Said al-Muragha

Abu Musa was born in Silwan. As a Palestinian, Abu Musa joined the Jordanian Army in 1948 and rose to become commander of an artillery battalion in 1969.[1] During this period he was sent to receive a military education at the prestigious British Sandhurst Military Academy.[3] In October 1970, after the Black September fighting, Musa left the Jordanian army to join the PLO and relocated with most of the Palestinian Resistance to Lebanon.[1] Here Musa rose to command an alliance between the PLO and Lebanese militias, which fought the Syrians when Syria intervened in the Lebanese Civil War in 1976.[4] In 1978 the Syrian government unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate him.[1]

Musa became deputy chief of operations for the PLO[4] and led the PLO's defense of Beirut in 1982 from the Israelis.[1] However Musa fell out with Yassir Arafat, head of Fatah and PLO, in May 1983.[1] Musa publicly complained over corrupt practices within the PLO, especially the promotion of political appointees loyal to Arafat to important military posts.[1] He was also known for hardline views on Israel, and outspoken in his opposition to what he saw as Arafat's attempt to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict (see Rejectionist Front).[3]

In November 1983 Musa was expelled from the PLO's military[1] and he formed Fatah Uprising (or Fatah al-Intifada in Arabic) in opposition to Arafat.[1] With the backing of Syria, who opposed any negotiations with Israel, Musa led his followers to drive Arafat's PLO from northern Lebanon.[4]

In 1984 Musa led Fatah Uprising to join the Palestinian National Alliance in Damascus in opposition to the PLO but failed to get a majority of Palestinian support.[4] He would join the Palestinian National Salvation Front in 1985 and oppose the Oslo Accords in 1993.[1] Abu Musa retreated from his leadership role in the 1990s and would no longer be active from then on.[1]