Fatahland | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–1982 | |||||||||||||
 Flag of thePalestine Liberation Organization | |||||||||||||
 Map of Lebanon in 1976 during theLebanese Civil War. Lands controlled by thePLO andits allies are shown in light green. | |||||||||||||
| Status | Militia-controlled territory | ||||||||||||
| Capital | West Beirut | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Islam Christianity Druze faith | ||||||||||||
| Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO | |||||||||||||
• 1969–2004 | Yasser Arafat | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Lebanese Civil War | ||||||||||||
| 1969 | |||||||||||||
| 1970–1971 | |||||||||||||
• Start of theLebanese Civil War | 1975 | ||||||||||||
| 1976 | |||||||||||||
| 1978 | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||||||
| 1982 | |||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
• Refugee population in 1969 | 235,000 | ||||||||||||
• Refugee population in 1982 | 375,000 | ||||||||||||
| Currency | Lebanese Pound | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Today part of |  Lebanon | ||||||||||||
Fatahland (Arabic:فتح لاندFatḥ Lānd orأرض فتحʼArḍ Fatḥ;Hebrew:פתחלנדFateḥland) is an informal term used to refer to the areas ofLebanon which were under the control of thePalestine Liberation Organization (Fatah being its largest faction) during thePalestinian insurgency in South Lebanon.[1] At its height described as a "state-within-a-state", it was one of many militia-controlled "cantons" — such as "Maronistan" and theCivil Administration of the Mountain — which supplanted the authority of the Lebanese central government as it collapsed during theLebanese Civil War.
The term is sometimes employed today to refer toFatah's governance over thePalestinian enclaves in theWest Bank, as opposed toHamastan, in the context of theFatah–Hamas conflict that has been ongoing since 2006.[2][3]
The term "Fatahland" emerged following theSix-Day War in 1967, after which thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) relocated to southernLebanon and established a semi-autonomous region there. This effort gained momentum with the complete relocation of PLO leadership fromJordan to Lebanon followingBlack September from 1970 to 1971, which led to the PLO being expelled from Jordan.[4] With its own army operating freely in Lebanon, the PLO had effectively created a state within a state in Lebanon.[5] The 1969Cairo agreement, signed by PLO chairmanYasser Arafat andLebanese Armed Forces commanderEmile Boustany, established that the presence and activities of Palestinianguerrillas in southern Lebanon would be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities.[6]
Israel regarded "Fatahland" as a serious threat, asPalestinian fedayeen used the area as a base for launching artillery shells and guerrilla operations intoGalilee. Fatah grew in power in Lebanon during theLebanese Civil War.[7] In March 1978,Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to theLitani River in an effort to drive the PLO away from the Israeli border. Control of the area near the Israeli border was subsequently transferred to theSouth Lebanon Army. In 1982,Israel launched another invasion of Lebanon with the goal of eliminating the PLO. Following the Israelisiege of Beirut, the PLO evacuated and relocated toTunisia.[4]
Following the escalation of theFatah–Hamas conflict into a civil war, Fatah and Hamas respectively seized control of theWest Bank and the Gaza Strip. Consequently, the West Bank was described as a new Fatahland.[8][2] According toRiyad al-Maliki, instead of a two-state solution with a unitedState of Palestine and Israel as neighbors, the new map of the region may feature Gaza as a country and the West Bank as another, with Israel situated in between.[9] Scholars note that Israel, theUnited States, and theEuropean Union viewed the split favorably as it allowed for theIslamist government in Gaza to be isolated while the Fatah government in the West Bank could engage in agreements more amenable to Israel.[2]
