Editing Abu Nidal (section)

===First operation===
Shortly after Black September, Abu Nidal began accusing the PLO, over his Voice of Palestine<!--note: this is not the same as [[Voice of Palestine]]--> radio station in Iraq, of cowardice for having agreed to a ceasefire with Hussein.<ref name=Seale1992p78/> During Fatah's Third Congress in Damascus in 1971, he joined Palestinian activist and writer Naji Allush and [[Abu Daoud]] (leader of the [[Black September Organization]] responsible for the 1972 [[Munich massacre|Munich Massacre]]) in calling for greater democracy within Fatah and revenge against King Hussein.<ref>{{harvnb|Seale|1992|p=85–87}}</ref>

[[File:Mahmoud Abbas September 2014.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=photograph|[[Mahmoud Abbas]], [[President of the Palestinian Authority]], in 2014]]
In February 1973, Abu Daoud was arrested in Jordan for an attempt on King Hussein's life. This led to Abu Nidal's first operation, using the name {{Transliteration|ar|Al-Iqab}} ("the Punishment"). On 5 September 1973, five gunmen entered the Saudi embassy in Paris, took 15 hostages, and threatened to blow up the building if Abu Daoud was not released.<ref>{{harvnb|Melman|1987|p=69}}; {{harvnb|Seale|1992|p=92}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Kamm, Henry |date=6 September 1973 |title=Gunmen Hold 15 Hostages In Saudi Embassy in Paris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/06/archives/gunmen-hold-15-hostages-in-saudi-embassy-in-paris-apologize-to.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905123207/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/06/archives/gunmen-hold-15-hostages-in-saudi-embassy-in-paris-apologize-to.html |archive-date=2022-09-05 |access-date=7 July 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The gunmen flew to Kuwait two days later on a [[Syrian Air]] flight, still holding five hostages, then to Riyadh, threatening to throw the hostages out of the aircraft. They surrendered and released the hostages on 8 September.<ref name=Seale1992p91/><ref>{{cite web |author=Kamm, Henry |date=7 September 1973 |title=Commandos leave Embassy in Paris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/07/archives/commandos-leave-embassy-in-paris.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708183625/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/07/archives/commandos-leave-embassy-in-paris.html |archive-date=2024-07-08 |access-date=7 July 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Abu Daoud was released from prison two weeks later; Seale writes that the Kuwaiti government paid King Hussein $12 million for his release.<ref name=Seale1992p91>{{harvnb|Seale|1992|p=91}}</ref>

On the day of the attack, 56 heads of state were meeting in [[Algiers]] for the fourth [[Non-Aligned Movement]] conference. According to Seale, the Saudi Embassy operation had been commissioned by Iraq's president, [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr|Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr]], as a distraction because he was jealous that Algeria was hosting the conference. One of the hostage-takers admitted that he had been told to fly the hostages around until the conference was over.<ref name=Seale1992p92/>

Abu Nidal had carried out the operation without Fatah's permission.<ref>{{harvnb|Melman|1987|p=69}}</ref> [[Salah Khalaf|Abu Iyad]] (Arafat's deputy) and [[Mahmoud Abbas]] (later [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|President of the Palestinian Authority]]), flew to Iraq to reason with Abu Nidal and explain that hostage-taking harmed the movement. Abu Iyad told Seale that an Iraqi official at the meeting said, "Why are you attacking Abu Nidal? The operation was ours! We asked him to mount it for us." Abbas was furious and left the meeting with the other PLO delegates. From that point on, the PLO regarded Abu Nidal as under the control of the Iraqi government.<ref name=Seale1992p92>{{harvnb|Seale|1992|p=92}}</ref>