Kamal Naji () also known as Kamal Medhat (; 1951 – 23 March 2009) was the deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon and a former

Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

intelligence chief in the country. He was killed by a roadside bomb while visiting a refugee camp to calm recent violence.Lebanon blast 'kills PLO leader'
''

Al-Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is the first global E ...

''. 24 March 2009.

Early life and activities

Born in the

Jabalia Camp Jabalia Camp () is a Palestinian refugee camp in the North Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip, north of Jabalia. It is the largest refugee camp in Palestine, with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The camp only covers an area of 1.4 km2 making i ...

in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

in 1951, Naji relocated to Lebanon when he joined Fatah at age 16. Naji was a confidant of

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

and

Khalil al-Wazir Khalil Ibrahim al-Wazir Standardized Arabic transliteration: '' / / '' (, also known by his '' kunya'' Abu JihadStandardized Arabic transliteration: ' —"Jihad's Father"; 10 October 1935 – 16 April 1988) was a Palestinian leader and co-fou ...

. While the PLO was based in Lebanon in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Naji served as a close aide to Arafat. In reference to the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, he stated "If Yasser Arafat was alive he would have started a third

intifada Intifada () is an Arabic word for a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It can also be used to refer to a civilian uprising against oppression.Ute Meinel''Die Intifada im Ölscheichtum Bahrain: Hintergründe des Aufbegehrens von 19 ...

and managed to make the

Muqata'ah Under the Ottoman Empire, ''Muqata'ah'' or ''Mukata'a'' were '' hass-ı hümayun'', parcels of land owned by the Ottoman crown. These were distributed through the ''iltizam'' auction system; rights to collect revenue from the land were sold to t ...

the headquarters of the resistance and all kinds of envoys would be knocking on his door looking for a solution to end the fighting in Gaza."Profile: Kamal Naji
''

''. 24 March 2009. He served as deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Lebanon.

Death

On 23 March 2009, Naji and three others were killed when a roadside bomb exploded as his convoy was passing the Kifah el Musallah security check point to Mieh Mieh camp near

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

.Medhat received death threats – Fatah leader
/ref> There had been a family feud the previous day, in which two Fatah members were killed, and Naji was visiting to send his condolences and attempt to calm the situation. The bomb was apparently hidden in a little shed on the side of the road and was detonated when Naji's convoy passed by. His car was thrown down a hill and reduced to a charred wreck, according to reporters at the scene of the explosion.Lebanon bomb kills PLO official

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

. BBC MMIX, 23 March 2009. The Palestinian factions of Lebanon's 12 refugee camps met in

Ain al-Hilweh Ain al-Hilweh (, lit. meaning "sweet natural spring"), also spelled as Ayn al-Hilweh and Ein El Hilweh, is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. It had a population of over 70,000 Palestinian refugees but swelled to nearly 120,000, as ...

to discuss the incident and aim to uncover the perpetrators of the attack. The size of the bomb was estimated at 25 kg.Reuters
Lebanon bomb kills senior Fatah official, 4 others 23 March 2009

Reactions

Edward Kattoura, a Fatah official in Lebanon accused Israel of assassinating Naji, stating, "According to the style of the operation it seems that Israel is behind this, because it is a very highly professional execution... We don't think the execution is related to the Palestinian problem as it is targeting the stable situation in Lebanon and in the Palestinian efugeecamps."

Osama Hamdan Osama Hamdan (; born 1965) is a Palestinian diplomat and former senior representative of Hamas in Lebanon and Tehran. He previously held the position of Head of International Relations Department for Hamas and Chair of the Political Committee ...

, the

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

representative of Lebanon, said Naji had played a role in helping to ease tensions among the Palestinian factions in the country. "It is not possible to speculate on who committed this crime," he told

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

al-Manar Al-Manar () is a Lebanese satellite television station owned and operated by the Islamist political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah,

television station. The office of

Palestinian President The president of the State of Palestine () is the head of state of Palestine. Yasser Arafat became the first titular president of the State of Palestine in 1989, one year after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. The title was origina ...

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

issued a statement condemning the killing. "President Abbas condemns the terrorist crime that targeted Major-General Kamal Naji. He dedicated his life to serve his people and his cause."

Walid Jumblatt Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying ...

Progressive Socialist Party The Progressive Socialist Party () is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon Governorate, especially the Chouf District. Founded by Kamal Jumblatt in 1949, the party ...

(PSP) leader paid a visit to Zaki to offer condolences. "I extend my condolences to the Fatah party and the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

. Fatah has always sacrificed its prominent members, for the Palestinian cause," Jumblatt told reporters afterward.

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ') is a Lebanon, Lebanese Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-based political party and Lebanese Forces (militia), former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's Parliamen ...

leader

Samir Geagea Samir Farid Geagea (, , also spelled Samir Ja'ja' ; born 25 October 1952) is a Lebanese politician and former militia commander who has been the leader of the Lebanese Forces Lebanese Forces, political party and Lebanese Forces (militia ...

also condemned the killing saying it was a "terrorist attack" that targeted both Lebanese and Palestinian stability. Geagea called on the Palestinians to unite around their "just cause" and to stay away from conflicts that would "drain their will to persevere."

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

condemned the "terrorist" attack. According to a statement from his press office, "The secretary-general condemns the terrorist attack today", adding that the UN chief hoped "the perpetrators of this crime will be brought to justice promptly." Ban added "Such actions must not be allowed to endanger the climate of calm that currently prevails in Lebanon."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naji, Kamal 1951 births 2009 deaths People from Jabalia Camp Fatah members People of the Lebanese Civil War Palestinian emigrants to Lebanon