Erich Honecker supported Yassir Arafat and the PLO due to shared anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist ideologies, as both opposed Israel and Western influence. This support also aimed to expand the GDR's influence in the Third World, strengthen ties with the Soviet Union, and gain international recognition. The GDR provided the PLO with weapons and military training, enhancing their capabilities against Israel.
The PLO provided training to the RAF in the 1970s, including weapons and tactical instruction, as part of a broader network of revolutionary support. The RAF was responsible for approximately 34 deaths during its active years of terrorism in West Germany.
In 1977, the RAF kidnapped Hanns-Martin Schleyer and murdered him after failed negotiations, while the PLO, in support of the RAF, hijacked the Lufthansa plane "Landshut." The "Landshut" was freed by the GSG 9 in Mogadishu, leading to the suicide of leading RAF members in Stammheim.
