The Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) (جبهة التحرير الفلسطينية) is a militant Palestinian group which is designated by the United States and European Union [1] as a terrorist organization. It is presently led by Abu Nidal al-Ashqar. The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ...

Origins

The PLF was originally founded by Ahmed Jibril in 1959, and enjoyed strong Syrian backing. In 1967 the PLF merged with two other groups, the Arab Nationalist Movement-affiliated Heroes of the Return (abtal al-awda) and The Youth of the Revenge Group, to form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Image File history File links Plf. ... Ahmed Jibril Ahmed Jibril (born 1928) is the founder and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), part of the left-wing, secular Palestinian rejectionist front, so-called because they reject proposals for a peaceful settlement with Israel. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Arab Nationalist Movement (Harakat al-Qawmiyyin al-Arabiyyin), also known as the Movement of Arab Nationalists and the Harakiyyin, was a pan-Arab nationalist organization influential in much of the Arab world, most famously so within the Palestinian movement. ... The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) (Arabic الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين - al-jabhah al-sha`biyyah li-tahrīr filastīn) is a Marxist-Leninist, nationalist Palestinian political and military organization, founded in 1967. ...

The PFLP was led by former ANM-leader George Habash, but in April 1968 Jibril spilt from this group to form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), which returned to the strongly pro-Syrian position of the former PLF. George Habash (Arabic جورج حبش) (born 1926), sometimes known by his nom-de-guerre Al-Hakim الحكيم , meaning the doctor, a leading militant and Palestinian politician, as founder and Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1967-2000. ... The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين - القيادة العامة) is a left-wing Palestinian nationalist organization, backed by Syria. ...

This eventually led to a reestablishment of the PLF, as the organization broke apart after Jibril's PFLP-GC had followed Syria into battle against the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War. Open fighting between the rivalling factions ensued, and only after mediation by Yassir Arafat did their relationship stabilize. On April 24, 1977, the PFLP-GC deserters formed the new PLF, under the leadership of Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas) and Tal'at Ya'qub. Sporadic fighting continued between PFLP-GC and PLF, and included an August 1977 bombing of the PLF headquarters, which killed some 200 people. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the... For the civil conflict of 1958, see Lebanon crisis of 1958. ... Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (August 4 or August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Muhammad `Abd ar-Rauf al-Qudwa al-Husayni (Arabic محمد عبد الرؤوف القدوة الحسي&#1606... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Muhammad Zaidan (also known as Abu Abbas and Muhammad Abbas) (December 10, 1948 - March 8, 2004) was the founder and a guerrilla leader of the paramilitary terrorist group the Palestine Liberation Front. ...

1982 split

In 1982, following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the organization split into three factions. One of the main points of disagreement was the relation to the mainstream PLO and Fatah, with some members critically supporting Arafat, while others joined the rebellion against him. All three faction claimed to represent the original organization and kept the name PLF:^[1] 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Israel Amal Hezbollah PLO Commanders Menachem Begin Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah Imad Mughniyah Yasser Arafat Strength 76,000 15,000 Casualties 675 9,800 The Lebanon War (Hebrew: , Milkhemet Levanon), also known as the Operation Peace of the Galilee (מבצע שלום הגליל, Mivtsa Shlom HaGalil in Hebrew), began June 6, 1982, when...

1. The faction headed by Tal'at Ya'akub, the general secretary of the PLF, remained neutral in the struggle between the various organizations and settled its forces in Lebanon. Ya'akub died in November 1988 of a heart attack and his faction disintegrated. .
2. A minor faction under PLF Central Committee member Abd al-Fatah Ghanim was more aggressively pro-Syrian and seized control of the movement's organization in Damascus. It supported Abu Musa's Fatah Uprising organization and coordinated with it in attacks on the PLO. Later, it moved operations to Libya, but eventually reconciled with the Ya'qub faction.
3. A pro-Iraqi faction under Abu Abbas, who had been Deputy General Secretary, had the largest membership, estimated at some 400 activists. The group was originally headquartered in Tunisia, but after a 1985 cruise ship hijacking (Achille Lauro), Abu Abbas was expelled by Tunisian authorities, and the group's leadership relocated to Baghdad (see Prominent attacks).

While each faction kept the original name and claimed to represent the mother-organization, Abbas's faction has been responsible for the more prominent terrorist attacks carried out by the PLF and it was this faction that has been designated a foreign terrorist organization. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Col. ... Fatah al-Intifada (فتح الانتفاضة) is a Palestinian militant faction founded by Col. ... The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic Munazzamat al-Tahrir Filastiniyyah منظمة تحرير فلسطينية ) is a political and paramilitary organization of Palestinian Arabs dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to consist of the... The Willem Ruys The Achille Lauro The Achille Lauro was a passenger liner, most remembered for its 1985 hijacking. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The U.S. State Departments list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations is a list of non-US organizations that are designated as terrorist by the United States Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). ...

PLF in recent years

2006 PLF election poster

Until recently the leaders of the PLF were active in the PLO with Abu Abbas acting as PLF representative in the PLO's executive committee. During the years after the PLO signed the 1993 Oslo Accords, which the PLF opposes, Abu Abbas agreed to abandon terrorism and acknowledged Israel's right to exist. The movement maintained offices in the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Iraq, but its activities dwindled. It has a low level of support in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and its main strength lies in the Lebanese refugee camps, where it is reported to have coordinated with Fatah against various Syrian-backed factions. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (645x771, 73 KB) Photo: Soman File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palestine Liberation Front Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (645x771, 73 KB) Photo: Soman File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palestine Liberation Front Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles (DOP), were finalized in Oslo, Norway on August 20, 1993, and subsequently officially signed at a public ceremony in Washington D.C. on September 13, 1993, with Mahmoud Abbas signing for the... Terrorist redirects here. ... The West Bank map The Gaza Strip map Palestinian territories is one of a number of terms used to describe, from Arab point of view, areas captured by Israel in the Six-day War of 1967, whose political status has been the subject of negotiations between Israel and the Palestine... Refugee camp for Rwandans located in what is now the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the Rwandan Genocide A refugee camp is a camp built up by governments or NGOs (such as the ICRC) to receive refugees. ...

In November 2001, 15 members of a PLF cell were arrested by Israeli authorities. Some of those captured had received terrorist training in Iraq. The cell had been planning attacks in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Ben Gurion airport. The cell had already been involved in other terrorist activities including the abduction and murder of Israeli teenager Yuri Gushstein.^[2] Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds (the Holy); official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names) is the capital and largest city[1] of the State of Israel with a population of 724,000 (as of May 24, 2006[2... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ...

During the 2003 US-led War on Iraq Abu Abbas was captured in April, 2003, by US forces. He died while in US custody in Iraq, reportedly of natural causes, on March 9, 2004.^[3] 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article regards the 2003 invasion of iraq. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Prominent attacks

The faction led by Abu Abbas led several attacks that included the killing of civilians. This led to the PLF being designated a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" by the US State Department. The U.S. State Departments list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations is a list of non-US organizations that are designated as terrorist by the United States Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States Government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...

The Achille Lauro attack

One notorious incident was the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro on October 7, 1985. The hijackers' original aim was to use the ship to slip into Israel. However, crew members discovered them cleaning weapons, and the group then seized control of the ship, murdering an elderly wheelchair-dependent Jewish New Yorker, Leon Klinghoffer. The Willem Ruys The Achille Lauro The Achille Lauro was a passenger liner, most remembered for its 1985 hijacking. ... This article describes some ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity; for a consideration of the Jewish religion, refer to the article Judaism. ... Leon Klinghoffer (September 24, 1916 – October 8, 1985) was a retired appliance manufacturer from New York who was disabled (from a stroke) and used a wheelchair for mobility. ...

US fighter planes later forced down the Egyptian aircraft in which Abbas was escaping following a negotiated end of the hijacking, and forced it to land at a USAF base on Sicily. The Italians let Abbas go, but subsequently sentenced him to five life sentences in absentia. Abbas was expelled from Tunisia and established his headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. Seal of the Air Force. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 km² and 5 million inhabitants. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

The United States could bring its own charges against Abbas, although a criminal complaint filed against him in 1986 was dropped a short time later without an indictment.^[4]

1990 beach raid

In May 1990, the PLF lauched an attack on Israel's Nizanim beach, near Tel-Aviv, urged on by Iraq to torpedo the moves towards a negotiated solution between the PLO and Israel. The attackers had intended to kill tourists and Israeli civilians, but this was prevented. However, the action was significant, in that the failure of Yasser Arafat to condemn this attack led to the United States backing out of the American-Palestinian dialogue that had begun in 1988. Despite Arafat's official silence on the issue, the PLF suffered heavy internal criticism within the PLO, and Abu Abbas had to step down from his seat on the executive committee.^[5] Tel Avivs hotels from a southern point Rothschild Boulevard The corner of Sheinkin St. ... Yassir Arafat (Arabic: ) August 24 or August 4, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born in Cairo[1] to Palestinian parents Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini and also known by the kunya Abu `Ammar (أبو عمّار), was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969–2004); President[1] of the Palestinian...

2006

The front took part in the 2006 Palestinian elections under the label Martyr Abu Abbas, but failed to win a seat.

FootNotes

1. ^ http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/plf-pr.cfm
2. ^ http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/plf-pr.cfm
3. ^ http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp/plf.htm
4. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/04/16/sprj.irq.us.abu.abbas/index.html
5. ^ http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_90/mideast.html