Fatah

[faht-ah, fuh-tah]

noun

1. a Palestinian political party advocating Palestinian independence and self-rule.

Fatah

/ ˈfætə /

noun

1. a Palestinian terrorist organization, founded in 1956, with the aim of destroying the state of Israel: it has splintered into rival factions since 1988

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fatah¹

First recorded in 1965–70; vocalization of Arabic FTḤ, abbreviation of Ḥarakat al-Taḥrīr al-Waṭanī al-Filasṭīn “Palestinian National Liberation Movement,” from ḥarakat, form of ḥarakah “movement” + taḥrīr “liberation” + waṭanī “national” + Filasṭīn Palestine ( def. ); coined by reversing the elements and shortening ḤTWF to form FTḤ as a pun on fatḥ “opening, victory”

Example Sentences

In 2012, the Jerusalem District Court gave Fatafteh—who is affiliated with Fatah, the rival faction to Hamas in Gaza—a life sentence plus 20 years for murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon.

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Barghouti -- from Hamas's rival, the Fatah movement -- was among the Palestinian prisoners Hamas wanted to see released as part of the Gaza deal, according to Egyptian state-linked media.

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Initially, Israel offered discreet support to Hamas, seeing it as a useful counterweight to the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah, led at the time by Yasser Arafat.

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He is now free again, along with other terrorists from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.

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He was not appointed by the government – but he says that both Hamas and the Fatah political movement, the dominant party in the Palestinian authority, respected him.

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