GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gunmen from Fatah destroyed a memorial for the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), George Habash, in the village of Doha, in the Bethlehem area of the southern West Bank. The Jan. 27 attack came only hours after the memorial’s inauguration in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Habash’s passing in January 2008. Clashes broke out between Fatah and PFLP supporters, resulting in several injuries.

The Committee for the Coordination of National Forces and Factions condemned the attack. In a statement issued the following day, the committee pledged to directly oversee the repairs and prevent the clashes from escalating.

This factional committee, comprised of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the PFLP and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), was formed at a meeting in the Gaza Strip on April 3, 2010, to coordinate efforts and positions to confront the Israeli occupation and resolve internal differences between factions.

The attack on the memorial brings into question the nature of the relations between the two oldest and largest PLO affiliates. Fatah was founded in 1957 as a secular party and joined the PLO in 1965, and the PFLP was founded in 1967 as a left-wing party and became affiliated with the PLO in 1968. Both parties played major roles in the history of the Palestinian struggle against Israel.