Editing Abu Nidal (section)

=== Nature of the organization ===
In addition to Fatah: The Revolutionary Council, the ANO called itself the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Black June (for actions against Syria), Black September (for actions against Jordan), the Revolutionary Arab Brigades, the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims, the Egyptian Revolution, Revolutionary Egypt, ''Al-Asifa'' ("the Storm," a name also used by Fatah), ''Al-Iqab'' ("the Punishment"), and the Arab Nationalist Youth Organization.<sup>[1]</sup>

The group had up to 500 members, chosen from young men in the Palestinian refugee camps and in Lebanon, who were promised good pay and help looking after their families.<sup>[49][50]</sup> They would be sent to training camps in whichever country was hosting the ANO at the time (Syria, Iraq or Libya), then organized into small cells.<sup>[51]</sup> Once in, As`ad AbuKhalil and Michael Fischbach write, they were not allowed to leave again.<sup>[52]</sup> The group assumed complete control over the membership. One member who spoke to Patrick Seale was told before being sent overseas: "If we say, 'Drink alcohol'", do so. If we say, 'Get married,' find a woman and marry her. If we say, 'Don't have children,' you must obey. If we say, 'Go and kill King Hussein,' you must be ready to sacrifice yourself!"<sup>[53]</sup>

Seale writes that recruits were asked to write out their life stories, including names and addresses of family and friends, then sign a paper saying they agreed to execution if discovered to have intelligence connections. If suspected, they would be asked to rewrite the whole story, without discrepancies.<sup>[54]</sup> The ANO's newspaper ''Filastin al-Thawra'' regularly announced the execution of traitors.<sup>[52]</sup> Abu Nidal believed that the group had been penetrated by Israeli agents, and there was a sense that Israel may have used the ANO to undermine more moderate Palestinian groups. Terrorism experts regard the view that Abu Nidal himself was such agent as "far-fetched".<sup>[5]</sup>