Palestinian Insignia

[dante]

Few bits I picked up while working in the West Bank

[Ingsoc]

The para badge actually look like it's Israeli, could you post a close up pic of it?

[dante]

The para badge actually look like it's Israeli, could you post a close up pic of it?

Ingsoc, Nothing like Israeli wings see attached picture (bottom), the other wing is Iraqi (left) the Palestinian para wing came directly from the uniform of a force 17 guy, all the best, Paul

[Paul R]

Nice rarely seen stuff there!! How was your trip?

[dante]

Nice rarely seen stuff there!! How was your trip?

Like happy valley in 50s Kenya, stayed at the American Colony Hotel, never drunk so much in my life, hopefully all this stuff might be collectable, I can post some photographs if anyone is interested

[Paul R]

I am very interested! Please do post away! Did you hear any explosions when you were there?

[dante]

I am very interested! Please do post away! Did you hear any explosions when you were there?

Few pictures,

[dante]

Few pictures,

2

[dante]

2

3

[Paul R]

The land there actually looks beautiful.

Is that Arafat's final resting spot, in the first photo?

[dante]

The land there actually looks beautiful.

Is that Arafat's final resting spot, in the first photo?

Yes, had to go through the hoops to get permission to take the photo, the building is the PLO HQ, which is also an old Brtish Prison, the other is the mountains above Jericho.

[Paul R]

Yes, had to go through the hoops to get permission to take the photo, the building is the PLO HQ, which is also an old Brtish Prison, the other is the mountains above Jericho.

Great stuff there. Are photos normally prohibited at Arafat's tomb? That is a great photo! Are these guards armed?

[dante]

Great stuff there. Are photos normally prohibited at Arafat's tomb? That is a great photo! Are these guards armed?

Yes they get a bit anal about photos in the compound, yes they are armed the AK is slung on there back

[oamotme]

Gentlemen,

Further to pictures of Arafat's grave I detail below his awards as carried at his funeral parade in Cairo - firts published as an article from JOMSA.

Amidst the plethora of reports and pictures of Yasser Arafat's funeral the above photograph was published in the Gulf News of Saturday, November 13, 2004. As the formal funeral was held in Cairo it is perhaps not surprising that all of the awards displayed are Egyptian and they are, from left to right, as follows:

Top Row

• <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1">

Military Medal of the Republic?? 1^st/2^nd?? Suspension looks strange?? <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1">Military Medal of Courage (Gilt = 1^st Class). <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1">Order of the Republic, 5^th Class. <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1">Mobilisation Medal (Silver = 2^nd Class).Military Duty (Gilt = 1^st Class).Bottom Row

• <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2">

Training Medal (Gilt = 1^st Class) <LI class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: kashida; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; TEXT-KASHIDA: 0%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2">Military Duty Medal (Silver = 2^nd Class)Wounded Medal.

When were these awarded?

Whilst Yasser Arafat was always seen in uniform, this uniform was devoid of decorations or ribbons and usually bore only a number of badges or pins. A brief search on the internet resulted in only a little information concerning awards presented to Arafat. The earliest mention I could find regarding the presentation of an award was in the Associated Press report of July 1994 covering the move of Yasser Arafat from Tunis, which had been the Headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 1982, to the Palestinian self-rule areas. To mark the occasion Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali awarded Arafat Tunisia's highest order, "in recognition of the just struggle of the Palestinian people for their homeland and in appreciation of your bravery and wisdom".In August of 1998 the ZA Now Electronic Mail and Guardian noted that during a state visit to Republic of South Africa President Nelson Mandela invested Yasser Arafat with the Republic's highest honour, the Order of Good Hope, normally reserved for foreign heads of state.

The above awards though are senior orders and awarded to Arafat as the leader of the PLO whilst the awards in the photograph are military decorations usually the preserve of Egyptian military personnel. In correspondence with fellow member Chris Weeks a partial answer may be suggested. In the first biography of Arafat, Thomas Kiernan's "Yasir Arafat: The Man and the Myth" (1975), the is reported:

Arafat was probably born in Cairo in 1929 or 1930, and lived much of his early life in Egypt, although he was not an Egyptian citizen. He became active in early Palestinian guerrilla groups in 1949 (mostly as a student leader), and in October 1953 he led a group of Palestinians to the Suez Canal Zone, hoping to join the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood guerrillas fighting against the British. The Brotherhood wanted nothing to do with Arafat's group, and they returned to Cairo. In due course the Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser began to more actively support Palestinian guerrillas in Gaza, and such support included providing equipment and training from the Egyptian Army. Arafat enlisted in the Egyptian-backed Palestinian fedayeen in June 1955. Trained as an explosives expert, he was promoted to 2^nd Lieutenant around October 1956, just before the outbreak of the Suez War. During this war, he was called into service with the Egyptian Army. (Kiernan does not specify if it was as a Palestinian fedayeen augmentee or a regular Egyptian soldier.) He was assigned to a demolitions unit based in Suez City, apparently a mixed Palestinian-Egyptian unit, and tasked with destroying British posts along the southern part of the Canal. Most of his forty strong unit deserted as soon as war broke out. With his three remaining troops, Arafat blew up an Egyptian ammunition depot on the outskirts of Suez City - totally unnecessarily as it turned out, because the depot was not under threat from any of the British, French or Israeli forces. During the (November?) ceasefire Arafat was mustered out of the Egyptian Army, with the help of friends in Egyptian intelligence, who had other plans for him. Ironically it might have been at this time that Egypt may have 'qualified' for him some if not all of these medals for destroying an Egyptian ammunition depot! Arafat may not have been received these medals immediately, and only had them awarded many years later, when he was more prominent, and Egypt could bend the rules about which medals he really earned.

Owain Raw-Rees,

With thanks to Chris Weeks,

Riyadh, November, 2004.

[oamotme]

Gentlemen,

Further to pictures of Arafat's grave I detail below his awards as carried at his funeral parade in Cairo - firts published as an article from JOMSA.

Amidst the plethora of reports and pictures of Yasser Arafat's funeral the above photograph was published in the Gulf News of Saturday, November 13, 2004. As the formal funeral was held in Cairo it is perhaps not surprising that all of the awards displayed are Egyptian and they are, from left to right, as follows:

Top Row

Military Medal of the Republic?? 1^st/2^nd?? Suspension looks strange??Military Medal of Courage (Gilt = 1^st Class)Order of the Republic, 5^th Class.Mobilisation Medal (Silver = 2^nd Class).Military Duty (Gilt = 1^st Class).Bottom Row

Training Medal (Gilt = 1^st Class)Military Duty Medal (Silver = 2^nd Class)Wounded Medal.

When were these awarded?

Whilst Yasser Arafat was always seen in uniform, this uniform was devoid of decorations or ribbons and usually bore only a number of badges or pins. A brief search on the internet resulted in only a little information concerning awards presented to Arafat. The earliest mention I could find regarding the presentation of an award was in the Associated Press report of July 1994 covering the move of Yasser Arafat from Tunis, which had been the Headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 1982, to the Palestinian self-rule areas. To mark the occasion Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali awarded Arafat Tunisia's highest order, "in recognition of the just struggle of the Palestinian people for their homeland and in appreciation of your bravery and wisdom".In August of 1998 the ZA Now Electronic Mail and Guardian noted that during a state visit to Republic of South Africa President Nelson Mandela invested Yasser Arafat with the Republic's highest honour, the Order of Good Hope, normally reserved for foreign heads of state.

The above awards though are senior orders and awarded to Arafat as the leader of the PLO whilst the awards in the photograph are military decorations usually the preserve of Egyptian military personnel. In correspondence with fellow member Chris Weeks a partial answer may be suggested. In the first biography of Arafat, Thomas Kiernan's "Yasir Arafat: The Man and the Myth" (1975), the is reported:

Arafat was probably born in Cairo in 1929 or 1930, and lived much of his early life in Egypt, although he was not an Egyptian citizen. He became active in early Palestinian guerrilla groups in 1949 (mostly as a student leader), and in October 1953 he led a group of Palestinians to the Suez Canal Zone, hoping to join the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood guerrillas fighting against the British. The Brotherhood wanted nothing to do with Arafat's group, and they returned to Cairo. In due course the Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser began to more actively support Palestinian guerrillas in Gaza, and such support included providing equipment and training from the Egyptian Army. Arafat enlisted in the Egyptian-backed Palestinian fedayeen in June 1955. Trained as an explosives expert, he was promoted to 2^nd Lieutenant around October 1956, just before the outbreak of the Suez War. During this war, he was called into service with the Egyptian Army. (Kiernan does not specify if it was as a Palestinian fedayeen augmentee or a regular Egyptian soldier.) He was assigned to a demolitions unit based in Suez City, apparently a mixed Palestinian-Egyptian unit, and tasked with destroying British posts along the southern part of the Canal. Most of his forty strong unit deserted as soon as war broke out. With his three remaining troops, Arafat blew up an Egyptian ammunition depot on the outskirts of Suez City - totally unnecessarily as it turned out, because the depot was not under threat from any of the British, French or Israeli forces. During the (November?) ceasefire Arafat was mustered out of the Egyptian Army, with the help of friends in Egyptian intelligence, who had other plans for him. Ironically it might have been at this time that Egypt may have 'qualified' for him some if not all of these medals for destroying an Egyptian ammunition depot! Arafat may not have been received these medals immediately, and only had them awarded many years later, when he was more prominent, and Egypt could bend the rules about which medals he really earned.

Owain Raw-Rees,

With thanks to Chris Weeks,

Riyadh, November, 2004.

I hope the edit has clarified the actual Egyptian medals

[Paul R]

Does someone have a photo of his medals to post?

[oamotme]

Paul,

I've tried to upload the image but the site is limited to 65K and the image is some 400K - any suggestions? Cut & paste doesn't seem to work either.

Owain

[Ed_Haynes]

Send it to me or Paul, Owain. We can resize and post it. Thanks!

[Paul R]

Send it to me or Paul, Owain. We can resize and post it. Thanks!

You can email it to me at:

wehrmachtsanitater@yahoo.com

I will post it when I get home!

REgards

Paul

[Ed_Haynes]

The photo.

[Ed_Haynes]

And a detailed closeup view.

Thanks, Owain!

[Paul R]

You beat me to it!! Thanks for posting the photo, Ed!

[Guest IMHF]

That would be a very nice piece to have in your arabic ODM Collection. I love the frame with the eagle on it. I wonder if Iraq had a frame like that?

Thank you for all your intel, and keeping me informed of the ODM world

God Bless

SSG Luna, Lorenzo