Saad Sayel (; died in 1982) was a Palestinian commander and former Jordanian army officer who served as head of the

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 ...

security apparatus. and founder of the Yarmouk Brigade. He played a prominent role in rebuilding the PLO's military apparatus and training troops alongside

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 ...

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 ...

, Muhammad Youssef al-Najjar and others.

Life and career

Sayel was born in the Kafr Ghalil village located in the eastern foot of

Mount Gerizim Mount Gerizim ( ; ; ; , or ) is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the State of Palestine, Palestinian city of Nablus and the biblical city of Shechem. It forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the nor ...

, "Jabal et Tur" one of the mountains of Nablus. He spent his elementary and secondary education there. He traveled to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

as a teenager and joined the army there. In 1951, Saad Sayel went to the Jordanian Military College to receive specialized military training and after military training, he was assigned to the command of the ''Husain ibn Ali'' infantry brigade with

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

rank. He spent the military engineering course (Bridge Design and Classification Engineering) in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1954. Also he spent the bridge design course in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in 1958 and the military engineering course in England again in 1959. In 1960, after passing advanced military engineering in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he underwent further training at the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

. In 1965, he spent the air defense course in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Also, he went through special courses in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Sayel served as a soldier in the Jordanian army, but in the 1970 Jordan-PLO conflict between the monarchy and the

fedayeen Fedayeen ( ''fidāʻiyyūn'' "self-sacrificers") is an Arabic language, Arabic term used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign. Etymology "Fidayun" is the plural of "fidayi" ( ''fidāʻiyy'' ...

, he opted to join and support

. Because of his military experience, he established the Yarmouk Brigade, which played an active role in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

later. It was an attempt to professionalize the Palestinian military. When Sayel joined the Palestinian National Liberation Movement Fatah, he was assigned to important military positions. For example, he appointed as director of the Central Operations Authority of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces, a member of the General Command of the storm forces and a member of the leadership of the Occupied territory after being promoted to the rank of brigadier. In 1978, he led the Fatah forces against the Israeli invasion in Lebanon. Also, he was a selected member of the Palestinian National Council and elected to the Central Committee of the Fatah Movement in its conference held in Damascus in 1980. Abu al Waleed participated in the management of the military operations of the Palestinian revolutionary forces in their confrontation with the Israeli forces in Lebanon and get the title of Marshal of the Beirut because of his braveries. In 1980, he became a member of the Central Committee of

movement and led the Central Operations and Command Room of the Lebanese Joint Forces Palestine. In June 1982, after the Israeli forces besieged Beirut, Saad Sayel was the leading Fatah commander along with Yasser Arafat and Khalil Wazir. That is why it became known as the "Marshal of the Revolution" among the resistance forces. In spite of a grim and quiet personality, Sayel was widely respected as a tough and influential commander.

Memorials

* A military garrison at east of

Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...

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 ...

, is named ''Saad Sayel'' after his death. *

Raymonda Tawil Raymonda Hawa Tawil (, born Raymonda Hawa in 1940 in Acre in Mandatory Palestine) is a Palestinian writer and journalist. She is the mother of Suha Arafat. Life Raymonda Tawil is a poet, writer and Palestinian journalist born in Acre in a pro ...

, the famous Palestinian author, has mentioned the role of Saad Sayel in his book, "A bunch of roses to them".

Death

He was assassinated by the

Abu Nidal Organization The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO; ), officially Fatah – Revolutionary Council ( ), was a Palestinian militant group founded by Abu Nidal in 1974. It broke away from Fatah, a faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization, following t ...

, near

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

border on 29 September 1982. He had gone to

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

to visit the Popular Front and the Lebanese Joint Forces. Then he went to the hospital there for visiting someone and continued his way to

Baalbek Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...

. After passing through the city

Riyaq Rayaq - Haouch Hala (), also romanized Rayak, is a Lebanese town in the Beqaa Governorate near the city of Zahlé. In the early 20th century and up to the 1975 outbreak of the civil war, it was Lebanon's most important railway center, where th ...

, near the

border, Between Talia and Safri villages, about 500 meters to the Syrian army checkpoint, a number of armed forces who had already lurked in the area fired on three Benz and Jeep escorts carrying Saad Sayel. The driver was killed on the spot and Saad Sayel was injured by a bullet. An hour later, he was taken by ambulance to the Mowasat hospital in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, where he died at 11pm from severe bleeding and cardiac arrest. At the next day, his body was carried on the shoulder of his comrades in Damascus and buried in the al-Shohada tomb of the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee camp. Some sources reported that Israeli intelligence agency

Mossad The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...

intended to assassinate Palestinian commanders remaining in Lebanon. Saad Sayel (Abu al-Waleed) was at the top of these assassinations list.

Demolition of the Saad Sayel's grave by ISIL

In 2015,

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

terrorists captured the Yarmouk camp and destroyed the al-Shohada tomb in the first act. They destroyed the graves of the Palestinian revolution martyrs who had been buried there for 65 years, including

Fathi Shaqaqi Fathi Ibrahim Abdulaziz Shaqaqi (; 4 January 1951 – 26 October 1995) was a Palestinian physician, leader and the founder and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary organization. Shaqaq ...

, ''Saad Sayel'',

and

Zuheir Mohsen Zuheir Mohsen (; 1936 – 25 July 1979) was a Palestinian Politician who was the leader of the Ba'athist As-Sa'iqa faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) between 1971 and 1979. Previously active in the Jordanian wing of the Ba'a ...

, in pretext of confronting the manifestations of disbelief. While condemning these ugly acts contrary to the religious principles and customs, the Saad Sayel's family called on all Syrian freedom fighters to take revenge for this heinous crime against the

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

terrorist group. The Sayel's family also called on the Palestinian authorities to do its utmost to move the bodies of the martyrs from the Yarmouk camp to Palestine, as this is one of the rights of martyrs' families. Also, Ezzat al-Rashq one of 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 ...

leaders, in response to this event announced: ''We strongly condemn the demolition of al-Shehda's tomb and the grave of two Palestinian martyrs "Khalil al-Wazir" and "Saad Sayel"''.

References

External links