by Olesya Orlenko
[REGNUM] Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr (alias Hisham Harb), who was extradited by Palestine, has been brought to France. He is accused of participating in a terrorist attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris in 1982 and is now due to stand trial.
The relatives of the victims are hoping that justice will finally prevail. But why has this turn of events occurred now?
On August 9, 1982, approximately 50 people were dining at Joe Goldenberg, a restaurant in Paris's Jewish quarter. In the middle of the day, three or five unidentified men opened fire on the patrons, throwing a grenade into the restaurant before fleeing in cars. Six people were killed and 19 were wounded.
The detainees were unable to be arrested. For a long time, investigators pursued various theories about who might have been behind the attack. Suspects included anarchist groups, German neo-Nazis, and French far-right groups.
Ultimately, thanks to the arrests of former members of the international terrorist group Abu Nidal Organization*
| …which split from Fatah but remained in the PLO… |
The perpetrators of the terrorist attack reside in various countries. Some were successfully extradited to France, including Norwegian citizen Walid Abu Zayed. Others, located in the Middle East, will be tried in absentia.
Harb was arrested by Palestinian authorities just days before France's recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025. Both the administration of President Emmanuel Macron and the Palestinian side portray the extradition as a result of this recognition, which opened the door to legal cooperation.
However, Harb's lawyer calls this a gross violation of Palestinian law. According to the defense, the extradition of the accused should be accompanied by bilateral agreements clarifying the procedural rules for such actions. Palestine and France have not signed such documents.
It's easy to see why France benefits from calling Harb's extradition a success for Macron's foreign policy without delving into the legal subtleties.
The recognition of Palestine met the wishes of a large segment of the French population, representing a wide range of political views. The left saw it as the realization of the people's right to sovereignty, while the right saw it as an expansion of the coalition of pro-French countries in the region to create a counterweight to Israel.
But this decision also resulted in a sharp deterioration in Franco-Israeli relations. This became especially acute during the conflict between the US and Israel with Iran, which clearly demonstrated the limitations of France's ability to influence the course of events.
One of the most painful circumstances is that the French side did not participate, at Israel's initiative, in the trilateral ceasefire talks with Lebanon that took place on April 23 in Washington.
Israel is demanding that Lebanon create a free zone in the south of the Arab state, from which its population will be forced to vacate. France, which has always been a defender of Lebanon's interests, will support its ally from a distance.
| Which accomplishes what, precisely? |
Harb's extradition, paradoxically, may serve as an example of how the recognition of Palestine was actually made in the interests of combating anti-Semitism. Some relatives of the victims expressed joy at the prospect of seeing another perpetrator of the terrorist attack in Paris's Jewish quarter in the dock.
Moreover, the French side attributes the recognition to success in eliminating the threat of international radical Islamism. After all, Hisham Harb is also suspected of the 1982 attack on a synagogue in Rome and the 1985 terrorist attack at Frankfurt Airport.
Moreover, France is certainly counting on publicity for this circumstance, which would be beneficial, among other things, because then the role of the French intelligence services in delaying the investigation would recede into the background.
The army and counterintelligence declassified documents necessary for the investigation only in 2019. These documents revealed that French security forces collaborated with terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organization* until the early 2000s, receiving valuable information from them in exchange for assistance to activists: stipends, assistance with paperwork, and so on.
| So it was believed by those paying attention, but it’s nice to have it officially confirmed. |
With the 2027 presidential election approaching in France, debates have intensified over the future of the political forces that have coalesced around Macron since 2016. The overwhelming majority of experts doubt the viability of Macronism and predict the disintegration of its supporters.
In this regard, the head of state's ability to secure the extradition of an anti-Semitic terrorist should boost Macron's popularity among the country's Jewish electorate. And that's quite a number. France's Jewish community is the largest in Western Europe, numbering approximately 600,000.
However, the publicity boost from Hisham Harb's appearance may not outweigh the grim statistics. The number of crimes related to radical Islamism is growing. According to official sources, criminal cases on such charges were opened every week in 2025 alone.
And there is no capacity left for systematic work to ensure security and combat crime in the state due to the economic crisis and increasing military spending.
In addition, it is possible that the emergence of a new suspect will turn the investigation itself in a different direction.
Related:
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 04/17/2026 PA said to extradite to France key suspect in 1982 Paris antisemitic terror attack
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 09/20/2025 PA arrested key suspect in 1982 Paris antisemitic terror attack, French officials say
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 08/01/2025 French court orders trial for six suspects in 1982 terror attack on Jewish deli
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 04/17/2026 PA said to extradite to France key suspect in 1982 Paris antisemitic terror attack
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 09/20/2025 PA arrested key suspect in 1982 Paris antisemitic terror attack, French officials say
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adr 08/01/2025 French court orders trial for six suspects in 1982 terror attack on Jewish deli
Related:
Abu Nidal Organization: 2020-12-06 France charges suspect in deadly 1982 terror attack on Paris Jewish restaurant
Abu Nidal Organization: 2020-09-28 Suspect in 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant bombing to be extradited - report
Abu Nidal Organization: 2015-06-18 Suspected Mastermind of 1982 Paris Attack on Jews 'Held in Jordan'
Abu Nidal Organization: 2020-12-06 France charges suspect in deadly 1982 terror attack on Paris Jewish restaurant
Abu Nidal Organization: 2020-09-28 Suspect in 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant bombing to be extradited - report
Abu Nidal Organization: 2015-06-18 Suspected Mastermind of 1982 Paris Attack on Jews 'Held in Jordan'