Four Assassinations: Bullets That Shook Palestine (known in Turkish as Dört Suikast: Filistin’i Sarsan Kurşunlar) is a history book written by Taha Kılınç and published by Ketebe Publications in 2024. The work examines four significant political assassinations directly linked to the issue of Palestine and Jerusalem in the Middle East during the 20th century: King Abdullah bin Hussein of Jordan (July 20, 1951), King Faisal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (March 25, 1975), President Muhammad Anwar Sadat of Egypt (October 6, 1981), and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (November 4, 1995).
The book examines the regional and global impacts of these assassinations, the historical course of the Palestinian issue, and the political dynamics of the Middle East in a documentary style. Kılınç discusses the background, perpetrators, and consequences of the assassinations within their historical context, offering a perspective to understand the complex structure of the Palestinian problem.
Book Content and Structure
The book analyzes the turning points in 20th-century Middle Eastern history through the assassinations of four leaders, focusing on Palestine and Jerusalem. The book dedicates a separate section to each assassination, detailing the historical background of the events, the motivations of the perpetrators, and the effects of the assassinations on regional policies. The work is structured with thematic integrity, thus offering the reader various dimensions of the Palestinian issue together.
Assassinations and Historical Context
Abdullah bin Hussein Assassination (1951): Jordan's first king, Abdullah bin Hussein, was assassinated by a Palestinian during Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The assassination occurred due to Abdullah's policies regarding the partition of Palestine and his secret negotiations with Israel. The book discusses how Jordan's Palestinian policies were shaped and the echoes they created in the Arab world.
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Assassination (1975): King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated by his nephew, Faisal bin Musa'id. Kılınç argues that this assassination was linked to Faisal's support for the Palestinian cause and his policies, such as the oil embargo during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. The assassination marked a significant turning point in Saudi Arabia's foreign policy.
Muhammad Anwar Sadat Assassination (1981): Egyptian President Sadat was assassinated by an Islamist group due to the Camp David Accords and the peace process with Israel. The book analyzes how this event affected Egypt's Palestinian policies and its position in the Arab world.
Yitzhak Rabin Assassination (1995): Israeli Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated by a far-right Jew for supporting the Oslo Peace Process. Kılınç examines in detail the effects of this assassination on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and the turmoil it created in Israeli domestic politics.
The Book's Main Theses
Kılınç argues that each assassination was directly linked to the Palestinian issue and that the steps taken by the victims regarding this issue were decisive in their being targeted. The book emphasizes that the assassinations were not limited to the loss of individual leaders but also forced all parties involved in the Palestinian issue (Arab states, Israel, and international actors) to review their policies. The work discusses how these events affected the balance of power in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli wars, and peace processes from a historical perspective.
