Information on the activities in 1998 of a group in Lebanon called "Bayt al-Maqdis" could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate; however, information dating to 1997 is available. The first part of this Response discusses the activities in Lebanon, in 1997, of a group of people affiliated with an organization referred to as the "Bayt al-Maqdis Forces." The section following is based on media reports about a Palestinian organization called "Islamic Jihad-Bayt al-Maqdis." However, the reports do not state whether the organization is or was active in Lebanon.

Regarding the literal meaning of the name "Bayt al-Maqdis," please note that "Bayt al-Maqdis" (Bayt al-Makdis) is one of the Islamic names for Jerusalem, according to The Encyclopaedia of Islam (1986, 322-23).

The 25 April 1997 issue of the Paris Arabic-language newspaper al-Watan al-'Arabi provides some information on a group called "Bayt al-Maqdis Forces." It is not clear whether this group is the same as the one headed by As'ad Bayyud al-Tamimi (see below). The al-Watan al-'Arabi article is based on a "security report" produced by an unnamed "European group with a keen interest in Jordanian affairs." According to the anonymous report, "about 20 Jordanians and Palestinians affiliated with the 'Bayt al-Maqdis Forces' " had recently arrived in Beirut. The report, as summarized by al-Watan al-'Arabi, adds that the Bayt al-Maqdis Forces group

were then moved to Beirut's southern suburb where they took intensive security and political courses and were trained in first aid. According to the report, the group, transported in cars belonging to the Islamic Faith Drive Corporation, toured Lebanese localities, including the southern village of al-Nabatiyah in February. They met with leading Palestinian, Lebanese, and Jordanian fundamentalists in one of "Hizaballah's" hideouts opposite Cinema Rivoli. That meeting, the report says, was dedicated to exhorting the group's members to engage in jihad and to make sacrifices. Speaking to the group, an Iranian guide declared: The time has come for right to gain the upper hand in Jordan, now that the Jews have spread their corruption there. At that session, the Iranian handed the group members their training program. The group members had stints at different Palestinian refugee camps, where they received intensive training in street fighting using a variety of light and medium weapons. They were also instructed in the preparation and detonation of explosives.

Although the group members were exhorted to engage in a "jihad" against "Zionist plans," no specific targets are named.

A 1 November 1995 article in the Jordanian newspaper al-Bilad states that As'ad Bayyud al-Tamimi was "the spiritual leader" of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and that al-Tamimi gave the movement the name "Islamic Jihad Movement-Bayt al-Maqdis" in order to distinguish it from a rival movement, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, headed by Dr. Fathi al-Shaqaqi who was assassinated in Malta on 29 October 1995. Israel's IDF radio reported on 9 February 1996 that al-Tamimi was one of the Palestine National Council (PNC) members whom the Palestinian Authority (PA, or Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) had asked the Israeli government to allow "to return to the autonomous areas" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The broadcast added that al-Tamimi's faction had claimed responsibility for many attacks on Israelis, including the shooting deaths of nine Israelis on a tourist bus near Ismailia in Egypt.

In 1996 al-Tamimi issued a statement to the Jordanian newspaper al-Hadath, published on 28 October, according to which the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement Bayt al-Maqdis no longer existed; he added that the movement might become a purely political organization in the parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip controlled by the PNA. Al-Tamimi added, however, that the Israeli authorities had not allowed him to enter the West Bank or Gaza Strip. The article did not name the country in which al-Tamimi lived; however, it did state that he had recently met with Yasir Arafat in Jordan. Al-Tamimi died on 21 March 1998, according to a statement released by Islamic Jihad-Bayt al-Maqdis (al-Dustur 22 Mar. 1998). No successor was named in the report.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Al-Bilad [Amman, in Arabic]. 1 November 1995. "Arafat 'Suspect' in al-Shaqaqi Killing." (FBIS-TOT-95-023-L 1 Nov. 1995/WNC)

Al-Dustur [Amman, in Arabic]. 22 March 1998. "Jordan: Islamic Jihad Leader al-Tamimi Dies." (FBIS-TOT-98-081 22 Mar. 1998/WNC)

Al-Hadath [Amman, in Arabic]. 28 October 1996. "Palestine: Islamic Jihad Bayt al-Maqdis Said 'Nonexistent' " (FBIS-TOT-97-001-L 28 Oct. 1996/WNC)

Al-Watan al-'Arabi [Paris, in Arabic]. 25 April 1997. Jihad Salim. "Jordan: Jordan Said 'Next Target' of 'Fundamentalists' " (FBIS-NES-97-081 25 Apr. 1997/WNC)

The Encyclopaedia of Islam. 1986. New ed. Vol. 5. Edited by C.E. Bosworth et. al. Leiden: E.J. Brill.

IDF Radio [Tel Aviv, in Hebrew]. 9 February 1996. "Palestinian Affairs: PA Asks Israel to Allow Return of Islamic Jihad Leader." (FBIS-NES-96-028 9 Feb. 1996/WNC)