185 to 186.
12 Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge: Massachusetts. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 1991. 269 and 372.
Bibliography
“Algeria Denounces African Union granting Israel observer status”. Last Modified or Updated July 26th, 2021. Times of Israel . Accessed on September 2nd, 2021. https://www.timesofisrael.com/algeria-denounces-african-union-granting-israel-observer-status/
Cafiero, Giorgio. “Algeria is unapologetically pro-Palestinian, and it won’t change”. Last Modified or Updated January 27th,2021. TRT World. Accessed on September 1st, 2021. https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/algeria-is-unapologetically-pro-palestinian-and-it-won-t-change-43634 .
Gur, Haviv Rettig. “Analysis: The tragic self-delusion behind the Hamas war”. Last Modified on Updated July 17th, 2014. Times of Israel. Accessed on August 30th, 2021. https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-tragic-self-delusion-behind-the-hamas-war/
Horne, Alistair. A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962: With a New Preface. New York: New York. New York Review Books. 2006.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge: Massachusetts. The Belknap Press of Harvard University. 1991.
Khalidi, Rashid. The Hundred Years’ War on PALESTINE: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. New York: New York. Metropolitan Books and Henry Holt Company 2020.
Laskier, Michael M. “Israel and the Maghreb at the Height of the Arab-Israeli Conflict; 1950s-1970s”. Middle East Review of International Affairs Vol. 4 No.2 (June, 2000). 7. Accessed on September 2nd, 2021. https://ciaotest.cc.columbia/edu/olj/meria/meria00_lam01.html#note*
Moussa, Nedjib Sidi. “A Contingent Nationhood: the Jewish Question and the Palestinian Cause within the Algerian Independence Movement”. Hamsa: Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies No.4 Miscellaneous-Open Edition Journals. (2018). 6 to 7. Accessed on September 7th, 2021. https://jounrals-openedition.org/trans.goog/hamsa/580?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_pto=ajax,sc,elem.
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Rubin, Barry and Rubin, Judith Colp. Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography. Oxford: United Kingdom. Oxford University Press. 2003.
Shepard, Todd. The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France. Ithaca: New York. Cornell University Press. 2006.
Takriti, Abdel Razzaq. Interview with Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Kamel. Algeria and Palestine-Revolutionary Fraternity in the World of Independence Movements: Five Minutes with Abdel Razzaq Takriti. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs February 5th, 2017. Accessed on August 31st, 2021. https://www.georgetownjournalofinternationalaffairs.org/online-editon....orld-of-independence-movements-five-minutes-with-abdel-razzaq-takriti.
