Bassam Abu Sharif was born in Jerusalem in 1946 as son of an old and wealthy family. After his studies at the American University in Beirut he became a member of the PFLP, headed by »The Master« Dr. Wadi Haddad. He soon became its speaker and chief ideologist who was also responsible for the recruitment of the members of the so-called »special operations«. Hence, the famous »Carlos«, or, the »shakal« alias Ilich Ramirez Sanchez was one of his recruits too.
Sharif became famous in a doubtable way in 1970 when he was on the cover of Time magazine, holding a megaphone at Dawsons’ Field near Amman where the PFLP had abducted four passenger planes at the same time.
In 1972, after having almost been killed by a parcel from the Mossad, he was one of the first Palestinian officials who understood that bombing did not bring the Palestinian homeland any closer to them. He then joined Arafat without becoming a member of the PLO and became one of his closest advisers until Arafats’ death in 2004.
Today Bassam Abu Sharif still is a member of the National Council of Palestine and lives in Amman and Ramallah.
Mein Feind. Mein Freund. Ein Araber und ein Israeli kämpfen für eine gemeinsame Zukunft
Sachbuch
Droemer Knaur Verlag 1996