Editing Fatah (section)

====Battle of Karameh====
{{main|Battle of Karameh}}
[[File:Operation Inferno. XXI.jpg|thumb|Israeli troops in combat in Karameh]]
Throughout 1968, Fatah and other Palestinian armed groups were the target of a major [[Israeli Defense Forces]] (IDF) operation in the Jordanian village of [[Karameh]], where the Fatah headquarters{{spaced ndash}}as well as a mid-sized [[Palestinian refugees|Palestinian refugee camp]]{{spaced ndash}}were located. The town's name is the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word for "dignity", which elevated its [[symbol]]ism to the Arab people, especially after the Arab defeat in 1967. The operation was in response to attacks against Israel, including rockets strikes from Fatah and other Palestinian militias into the occupied West Bank. Knowledge of the operation was available well ahead of time, and the government of Jordan (as well as a number of Fatah commandos) informed Arafat of Israel's large-scale military preparations. Upon hearing the news, many guerrilla groups in the area, including [[George Habash]]'s newly formed group the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) and [[Nayef Hawatmeh]]'s breakaway organization the [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP), withdrew their forces from the town. Fatah leaders were advised by a pro-Fatah Jordanian divisional commander to withdraw their men and headquarters to nearby hills, but on Arafat's orders, Fatah remained, and the [[Royal Jordanian Army|Jordanian Army]] agreed to back them if heavy fighting ensued.{{sfn|Aburish|1998|pp=41–90}}

On the night of 21 March, the IDF attacked Karameh with heavy weaponry, armored vehicles and fighter jets.{{sfn|Aburish|1998|pp=41–90}} Fatah held its ground, surprising the Israeli military. As Israel's forces intensified their campaign, the Jordanian Army became involved, causing the Israelis to retreat in order to avoid a full-scale war.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bulloch|first=John|title=Final Conflict|year=1983|publisher=Faber Publishing|page=165|isbn=978-0-7126-0171-9|oclc=9803075}}</ref> By the end of the battle, nearly 150 Fatah militants had been killed, as well as twenty Jordanian soldiers and twenty-eight Israeli soldiers. Despite the higher Arab death toll, Fatah considered themselves victorious because of the Israeli army's rapid withdrawal.{{sfn|Aburish|1998|pp=41–90}}