Black September: new strike?
The four Black September guerrillas who failed in their mission against the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok, and who settled for a safe-conduct from Thailand to Egypt, have by now probably been court-martialled and sentenced by the Black September leadership. Ian Meadows writes from Beirut: "Black September leadership is angry over the aborted mission. It was meant to show that their operatives would carry out their tasks, right through to the bitter end, whatever the outcome. We shall probably never learn what fate befell the four men, but it seems extremely probable that Black September will strike again soon in order to re-establish a reputation that has gone sour.
" Why, in fact, did the group give up so easily? Scared? Overwhelmed by the size of the opposition? Possibly. But strangely enough, the answer may lie in plain oldfashioned sentimentality. When a clever Thai official and a silver-tongued Egyptian diplomat spoke of national honour and appealed to the vulnerable sentimental side of the Arabs they stood an excellent chance of winning out. "Where and when will Black September hit next? There is no way of knowing but the consensus here in Beirut is that the hit will be made soon, possibly around the time the Palestine National Congress meets in Cairo. An operation then would show the Palestinian 'doves' that Black September intends to continue the fight, whatever be the shape and form of the surface Palestinian leadership."
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