Amal Movement
Amal Movement حركة أمل | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | Amal, أمل |
Chairman | Nabih Berri |
Founders | Musa al-Sadr Mostafa Chamran[1] Hussein el-Husseini Grégoire Haddad[2][3] |
Founded | 6 July 1974 |
Headquarters | Beirut |
Military wing | Lebanese Resistance Regiments (1975 – 1991)[4] |
Ideology | Lebanese nationalism[5] Multiconfessionalism[6] Traditionalist conservatism[6][7] Muslim–Christian unity[8][9] Populism[10] Anti-Zionism[11] |
Political position | Centre-right |
Religion | Shia Islam |
National affiliation | March 8 Alliance |
Colours | Green, Red |
Slogan | To struggle against oppression (Tagline)[8] |
Parliamentary bloc | Development and Liberation |
Parliament of Lebanon | 14 / 128 |
Cabinet of Lebanon | 1 / 24 |
Party flag | |
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Amal Movement |
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The Amal Movement (
The Amal movement gained attention from Shia outcry after the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr and saw a renewal in popularity after Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1978. The Iranian Revolution of 1978–79 also provided momentum for the party.[12] The Amal Movement is the largest Shia party in parliament, having fourteen representatives to Hezbollah's thirteen. Amal has an alliance with Hezbollah.
Name
The movement's current name was originally used by the Deprived Movement's militia, the "
Origins
Harakat al-Mahrumin / Movement of the Deprived
Harakat al-Mahrumin (
While acknowledging its support base to be the "traditionally under-represented politically and economically disadvantaged"
The movement had support from many confessions, but membership remained mainly within the
The Greek Catholic Archbishop of Beirut, Grégoire Haddad, was among the founders of the Movement.[2][3]
The movement was absorbed in 1975 into what is now called the Amal Movement.
Lebanese Resistance Regiments
On January 20, 1975, the '
Amal Movement
Amal became one of the most important Shi'a Muslim militias during the
At its zenith, the militia had 14,000 troops. Amal fought a long campaign against Palestinian refugees during the Lebanese Civil War, called the War of the Camps. After the War of the Camps, Amal fought a bloody battle against rival Shi'a group Hezbollah for control of Beirut, which provoked Syrian military intervention. Hezbollah itself was formed by religious members of Amal who had left after Nabih Berri's assumption of full control and the subsequent resignation of most of Amal's earliest members.
- Timeline
On January 20, 1975 T5, the Lebanese Resistance Detachments, also called 'The Battalions of the Lebanese Resistance' in English, is formed as a military wing of The Movement of the Disinherited under the leadership of al-Sadr. In 1978 the founder Al-Sadr disappears in mysterious circumstances while visiting Libya. He was succeeded by Hussein el-Husseini as leader of Amal.
In 1980,
Subsequently, in 1980, el-Husseini resigned from the leadership of Amal and was replaced by Nabih Berri, marking the entry of Amal in the Lebanese Civil War.
In the summer of 1982
In May 1985, heavy fighting erupted between Amal and Palestinian camp militias for the control of the Sabra, Shatila and Burj el-Barajneh camps in Beirut, sparking the so-called "War of the Camps" which lasted until 1987.
In December 1985, Nabih Berri of Amal, Walid Jumblatt of the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), and Elie Hobeika of the Lebanese Forces signed the Tripartite Accord in Damascus which is supposed to give strong influence to Damascus regarding Lebanese matters. The agreement never came into effect due to Hobeika's ousting.
Two months later Amal militiamen were driven out of West Beirut by their Communist
On February 17, 1988, the American Chief of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) observer group in Lebanon, Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, was abducted and later killed after meeting with Amal's political leader of southern Lebanon. Amal responded by launching a campaign against Hezbollah in the south, It was believed that Hezbollah abducted him. Hezbollah to this day denies it and insists that it was done to create problems between them and the Amal movement.[20]
In April 1988 Amal launched an all-out assault on Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Early in May 1988 Hezbollah gained control of 80% of the
In 1989, Amal accepted the
In September 1991, with background in the Syrian controlled end of the Lebanese Civil War in October 1990, 2,800 Amal troops joined the Lebanese army.
Lebanese Civil War
War of the Camps
The War of the Camps was a series of controversial battles in the mid-1980s between Amal and Palestinian groups. The Druze-oriented Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), the leftists, and also Hezbollah supported the Palestinians, while the Syrian government backed Amal.
- First battle (May 1985)
Although most of the Palestinian guerrillas were expelled during the 1982 Israeli invasion, Palestinian militias began to regain their footing after the Israeli withdrawal from first Beirut, then Sidon and Tyre. Syria viewed this revival with some anxiety: though in the same ideological camp, Damascus had little control over most Palestinians organizations and was afraid that the build-up of Palestinian forces could lead to a new Israeli invasion. In Lebanon, Shia–Palestinian relations had been very tense since the late 1960s.[22]
After the multinational force withdrew from Beirut in February 1984, Amal and the PSP took control of west Beirut and Amal built a number of outposts around the camps, in Beirut and the south. On April 15, 1985, Amal and the PSP attacked
On May 28, 1985, Amal suffered a suicide attack by four young female Palestinian suicide bombers in Shatila.[22] Despite its efforts, Amal could not take the control of the camps. The death toll remains unknown, with estimates ranging from a few hundreds to a few thousands. This and heavy Arab pressure led to a cease-fire on June 17.
- Second battle (May 1986)
The situation remained tense and fights occurred again in September 1985 and March 1986. On May 19, 1986, heavy fighting erupted again. Despite new armaments provided by Syria, Amal could not take control of the camps. Many cease-fires were announced, but most of them did not last more than a few days. The situation began to cool after Syria deployed some troops on June 24, 1986.
- Third battle (September 1986)
There was tension in the south, an area where
A cease-fire was negotiated between Amal and pro-Syrian Palestinian groups on December 15, 1986, but it was rejected by Yasser Arafat's Fatah. Fatah tried to appease the situation by giving some of its positions to Hezbollah and to the Murabitun. The situation became relatively calm for a while, but the bombing against the camps continued. In Beirut, a blockade of the camps led to a dramatic lack of food and medications inside the camps.
In early 1987, the fighting spread to Hezbollah and the PSP who supported the Palestinians. The PSP, having won numerous battles, quickly seized large portions of west Beirut. Consequently, Syria occupied west Beirut beginning February 21, 1987. On April 7, 1987, Amal finally lifted the siege and handed its positions around the camps to the Syrian army. According to The New York Times (March 10, 1992, citing figures from the Lebanese police), 3,781 were killed in the fighting.
War of Brothers
On February 17, 1988, Col
This was seen as a direct challenge to Amal by Hezbollah, and Amal responded by launching an offensive against Hezbollah in the south where it "scores decisive military victories ... leading to the expulsion of a number of Hizballah clergy to the Beqqa". In Beirut's southern suburbs however, where fighting also raged, Hizballah was much more successful. "[E]lements within Hizballah and the Iranian Pasdaran established a joint command to assassinate high-ranking Amal officials and carry out operations against Amal checkpoints and centers."[23]
By May, Amal had suffered major losses, its members were defecting to Hezbollah, and by June, Syria had to intervene militarily to rescue Amal from defeat.[20] In January 1989, a truce in the "ferocious" fighting between Hizballah and Amal was arranged by Syrian and Iranian intervention. "Under this agreement, Amal's authority over the security of southern Lebanon [is] recognized while Hizballah [is] permitted to maintain only a nonmilitary presence through political, cultural, and informational programmes."[24]
Amal after the war
Amal was a strong supporter of Syria after 1990 and endorsed Syria's military presence in Lebanon. After
Since 1992, the party has been represented in the Lebanese parliament and the government. Amal's enemies often criticize it for corruption among its semi-major leaders. Nabih Berri was elected speaker of parliament in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2016. Following the 2018 Lebanese general election, Amal has had 17 representatives in the 128-seat Lebanese parliament. This was an increase from the 13 representatives at the 2009 election, 14 at the 2005 election, 10 at the 2000 election, 8 at the 1996 election and 5 at the 1992 election.
According to Amal officials, the party's militants "have been involved in every major battle since fighting began"[25] during the 2006 Lebanon War, and at least 8 members were reported to have been killed.[25]
Amal's military wing began participating in the
General election summary
Election year | # of
overall votes |
% of
overall vote |
# of
overall seats won[a] |
+/– | Leader | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | 17 / 128
|
17
|
Nabih Berri | |||
1996 | 6.25% | 21 / 128
|
4
| |||
2000 | 7.81% | 16 / 128
|
5
| |||
2005 | 10.93% | 14 / 128
|
2
| |||
2009 | 13 / 128
|
1
| ||||
2018 | 204,199 (#3) | 11.04% | 17 / 128
|
4
| ||
2022 | 190,161 (#3) | 10.52% | 15 / 128
|
2
|
See also
- Lebanese Civil War
- Lebanese Forces
- South Lebanon Army
- People's Liberation Army (Lebanon)
- War of the Camps
- Weapons of the Lebanese Civil War
Notes
- ^ Table also includes MPs of Berri's bloc/alliance and are not directly affiliated with the party.
- ^ S2CID 145391253.
- ^ a b c Augustus Richard Norton, Hezbollah: A Short History Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007
- ^ a b c Hizbullah, a progressive Islamic party? - Interview with Joseph Alagha
- ^ a b Augustus R. Norton, Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon (Austin and London: University of Texas Press, 1987)
- ISBN 978-0292730403.
- ^ ISBN 9781496936462. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ISBN 9780231144278. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Islam Times – Imam Musa Al Sadr – his life and disappearance". Islam Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ "مركز الإمام موسى الصدر للأبحاث والدراسات :: محطات مضيئة » سيرة الإمام". www.imamsadr.net. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ Ostovar, Afshon P. (2009). "Guardians of the Islamic Revolution Ideology, Politics, and the Development of Military Power in Iran (1979–2009)" (PhD Thesis). University of Michigan. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ISBN 9781400068364.
- ^ Norton, Augustus R. Hezbollah: A Short Story. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2007. Print.
- ^ Nasr, Vali, 2006, The Shia Revival, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, p. 85
- ^ Byman, D., 2005, Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p.82
- ^ a b Palmer-Harik, J., 2004, Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism, London, I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd
- ^ a b Byman, D., 2005, Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
- ^ "Gaddafi charged for cleric kidnap". BBC. 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
- ^ Palmer-Harik, J., 2004, Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism, London, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd
- ^ Middle East International No 295, 4 March 1987; Jim Muir pp.3-5
- ^ a b c Ranstorp, Hizb'allah, (1997), p.101
- ^ Hezbollah: Between Tehran and Damascus Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ S2CID 147189602.
- ^ Voice of Lebanon, 0615 gmt 18 April 88-BBC/SWB/ME/0131, 21 April 1988; and Ha'aretz, 18 April 1988, quoted in Ranstorp, Hizb'allah, (1997), p.101
- ^ Ranstorp, Hizb'allah, (1997), p.102
- ^ a b Israeli troops suffer largest one-day loss – CNN, July 27, 2006
- ^ "Second Shia militia group joins clashes on Lebanese border". Roya News. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ "Iran Update, November 11, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ ""أمل" تنعى أحد عناصرها... قضى بقصف إسرائيليّ على بلدة رب ثلاثين". An-Nahar. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
References
- Augustus R. Norton, Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon, Austin and London: University of Texas Press, 1987.
- Afaf Sabeh McGowan, John Roberts, As’ad Abu Khalil, and Robert Scott Mason, Lebanon: A Country Study, area handbook series, Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA Pam 550-24), Washington D.C. 1989. - [1]
- Byman, D., Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
- ISBN 978-0-333-72975-5
- Fawwaz Traboulsi, Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux, Thèse de Doctorat d'Histoire – 1993, Université de Paris VIII, 2007. (in French) – [2]
- Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2006.
- Palmer-Harik, J., Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism, London, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2004.
- Magnus Ranstorp, Hizb'allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis,New York, St. Martins Press, 1997.
- 2009.
- Robin Wright, Sacred Rage, Simon and Schuster, 2001.
- Fouad Ajami, "Gadhafi and the Vanished Imam", Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2011.