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The Master Terrorist: The True Story of Abu-Nidal
One of Israel's leading defense and diplomatic experts studies the organization and activities of Sabri el Banna, a notorious Palestinian terrorist more commonly known as Abu Nidal
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First published October 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 28, 2026
A STUDY OF THE NOTORIOUS TERRORIST
Yossi Melman (b. 1950) is an Israeli journalist and writer, who has previously worked for the Jerusalem Post and the Haaretz newspaper.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1986 book, “Since World War II, terror has become one of the major probems of our time. This is all the more true of Palestinian terrorism, to such an extent that the words ‘terror’ and ‘Palestinian’ have come to be almost synonymous. And indeed, since the end of the 1960s and Palestinian terror organizations not only have disturbed the delicate balance in the Middle East, but have become a burden on the entire world… just as there are proponents of replacing or supplementing terrorism with political actions, there are others who feel that, on the contrary, terrorism must be increased. Thus, as the majority of Palestinian organizations began laying less emphasis on terrorism as a vehicle, other new, more radical organizations sprang up whose goal was to continue the armed struggle against the ‘Zionist enemy’ at any price… The more the P.L.O. under Arafat attempted to moderate its image, the greater the number of radicals who emerged to reject this stance.
“One of the most notorious of the radical organizations, possibly the most dangerous and certainly the most active, is the one known as the Abu Nidal group. It is a very small band, numbering no more than a few hundred members and supporters… its members have undertaken some of the most daring and bloody attacks against Israeli, American and Western European Jewish targets, as well as against moderate Arab leaders, including important members of the PLO. The group’s name is derived from the alias adopted by its founder and leader, Sabri al-Banna.” (Pg. 8)
He reports, “Sabri al-Banna has become sole possessor of that notorious title [‘greatest terrorist’]. His attacks on the El Al counters in Vienna and Rome in December 1985 have made him one of the most brazen terrorists in the world. Compared to him, Carlos [‘the Jackal’] is a mere boy scout.” (Pg. 10)
He explains, “it is possible to state unequivocally that Sabri al-Banna was born in Jaffa in 1937. By Arab tradition, one’s father’s name is also added to one’s own, and this explains the onfusion about his real name. Sabri al-Banna’s father was Khalil, so it is not surprising that some publications list the son as Sabri Khalil al-Banna. Khalil was one of the richest Palestinian Arabs during the British mandate.” (Pg. 55)
He notes, “Even though Sabri has no offical engineering degree, he consistently portrays himself as having one. This part of his constant effort at ‘embellishing’ his past and creating facts to suit him.” (Pg. 61)
He states, “There is very little available on Sabri al-Banna’s work in Fatah while he was in Amman. Like other members of the organization, he was asked to select a ‘nom de guerre,’ and chose ‘Abu Nidal.’ The name translates to ‘father of hidal,’ but also as ‘father of the struggle.’… Abu Nidal’s efforts to portray himself as being one of the founders of Fatah, as well as his attempts to claim that he completed his engineering studies, are all part of the syndrome of the modern terrorist. This the adoption of a revolutionart ‘pose’ which is meant to impress world public opinion and especially the international news media.” (Pg. 64)
He says, “As in other cases, Sabri al-Banna was in no rush to contradict or acknowledge his membership in Black September, because the rumors surrounging him serve his purposes and add to the aura of mystery about the man and his past. In addition, as a matter of policy, Black September has never listed its members and worked in total secrecy, so that there is little knowledge to be gained from that quarter.” (Pg. 67)
He says, “It is worth stressing that at the time Sabri al-Banna isolated himself from the P.L.O. fold, the Iraqi government was in a similar process of isolating itself in the Arab world. This helped even more in solidifying the ties and the cooperation between them. In those years they sealed what may be referred to as ‘the treaty of the isolated,’ sharing a rejectionist ideology.” (Pg. 75)
He asserts, “Sabri al-Banna believes in, and acts in accordance with, the doctrine that ‘I shoot, therefore I am.’ He has therefore constantly rejected every attempt by the P.L.O., and the Fatah leadership, to accept the political approach.” (Pg, 79)
He suggests, “It is clear that the P.L.O. and Fatah leadership used Abu Nidal’s accusations as an excuse for expelling him from the movement. The real reason, of course, was the fact that he was no longer willling to be subservient to the central command or to accept its authority.” (Pg. 102)
This book will interest those studying the development of modern terrorism.
Yossi Melman (b. 1950) is an Israeli journalist and writer, who has previously worked for the Jerusalem Post and the Haaretz newspaper.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1986 book, “Since World War II, terror has become one of the major probems of our time. This is all the more true of Palestinian terrorism, to such an extent that the words ‘terror’ and ‘Palestinian’ have come to be almost synonymous. And indeed, since the end of the 1960s and Palestinian terror organizations not only have disturbed the delicate balance in the Middle East, but have become a burden on the entire world… just as there are proponents of replacing or supplementing terrorism with political actions, there are others who feel that, on the contrary, terrorism must be increased. Thus, as the majority of Palestinian organizations began laying less emphasis on terrorism as a vehicle, other new, more radical organizations sprang up whose goal was to continue the armed struggle against the ‘Zionist enemy’ at any price… The more the P.L.O. under Arafat attempted to moderate its image, the greater the number of radicals who emerged to reject this stance.
“One of the most notorious of the radical organizations, possibly the most dangerous and certainly the most active, is the one known as the Abu Nidal group. It is a very small band, numbering no more than a few hundred members and supporters… its members have undertaken some of the most daring and bloody attacks against Israeli, American and Western European Jewish targets, as well as against moderate Arab leaders, including important members of the PLO. The group’s name is derived from the alias adopted by its founder and leader, Sabri al-Banna.” (Pg. 8)
He reports, “Sabri al-Banna has become sole possessor of that notorious title [‘greatest terrorist’]. His attacks on the El Al counters in Vienna and Rome in December 1985 have made him one of the most brazen terrorists in the world. Compared to him, Carlos [‘the Jackal’] is a mere boy scout.” (Pg. 10)
He explains, “it is possible to state unequivocally that Sabri al-Banna was born in Jaffa in 1937. By Arab tradition, one’s father’s name is also added to one’s own, and this explains the onfusion about his real name. Sabri al-Banna’s father was Khalil, so it is not surprising that some publications list the son as Sabri Khalil al-Banna. Khalil was one of the richest Palestinian Arabs during the British mandate.” (Pg. 55)
He notes, “Even though Sabri has no offical engineering degree, he consistently portrays himself as having one. This part of his constant effort at ‘embellishing’ his past and creating facts to suit him.” (Pg. 61)
He states, “There is very little available on Sabri al-Banna’s work in Fatah while he was in Amman. Like other members of the organization, he was asked to select a ‘nom de guerre,’ and chose ‘Abu Nidal.’ The name translates to ‘father of hidal,’ but also as ‘father of the struggle.’… Abu Nidal’s efforts to portray himself as being one of the founders of Fatah, as well as his attempts to claim that he completed his engineering studies, are all part of the syndrome of the modern terrorist. This the adoption of a revolutionart ‘pose’ which is meant to impress world public opinion and especially the international news media.” (Pg. 64)
He says, “As in other cases, Sabri al-Banna was in no rush to contradict or acknowledge his membership in Black September, because the rumors surrounging him serve his purposes and add to the aura of mystery about the man and his past. In addition, as a matter of policy, Black September has never listed its members and worked in total secrecy, so that there is little knowledge to be gained from that quarter.” (Pg. 67)
He says, “It is worth stressing that at the time Sabri al-Banna isolated himself from the P.L.O. fold, the Iraqi government was in a similar process of isolating itself in the Arab world. This helped even more in solidifying the ties and the cooperation between them. In those years they sealed what may be referred to as ‘the treaty of the isolated,’ sharing a rejectionist ideology.” (Pg. 75)
He asserts, “Sabri al-Banna believes in, and acts in accordance with, the doctrine that ‘I shoot, therefore I am.’ He has therefore constantly rejected every attempt by the P.L.O., and the Fatah leadership, to accept the political approach.” (Pg, 79)
He suggests, “It is clear that the P.L.O. and Fatah leadership used Abu Nidal’s accusations as an excuse for expelling him from the movement. The real reason, of course, was the fact that he was no longer willling to be subservient to the central command or to accept its authority.” (Pg. 102)
This book will interest those studying the development of modern terrorism.
August 22, 2017
Terrorists against Arafat? Abu Nidal was an infamous and mysterious Palestinian militant first aligned with the Marxist wing of the PLO factions (he hated religions!). Abu Nidal broke away from the PLO in the 80's when Arafat started to make diplomatic moves towards normalization with Israel and the West; Abu Nidal wanted to continue the armed struggle, more than willing to blow up civilians in Europe—or other PLO factions—to bring attention to the cause, to “internationalize” the struggle. Abu Nidal’s tactics were inevitably associated with the Palestinians and the PLO, further damaging the Palestinian image. This study was useful in highlighting the importance of Arab state sponsorship for these groups; the Abu Nidal Gang changed strategies when sponsored by a different regime. For a while it was Syria, Iraq, and Libya—each with different agendas. An Israeli military journalist who seems reliable, Melman’s time-capsule of a study was overshadowed by Patrick Seale’s more popular book.
September 26, 2026
Well, pull up a stump, 'cause this Melman feller provides a deeply researched, flat-out fascinatin' look right into the skeleton, the recruitment tricks, and the top-secret inner workin's of a real hushed-up terrorist council. It acts just like an important old historical time capsule for gettin' a handle on all that Middle Eastern backstabbing and them sneaky proxy wars back during the Cold War days!
December 7, 2018
Całkiem niezła historia sławnego terrorysty. Książka wydana w drugiej połowie lat 80., więc nie obejmuje ostatnich dwóch dekad życia Abu Nidala.
December 28, 2025
Quite a good analysis but a bit dated now. I should have read it when I bought it, thirty years ago!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews