Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
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Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين | |
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Far-left | |
National affiliation | Palestine Liberation Organization[5] Democratic Alliance List |
International affiliation | Axis of Resistance |
Legislative Council | 1 / 132
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Party flag | |
Political parties |
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP;
The group was founded in 1968 by Nayef Hawatmeh, splitting from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). It maintains a paramilitary wing, the National Resistance Brigades. The DFLP's declared goal is to "create a people's democratic Palestine, where Arabs and Jews would live without discrimination, a state without classes and national oppression, a state which allows Arabs and Jews to develop their national culture."[6]
One of the attacks for which the DFLP is best known is the 1974 Ma'alot massacre in which 25 schoolchildren and teachers were killed. Although the National Resistance Brigades have fighters based in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, these fighters have been engaged in relatively few military operations since the First Intifada.
History
Formation as the PDFLP
The
Ideological and personal conflicts soon broke out within the PFLP, resulting in it fragmenting into a number of different factions.
War and peace process (1973–1987)
During the 1970s the DPFLP carried out a number of attacks, both against the Israel Defense Forces and against civilians.[11] These attacks consisted of bombings, grenade attacks and kidnappings, the latter often carried out in order to negotiate a prisoner exchange with Israel.[13] The group's largest attack was the Ma'alot massacre of 1974, an attack on an Israeli school in which 27 people were killed.[14]
Following the Yom Kippur War, the DPFLP changed its name to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and started moderating its position towards support for a two-state solution.[11] Along with Fatah and As-Sa'iqa, the DFLP became part of the moderate faction of the PLO, which advocated for Palestinian participation in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Supported by Egypt and Syria, the moderates of the PLO together represented over 80% of the Palestinian fedayeen and occupied a majority on the Palestinian National Council (PNC).[15]
The DFLP, Fatah and As-Sa'iqa submitted a proposal to the PNC that classified their goals: their strategic goal was the eventual independence of Palestine from "Zionist imperialism"; while their immediate goal was to force the State of Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in order to secure self-determination for the Palestinian people in those territories. The PNC adopted a similar resolution, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank and Gaza, while also refusing to recognise the State of Israel.[16] During the 1977 meeting of the PNC, the DFLP expressed support for the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on territory controlled by the PLO.[11]
First Intifada and split (1987–1993)
By the outbreak of the
Oslo period (1993–2000)
By the time of the Oslo Accords, the dissolution of the Soviet Union had resulted in a loss of funding for the DFLP. The DFLP thus lost its influence over the Palestinian independence movement, while Islamist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad rose to prominence.[18] In 1999, the DFLP reconciled with Fatah and considered recognising the State of Israel in the event of a peace treaty, which convinced the United States Department of State to drop the DFLP from its list of designated terrorist groups.[18][19]
Second Intifada and renewed attacks (2000–2005)
After a period of relative inactivity during the 1990s, the DFLP renewed armed attacks against the IDF during the Second Intifada.[13] They carried out a number of shooting attacks against Israeli targets, such as the 25 August 2001 attack on a military base in Gaza that killed three Israeli soldiers and wounded seven others.[20][21]
On 11 September 2001, an anonymous caller claimed responsibility for the
Israel–Hamas war
The DFLP's armed wing, the National Resistance Brigades, confirmed their participation in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel through their military spokesman Abu Khaled.[24][25] On 7 October, during the attack on Israel, they claimed to have lost three fighters in combat with the IDF, and said on 8 October that they were engaged with Israeli forces in Kfar Aza, Be'eri, and Kissufim.[26][third-party source needed]
The DFLP battled IDF troops during the siege of Khan Yunis. On 19 February 2024 it was reported that they attacked an Israeli armored formation near Nasser Hospital.[27]
Political influence
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
The DFLP ran a candidate, Taysir Khalid, in the Palestinian Authority presidential election in 2005. He gained 3.35% of the vote.[28] The party had initially participated in discussions with the PFLP and the Palestinian People's Party on running a joint left-wing candidate, but these were unsuccessful.[citation needed] It did not win any seats in the 2005 PA municipal elections.[29]
In the 2006 elections to the
The DFLP retains important influence within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Organization and leadership
The DFLP held its 5th national general congress during a time-span from February to August 2007. The congress was divided into three parallel circles: West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Palestinian exiles. The congress elected a
Subsequently, after the closure of the 5th national general congress, the Central Committee re-elected Hawatmeh as Secretary-General of the DFLP. The Central Committee also elected a 13-member
Support base
The DFLP is primarily active among Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon, with a smaller presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Its Jordan branch has been converted into a separate political party, the Jordanian Democratic People's Party (JDPP or Hashd), and the DFLP is no longer active in the political arena there.[citation needed]
The DFLP mainly attracts Palestinians with a more socially liberal and secular lifestyle, as well as Palestinian Christians, primarily in cities like Nablus and Bethlehem.[citation needed]
The party publishes a weekly newspaper in several Arab countries,
External relations
The DFLP is believed to receive limited financial and military aid from Syria, where it is active in the
The DFLP is not listed as a
See also
- Palestinian Communist Party
- Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
- Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front
- Syrian Resistance
- List of political parties in the State of Palestine
References
- ^ Abd Rabbo, Yasir, pp. 6-7. Michael R. Fischbach, Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. Infobase Publishing, 2005
- ^ Palestinian National Authority: The PA Ministerial Cabinet List: April 2003 – October 2003 Archived 15 December 2003 at the Wayback Machine. Jerusalem Media and Communications Center. Archived on 27 September 2007.
- ^ Bollens, Scott A. (2000). On Narrow Ground: Urban Policy and Ethnic Conflict in Jerusalem and Belfast. State University of New York Press. p. 366.
- ^ Velez, Federico (2015). Latin American Revolutionaries and the Arab World: From the Suez Canal to the Arab Spring. Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 106.
- ^ a b Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ ‘’Aziya i Afrika segodnya’’ – cited in edition ‘’Välispanoraam 1972’’, Tallinn, 1973, lk 129 (‘’Foreign Panorama 1972’’)
- ^ a b Alexander 2003, p. 33.
- ^ Alexander 2003, pp. 33–34.
- ^ a b Alexander 2003, p. 34.
- ISBN 9780199674435.
In the late sixties and the early seventies, Maoism was so evident in the discourse of Nayef Hawatmeh, the founder of the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP) that he was satirically dubbed Nayef Zedong.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander 2003, p. 45.
- ^ Alexander 2003, p. 45; Muslih 1976, p. 128.
- ^ a b c Alexander 2003, p. 48.
- ^ "Profile: DFLP". BBC News. 4 February 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ Muslih 1976, p. 127.
- ^ Muslih 1976, p. 131.
- ^ a b Alexander 2003, pp. 45–46.
- ^ a b c Alexander 2003, p. 46.
- ^ "The "FTO List" and Congress: Sanctioning Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (PDF).
- ^ Burke, Jason (26 August 2001). "Attack on Gaza army base kills three". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ^ a b MEDEA (September 2001). "DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine)". European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ International Socialist Organization (12 September 2001). "Statement on the Air Attacks in New York and Washington, D.C." Progressive Austin. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Fighters killed at Gaza crossing". Al Jazeera English. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ الانترنت, الحرية-مجلة التقدميين العرب على. ""أبو خالد" الناطق العسكري لكتائب المقاومة الوطنية (قوات الشهيد عمر القاسم) الجناح العسكري للجبهة الديمقراطية لتحرير فلسطين". مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ Team, Flashpoint Intel (18 October 2023). "Beyond Hamas: Militant and Terrorist Groups Involved in the October 7 Attack on Israel". Flashpoint. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ الانترنت, الحرية-مجلة التقدميين العرب على. "خلال بيان لها قبل قليل.. كتائب المقاومة الوطنية (قوات الشهيد عمر القاسم) الجناح العسكري للجبهة الديمقراطية". مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ "IRAN UPDATE, FEBRUARY 19, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine... detonated an unspecified explosive device and fired a rocket-propelled grenade targeting Israeli armor near Nasser Hospital.
- ^ "Presidential Elections Final Results" (PDF). elections.ps. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Successful Candidates by local authority and electoral list" (PDF). Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "dflp-palestine.org". Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9780814759561.
- ^ "dflp-palestine.org". Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ الحرية - مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت. "الحرية - مجلة التقدميين العرب على الانترنت". alhourriah.org/. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "1999 Report Index". U.S. State Department. 8 October 1999. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
Bibliography
- LCCN 2003048409.
- LCCN 2004057673.
- Hasso, Frances S. (2005). Resistance, Repression, and Gender Politics in Occupied Palestine and Jordan. LCCN 2005018502.
- Muslih, Muhammad Y. (1976). "Moderates and Rejectionists within the Palestine Liberation Organization". JSTOR 4325481.
External links
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine – Official English language web page.
- About DFLP at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 August 2009) – Old website
- Al-badeel electoral coalition
- al-Hourriah Magazine (Arabic language)
- al-Ahali Archived 14 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine – Newspaper of the Jordanian JDPP (Arabic language)
- Medea at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 September 2007) – General info