Terrorist Organization Profile:
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

The PIJ was founded in the late 1970s by a group of radical Palestinian activists living in Egypt. This group of activists, led by Fathi Shaqaqi and Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Awda, believed that the Muslim Brotherhood movement had become too moderate and had abandoned the Palestinian cause. Inspired by the Shi'a Islamic revolution in Iran; the PIJ blended Palestinian nationalism, Sunni Islamic fundamentalism, and Shi'a revolutionary thought into its ideological agenda. PIJ believes that the annihilation of Israel and liberation of all of Palestine are prerequisites for recreating a pan-Islamic empire. PIJ stresses that the Arab-Israeli conflict is not a national dispute over territory but rather a fundamentally religious conflict. The group rejects any political arrangements or diplomatic activity to solve the conflict. PIJ believes that jihadist violence will inspire Palestinians to action and lead to the eventual destruction of Israel.

The PIJ initially operated out of Egypt, but after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981 by Egyptian radicals, the PIJ leadership was exiled to the Gaza Strip. In the early 1980s, PIJ carried out a series of spectacular attacks on Israeli soldiers in Gaza. During the first Palestinian Intifada that began in 1987, the PIJ leadership was exiled to Lebanon. This allowed many PIJ leaders to establish direct contact with Iranian officials for the first time through the Islamic Republic's embassies in Beirut and Damascus. PIJ operatives soon began training at Hezbollah camps in Lebanon, under the supervision of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. PIJ operatives stationed in Lebanon also carried out some joint operations with Hezbollah against Israeli forces in south Lebanon during the 1990s.

In 1989, Shaqaqi established PIJ's headquarters in Damascus, where it has remained since. While Syrian officials have continually stressed the informational character of the Damascus PIJ office, the office has directed PIJ funding and coordinated terrorist operations in the West Bank and Gaza. In addition, it is widely believed that Syria allows Iranian weaponry to pass through its territory in route to Palestinian militant groups in the Palestinian territories, such as PIJ.

PIJ strongly opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords and attempted to derail the peace process by committing a number of terrorist attacks against Israel. Israel dealt PIJ a severe blow in 1995 with its assassination of Shaqaqi in Malta. However, with the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada in Sep. 2000, PIJ sprang back to life. Since 2000, it has claimed responsibility for scores of terrorist attacks in Israel. In part, this has reflected the group's greater coordination with other Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian security services. Another critical factor in PIJ's revival has been an increase in Iranian funding.

Learn more about these U.S. Department of State classifications:

Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)

Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL)