OPINION | Honouring Leila Khaled is the glorification of terrorism

Malaika Mahlatsi’s recent portrayal of Leila Khaled as a “revolutionary” worthy of honour is both historically misleading and morally indefensible.

While the plight of those in the region affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict warrants attention, celebrating individuals who engaged in terrorism undermines the principles of justice and human rights. Khaled’s actions, far from heroic, represent indiscriminate violence that has no place in legitimate resistance.

The Arab-Israeli conflict has caused decades of suffering, displacement and violence for many in the region, including events like the 1948 Lydda Massacre cited by Mahlatsi. Acknowledging this hardship, however, does not justify endorsing groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) or figures such as Khaled. The PFLP, a Marxist-Leninist faction, is designated a terrorist organisation by the US, Canada, Japan, the European Union (wherein Mahlatsi lives) and others due to its violent methods, not its political rhetoric.

Khaled’s involvement in multiple aircraft hijackings, which deliberately endangered civilians, firmly categorises her as a terrorist, not a freedom fighter. In 1969, she participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840, putting more than 100 passengers and crew at risk. In 1970, she attempted to hijack El Al Flight 219, during which her accomplice, Patrick Argüello, was killed.

These acts were not “armed resistance” but calculated terrorism designed to spread fear. As reported by the South African Jewish Report (SAJR), survivors of the 1970 Dawson’s Field hijackings, orchestrated by the PFLP, have shared accounts of lifelong trauma. One passenger, just eight years old at the time, recalled being “terrified for days” as hostages faced threats of execution. These testimonies expose the flaws in Mahlatsi’s sanitised depiction of Khaled.

Mahlatsi claims Khaled’s actions “brought international attention” to the Arab cause. This reasoning is dangerously flawed, as it suggests any violent act is justifiable if it generates publicity, a logic that could excuse groups such as Isis or Al-Qaeda. International law, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, classifies targeting civilians as a war crime, even in asymmetrical conflicts. Khaled’s hijackings violated these norms, endangering innocent lives, including diplomats, children and bystanders.

The PFLP’s record extends beyond Khaled’s hijackings. The group has been linked to suicide bombings, assassinations and attacks on civilians, including the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue massacre that killed five worshippers, among them rabbis. Portraying Khaled as a mere “anti-imperialist” ignores the PFLP’s broader legacy of violence, which contradicts any claim to moral legitimacy.

Mahlatsi’s depiction of Khaled as a “staunch anti-imperialist” whitewashes her terrorist actions. This revisionism is not just academic, it carries real-world consequences.

Honouring Khaled in Sandton, a hub of international diplomacy, sends a troubling message to victims of terrorism and undermines SA’s credibility as a neutral mediator in global conflicts. As noted in the SAJR article, the decision has drawn condemnation from survivors, including Christian pilgrims and Jewish communities, who see it as a barrier to reconciliation.

Support for those affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict need not involve celebrating figures such as Khaled. True justice requires a clear distinction between legitimate advocacy and terrorism.

SA, with its history of overcoming apartheid, should recognise the moral necessity of rejecting violence against civilians. By renaming Sandton Drive after Khaled, the City of Johannesburg risks endorsing a narrative that glorifies terror, a disservice to both those seeking peace in the region and South Africans committed to reconciliation.

Advocacy for human rights in the Arab-Israeli conflict should be grounded in principles of non-violence and respect for all lives, not in the valorisation of those who hijacked planes and the moral high ground.

• Segal is the media officer for the SA Zionist Federation