# Palestinian Islamic Jihad

> Palestinian Islamist militant organization

**Wikidata**: [Q117907](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117907)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Islamic_Jihad)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/palestinian-islamic-jihad

## Summary
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Palestinian Islamist militant organization that operates as both a political party and a resistance movement. Founded in October 1981 by Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, Fathi Shaqaqi, and Ramadan Shalah, the group is driven by a combination of Palestinian nationalism, Pan-Islamism, and Jihadism. It is currently led by General Secretary Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, who assumed office in 2018.

## Key Facts
- **Inception Date:** October 1981 (recorded as 1981-10-00).
- **Founders:** Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, Fathi Shaqaqi, Ramadan Shalah.
- **Current Leader:** Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh has served as General Secretary since 2018.
- **Organization Type:** Political party, resistance movement.
- **Native Name:** حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين (Ḥarakat al-Jihād al-Islāmī fī Filasṭīn).
- **Aliases:** PIJ, Islamic Jihad of Palestine, Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, IJMP, Yihad Islamica Palestina, Jihad Islâmica Palestina.
- **Official Website:** http://www.saraya.ps/
- **Significant Event:** Associated with the October 7 attacks.
- **Global Reach:** Information about the organization is available across 53 Wikipedia language editions.
- **Sitelink Count:** 55.
- **Google Play Store ID:** Islamsk_Jihad.

## FAQs

**What are the core political ideologies of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad?**
The organization's ideological framework is based on Palestinian nationalism, Pan-Islamism, Islamic fundamentalism, anti-Zionism, Jihadism, Pan-Arabism, and Salafism. 

**Which countries and organizations have designated the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a terrorist group?**
The PIJ has been officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States (effective October 8, 1997), the European Union (effective December 27, 2001), the United Kingdom (effective March 29, 2001), Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, and New Zealand.

**Where can official and encyclopedic information about the PIJ be found?**
The group maintains an official website at saraya.ps. It is also indexed by major media outlets such as The New York Times, Euronews, The Independent, and the New York Post, and features in encyclopedic resources like the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie Online (under the ID "djihad-islami").

## Why It Matters
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad plays a highly influential role in the Middle East geopolitical landscape due to its operational capacity as a resistance movement and its strict adherence to a jihadist ideology. Its continuous involvement in regional conflicts, highlighted by its association with the October 7 attacks, underscores its impact on international security. The group's designation by major global powers—including the US, EU, UK, Canada, and Japan—reflects its significant standing as an internationally monitored militant entity. 

## Notable For
- Operating as a dual-function entity classified simultaneously as a political party and a resistance movement.
- Having a founding member, Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, return to lead the organization as General Secretary decades later in 2018.
- Holding a complex ideological profile that intertwines local goals (Palestinian nationalism and anti-Zionism) with transnational religious movements (Pan-Islamism, Jihadism, and Salafism).
- Receiving widespread international condemnation and legal designation as a terrorist entity across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
- Maintaining a vast digital and media footprint, with dedicated topic pages in major international news syndicates and an official Arabic pronunciation file hosted on Wikimedia Commons.

## Body

### History and Foundation
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad was established in October 1981. The organization's creation is attributed to three primary figures: Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, Fathi Shaqaqi, and Ramadan Shalah. 

### Leadership and Structure
The organizational structure is headed by a General Secretary. Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh currently holds this position, having taken on the leadership role in 2018. Al-Nakhaleh is a foundational figure in the group, bridging its inception in the early 1980s with its modern-day operations.

### Ideology and Beliefs
The PIJ’s platform is built upon a multifaceted political and religious framework. The group actively promotes Palestinian nationalism and Pan-Arabism alongside a strict adherence to Islamic fundamentalism, Pan-Islamism, and Salafism. A core tenet of its existence and operational focus is anti-Zionism and Jihadism.

### International Status and Designations
The organization is heavily sanctioned and recognized as a terrorist entity by numerous governments and coalitions worldwide. Specific designations and their respective start dates include:
*   **United States:** Designated on October 8, 1997.
*   **United Kingdom:** Designated on March 29, 2001.
*   **European Union:** Designated on December 27, 2001.
*   **Other Jurisdictions:** It is also formally designated by Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, and New Zealand.

### Operations and Media Presence
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad maintains an active public presence. Its official website is hosted at saraya.ps. The group also holds a presence on digital platforms, registered under the Google Play Store ID "Islamsk_Jihad". 

The organization is tracked by major global media organizations and has dedicated topic pages for news aggregation:
*   **The New York Times Topic ID:** organization/islamic-jihad
*   **Euronews Topic ID:** palestinian-islamic-jihad
*   **New York Post Topic ID:** islamic-jihad
*   **The Independent Topic ID:** islamic-jihad

### Global Cataloging and Identifiers
The PIJ is extensively indexed in international library, academic, and knowledge management systems. Its cataloging details include:
*   **Library of Congress Authority ID:** n88242604
*   **National Library of Israel J9U ID:** 987007306334905171
*   **GND ID:** 4686298-5
*   **VIAF ID:** 160986542
*   **BabelNet ID:** 00042909n
*   **Freebase ID:** /m/0kwxh
*   **Interlingual Index ID:** i79472
*   **UK Parliament Thesaurus ID:** 468090 (listed as "Palestinian Islamic Jihad")
*   **YLE Topic ID:** 18-134645
*   **NL CR AUT ID:** kn20130611006 (recorded as Ḥarakat al-Jihād al-Islāmī fī Filasṭīn)
*   **Omni Topic ID:** ebdbc108-9bd4-4699-994c-ce2d413ac8d8
*   **InfluenceWatch ID:** organization/palestinian-islamic-jihad-pij

The organization's native label is حركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين. An audio recording of its Arabic pronunciation is archived on Wikimedia Commons. Its main category for organizational documentation is listed as "Category:Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine". The group's public footprint spans 53 Wikipedia languages, including Arabic (ar), English (en), Hebrew (he), Persian (fa), Russian (ru), and Chinese (zh).

## References

1. [Source](https://lingualibre.fr/wiki/Q213041)
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. [Source](https://besacenter.org/hamas-is-a-jihadist-organization-committed-to-israels-total-destruction/)
5. [Source](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117907)
6. [Source](https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/)
7. Council Common Position 2001/931/CFSP
8. The Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2001
9. FactGrid