The Massacre Of Israeli Delegates At The Summer Munich...

The events of the past have a way of transforming themselves over time. Something that occurred mere minutes ago can evolve over the next few hours, and an event that seemed so straight-forward many years past finds itself a new meaning within the greater context of the period. The same concept applies to a specific event a mere 45 years ago, namely the massacre of Israeli delegates at the summer Munich Olympics of 1972. This event is now portrayed in standard textbooks as being part of a larger event of the time period, one of the lingering effects of the Jordanian Civil War of 1971, an event that has been dubbed â€Å"Black September† in the history books. As a result of the efforts of the Jordanians placed against various Palestinian groups during the war, the Fatah, a militant Palestinian group and PFLP, another radical group, jointly created a terror group named after the conflict. The Black September Organization attempted to force revenge on both the Jordanian authority and the Israelis, who had occupied their lands in Palestine. The organization became known to assassinate Israelis abroad in an act of revenge (Smith). However, at the time of the Olympics, the world’s reaction was not as cut and dry as it is today. In both the political and public worlds, the attitude was one of shock and horror. The Secretary General of the United Nations said that while the event was, on its own, one that was terrible, it was made worse by infringing on the idea that the Olympic Games