Leila Khaled Is is A Palestinian Refugee And Member Of The Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine

Leila Khaled is is a Palestinian refugee and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).  She took part in numerous hijackings in 1969 as part of the campaign of Black September in Jordan. She was the first woman to hijack a plane.

 On August 29, 1969, Khaled and a fellow PFLP member hijacked TWA Flight 840 on its way from Rome to Tel Aviv. Khaled boarded the plane with a hand grenade and pistol. Once in the air, they then instructed the pilots to redirect the plane to Damascus, but not before flying over Palestine. “It was my happiest moment,” she said, “when we flew over Palestine and I saw my city, Haifa—not the hijacking.”

 After the hijackings, and a photograph of her (taken by Eddie Adams) holding an AK-47 rifle and wearing a kaffiyeh was reproduced in many publications. She underwent six plastic surgery operations on her nose and chin to conceal her identity and allow her to take part in a future hijacking, and because she did not want to wear the face of an icon. 

 She remains an iconic and controversial figure in the Palestinian liberation movement, and she is admired by many for her bravery. There’s a really great 2006 documentary on her life called Leila Khaled: Hijacker which was made by Palestinian director Lina Makboul. You can watch a short preview here.