Knowing More Leila Khaled: Icon of Palestinian Liberation
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This action was also carried out to raise international awareness of the Palestinian struggle.
"We want the world to know that we are not just refugees who need help and live in tents, we are a society with a purpose," Leila Khaled said according to one source.
In the interview, she also said that she did not care about the label attached to her as the first woman to hijack a plane. Leila Khaled revealed that the hijacking itself was not the end goal, it was just one way to get attention.
"Of course, we knew that we wouldn't liberate Palestine by hijacking, but this was a way to get international attention," she said.
"I had a hand grenade in my pocket and a gun. Then I met my (PFLP) colleague Salim Essawi. We had clear instructions not to hurt anyone. I told the pilot that I was the new captain and showed him the hand grenade. I told him: 'We are Palestinians from the PFLP. We are refugees and the name of our unit is Che Guevara'."