Among the Palestinian territories, the founding of Israel – or more precisely the Palestinian exodus that it caused – is commonly called nakba, meaning catastrophe. Israel’s formation was certainly a personal tragedy for young George Habash, who was exiled from his home, along with his family, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. He committed himself to revenge thereafter, using any means necessary – peaceful or otherwise. His Arab Nationalist Movement was among the first permanent organized resistance groups, focused on uniting Arabs from across the region into a united, coherent movement. The ANM grew and reformed in the 1960s to become one of the most well-known Arab nationalist groups.

On this day, December 11, in 1967, the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (they made no distinctions between Arab-controlled Palestine and Israel, which they also called Palestine), was formed, supported by Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser.

The group had a Marxist-Leninist ideology, seeking the overthrow of not only the West, but also conservative Middle-Eastern governments. They started out with a series of high-profile airplane hijackings to draw attention to their cause, including the famous TWA flight that was landed in Entebbe, Uganda. Habash left the group in 2000 due to poor health, but they continued to carry on with a new leader, as determined as ever.