The Dawson's Field hijackings carried out by the PFLP in September 1970 represented a significant escalation in the tactics of international terrorism. The organization, led by George Habash, orchestrated the hijacking of multiple commercial airliners, including those belonging to Swissair, Pan Am, and TWA. The flights were diverted and landed at Dawson's Field, a remote site in Jordan, where the terrorists would hold hundreds of hostages. This operation was designed not just to achieve specific political objectives but to draw global attention to the Palestinian cause amid the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.

As the situation unfolded, the hijackers negotiated with authorities, but tensions escalated when they began to blow up the aircraft after failing to meet their demands. On September 12, the first three planes were destroyed, which sent shockwaves through the aviation industry and brought the complexities of international hostage situations to the forefront of public consciousness. The hijackers aimed to use the hostages as leverage against Israel and Western nations while demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners.

International awareness of the incident skyrocketed as media coverage reported on the dramatic events, and negotiations were widely publicized. Ultimately, the handling of the hijacking crisis by the Jordanian government, which sought to rescue the hostages while maintaining national and regional stability, would lead to a violent crackdown on other Palestinian factions operating within its territory ahead of the eventual Jordanian Civil War. This tumultuous period underscored the volatility of Middle Eastern geopolitics and foreshadowed future instances of air piracy.