"In the summer of 1970, a group of aspirant revolutionaries arrived in Jordan from West Germany. They sought military training though they had barely handled weapons before. They sought a guerrilla war in the streets of Europe, but had never done anything more than light a fire in a deserted department store. They sought the spurious glamour that spending time with a Palestinian armed group could confer. Above all, they sought a safe place where they could hide and plan."
"After its victory in the 1967 war and subsequent occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, Israel was now frequently described by leftists as a bellicose outpost of imperialism, capitalism and colonialism. At the same time, many intellectuals on the left had come to believe that the radical transformation they longed for would never begin in Europe, where the proletariat appeared more interested in foreign holidays and saving up for fridges or cars than manning the barricades."
In the summer of 1970, aspirant revolutionaries from West Germany traveled through East Berlin, Prague, Beirut and Damascus into Jordan seeking military training and shelter. Many had little or no weapon experience and limited operational history beyond minor arson or sabotage. Prominent figures included Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader. Commitment to the Palestinian cause functioned as a leftist credential within the New Left. After Israel's 1967 victory and occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, many leftists portrayed Israel as an outpost of imperialism, capitalism and colonialism. Some intellectuals believed revolutionary change would originate outside Europe in Asia, Africa or Latin America.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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