(n) a Palestinian political and military organization founded by Yasser Arafat in 1958 to work toward the creation of a Palestinian state; during the 1960s and 1970s trained terrorist and insurgent groups, Syn. al-Asifa, Fatah, Example:al-Fatah carried out numerous acts of international terrorism in western Europe and the Middle East in the 1970s
(n) a terrorist group organized by Yasser Arafat in 1995 as the armed wing of al-Fatah; serves a dual function of violent confrontation with Israel and serves as Arafat's unofficial militia to prevent rival Islamists from usurping leadership, Syn. Tanzim