So far I haven't heard if you'd like some more Yasser Arafat story, please, please let me know. But at least I will tell the story of the Black September.
After 6 days war the major place of PLO activity became so called West Bank, taken from Jordan by Israel as a result of lost, aggressive war by Jordan, as well as Jordan proper. After the war some 300,000 Palestinians made their way to Jordan. King Hussein initially supported Palestinian cause, however not Palestinian terrorism. Jordan's attitude towards Israel and Palestinians was very complicated from the beginning. In July 1950 king Hussein's grandfather - than king Abdullah I - was assassinated by Palestinian terrorist in Jerusalem while visiting Al-Aqsa mosque for "too relaxed attitude towards Israel". Remember, it was barely a year and a half after the War of Independence, in which Jordan fought against Israel, took Jerusalem, displaced Jerusalem Jews, destroyed synagogues, and yet there were rumors that king Abdullah secretly was open to negotiations with Israel which got him killed.
Jordan also had a significant Palestinian minority (though not as significant as some claim it to be), and king Hussein was at the same time willing to offer refugee to fleeing Palestinians and afraid of their influence on Hashemite kingdom. Jordan as the only Arab country at one point tried to incorporate Palestinian refugees, offering them way to citizenship and not confining them to refugee camps. Nevertheless, trouble was to come soon.
Between 1967 and 1970 PLO and PLA (Palestinian Liberation Army) as well as PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) organized many fedayeen reids on Israel from West Bank and Jordan. King Hussein was not pleased. For once he was not interested in another war, besides all these organizations were leftist and having some Soviet support which he considered - rightly - as a thread to his kingdom. But the real trouble came in 1970.
Feeling strong and hoping to take over the whole state fedayeen, under unofficial leadership of Arafat, tried to overthrow Hashemite kingdom in June which caused clashes between PLO and other Palestinian terrorists and king's forces. Later, on September 1, they tried to assassin the king which must have brought back memories of his grandfather's fate. A week later PFLP kidnapped four passenger jets, initializing terrorism towards and using civilian airplanes, that we still witness. The four flights were: TWA Flight 741, Swissair Flight 100, Pan Am Flight 93 (this one taken to Cairo) and BOAC flight 775. They also tried to hijack El Al flight but that was prevented by Israeli security. Three flights were diverted to Jordanian small Dawson airstrip and - after removing passengers - blown in the presence of journalists. While most of the hostages were released, all the Israeli, Jewish and some American ones were kept and the release of would be hijackers of the El Al plane was demanded. The blowing of the planes took part on September 12. On September 16 king Hussein declared marshal law and the next day his army struck.
Palestinians were given some support from Syria and Iraq (both supported by USSR). During the next week Jordanian army with the support of Pakistan massacred Palestinians killing between 15 and 25 thousand (one week!). Among the experts was a young Pakistani officer who would eventually become chief of Pakistan’s army and president, Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan had long been close to Jordan, being one of only two countries that had formally recognized the annexation of the West Bank to Jordan (the United Kingdom was the other). Crown Prince Hassan was married to a Pakistani, Princess Sarvath. Palestinians fought back and by the end of September king Hussein, feeling vulnerable, asked for British, American and possibly Israeli assistance.
However soon Jordanian army took control and by early 1971 Palestinian terrorists were removed from Jordan, and, as Syria gave them free passage, relocated to Lebanon, where they started civil war 3 years later.
In 1972 Black September (radical Palestinian terrorist organization, so called after fighting with Jordanians) kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes and murdered them all.
As you see this self-proclaimed Palestinian fighter (Arafat) and his organization (PLO) was deeply involved in trying to overthrow Hashemite kingdom which gave them asylum.
Below blowing of the plane on Dawson airstrip.
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