Wajih Al Madani (Arabic: وجيه المدني; 1921–1991) was a Palestinian major general who was the first commander-in-chief of the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA). He also served as the commander of the Kuwaiti security forces and director of the Kuwait Armed Forces.
Wajih Al Madani | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wajih Husayn Al Madani |
| Born | 1921 Acre, Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | 1991 (aged 69–70) |
| Allegiance | |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles/wars | Six-Day War |
Biography edit
Al Madani was born in Acre in 1921.[1] He was a corporal in an Arab force during World War II under British mandate.[1][2] After the war he attended the Sarafand British Military College in Palestine graduating as a second lieutenant in 1946.[1] He was tasked to train the Saudi Arabian army from 1946 to 1947.[1] He also trained 85 Palestinians together with Hazim Khalidi, and this group led the defense of Palestine against the Zionists in 1948.[1]
Al Madani settled in Kuwait in 1952 where he trained the Kuwaiti army and was involved in the establishment of its units.[1][3] He also served as an officer for the Kuwaiti Royal Guard and became a major general.[4][5]
Al Madani was appointed the commander-in-chief of the PLA on 24 September 1964 when it was established by the Palestine Liberation Organization.[1][4] He was a lieutenant colonel before his appointment and became a lieutenant general with his new post.[5] In the initial period the PLA was based in Cairo.[5] Al Madani was also head of a military group called Heroes of Return which started an armed struggle in October 1966.[1][6] This group was attached to the PLA.[7] He served as the commander-in-chief of the PLA until 1969 when he resigned from the post.[1][7] His resignation partly occurred as a result of the Syrians interference on the PLA activities.[7] During his term as the PLA commander Al Madani was also subject to the pressure of the Egyptian chief-of-staff Muhammad Fawzi.[5] Al Madani was replaced by Abd al Razzaq Yahya in the post a few months after his resignation.[7]
Al Madani returned to Kuwait and was named as the commander of the Kuwaiti security forces in 1970. He was later appointed director of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces.[4] His tenure in the Kuwaiti army lasted until his retirement in 1984.[1][3]
Al Madani died in 1991.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Shafeeq N. Ghabra (October 2020). "Palestinians in Kuwait". This Week in Palestine (270): 20.
- ^ Laurie Brand (1988). "Palestinians in Syria: The Politics of Integration". Middle Eastern Studies. 42 (4): 624. JSTOR 4327836.
- ^ a b Ido Zelkovitz (2014). "A Paradise Lost? The Rise and Fall of the Palestinian Community in Kuwait". Middle Eastern Studies. 50 (1): 89. doi:10.1080/00263206.2013.849695. S2CID 144103829.
- ^ a b c d "Al Madani, Wajih (1921-1991)". Passia. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Yezid Sayigh (1998). "Escalation or Containment? Egypt and the Palestine Liberation Army, 1964-67". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 30 (1): 100–101. JSTOR 164206.
- ^ William B. Quandt; Fuad Jabber; Ann Mosley Lesch (1973). The Politics of Palestinian Nationalism. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA; London: University of California Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-520-02372-7.
- ^ a b c d Yezid Sayigh (1992). "Turning Defeat into Opportunity: The Palestinian Guerrillas after the June 1967 War". The Middle East Journal. 46 (2): 263. JSTOR 4328432.