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Palestinian Liberation Front

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), also known as the PLF-Abu Abbas Faction, is a small Palestinian militant organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States since 1997.^[1] It originated in the late 1970s as a splinter group from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), founded by Muhammad Zaidan (nom de guerre Abu Abbas) and Talat Yaakub, with the aim of pursuing armed struggle against Israel through maritime attacks and other operations.^[1]^[2] The PLF gained international notoriety for its role in the October 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt, during which four PLF militants seized the vessel, demanded the release of imprisoned Palestinians, and murdered Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old disabled American-Jewish passenger, before dumping his body overboard.^[3]^[4] Abu Abbas, the group's leader, coordinated the operation from ashore and evaded immediate capture despite U.S. and Italian efforts, highlighting the PLF's tactical focus on high-profile actions to advance Palestinian nationalist goals.^[3] The incident drew widespread condemnation and underscored the PLF's alignment with rejectionist factions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), rejecting peace negotiations in favor of violence.^[4] Historically, the PLF received financial and logistical support from Iraq under Saddam Hussein, which utilized the group as a proxy for anti-Israel terrorism, including training camps and funding that enabled operations like attempted infiltrations and bombings.^[4]^[5] Internal splits occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, with factions emerging under different commanders, but the Abu Abbas-led wing remained the most prominent and active in terrorist designations.^[1] Following Abu Abbas's death in 2003 while under U.S. military custody in Iraq, the group's operational capacity diminished significantly, with no attacks causing casualties reported since 1992, though it has maintained low-level recruitment and training activities.^[1]^[3] The PLF's defining characteristics include its emphasis on spectacular, media-attracting assaults over sustained guerrilla warfare, reflecting a strategy rooted in provocation and international attention rather than territorial control.^[4]

Origins and Early History

Formation from PFLP

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) emerged from a split within the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), a pro-Syrian faction that had itself broken away from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1968 under Ahmad Jibril.^[6] The PFLP-GC's alignment with Syrian interests, particularly its support for Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War starting in 1975, created internal tensions among members who favored greater independence and alignment with the broader Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).^[7] Muhammad Zaidan, known as Abu Abbas and previously Jibril's deputy in the PFLP-GC, opposed this orientation, viewing it as subordinating Palestinian priorities to Damascus's geopolitical aims. On April 24, 1977, Zaidan, alongside Tal'at Ya'qub (also spelled Talat Yaakub), led a group of PFLP-GC defectors to establish the PLF as a distinct entity within the PLO framework.^[8] ^[4] This formation reflected ideological divergences from the PFLP's Marxist-Leninist roots, as the PLF prioritized naval operations and direct attacks on Israel over the PFLP-GC's emphasis on Syrian-backed irregular warfare.^[9] Initial skirmishes occurred between the new PLF and PFLP-GC remnants, underscoring the acrimony of the breakup, though the PLF quickly positioned itself as more pragmatic, seeking patronage from Iraq and Libya to counter Syrian influence.^[9] The split reduced the PFLP-GC's operational cohesion but bolstered the PLO's spectrum of factions, with the PLF claiming around 200-300 members at inception, drawn primarily from Palestinian refugee networks in Lebanon.

Initial Activities and Alignment with PLO

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), upon its establishment in 1977 as a splinter from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, pursued militant operations aimed at Israeli targets, including attempted infiltrations and armed assaults to advance Palestinian nationalist goals.^[3] Under the leadership of Muhammad Zaydan (Abu Abbas), the group emphasized naval and coastal raids, reflecting its operational focus on disrupting Israeli security from the Mediterranean approach, though specific pre-1983 successes were limited compared to larger PLO factions.^[10] The PLF aligned closely with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from its inception, adopting a pro-Arafat stance that differentiated its faction from anti-PLO rivals and integrated it into the PLO's umbrella structure for resource sharing and strategic coordination.^[3] This alignment facilitated the PLF's participation in PLO-sanctioned activities during the late 1970s, including training in Lebanon-based camps and contributions to the broader fedayeen campaign against Israel amid the Lebanese Civil War.^[11] Abu Abbas's faction received backing from Iraq, which bolstered its operational capacity while maintaining ideological fidelity to the PLO's objective of liberating Palestine through armed struggle.^[1] By the early 1980s, the PLF's loyalty to PLO chairman Yasser Arafat positioned Abu Abbas for elevation to the PLO Executive Committee in 1984, underscoring the group's role as a compliant affiliate amid internal PLO dynamics favoring mainstream Fatah influence over radical splinters.^[11] This period saw the PLF conducting preparatory operations, such as commando training and reconnaissance, to elevate its profile within the PLO, though it avoided direct challenges to Arafat's authority until factional tensions emerged later.^[3] The alignment enhanced the PLF's legitimacy and funding access but subordinated its independent initiatives to PLO directives, limiting autonomous high-profile actions in favor of collective efforts.^[12]

Internal Splits and Factionalism

1983 Split and Factions

In 1983, amid escalating tensions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the broader Syrian-PLO rift, the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) fractured into multiple factions reflecting divergent alignments on regional power dynamics and loyalty to Yasser Arafat's leadership.^[4]^[13]^[14] Muhammad Zaidan, known as Abu Abbas and previously the PLF's deputy secretary-general, led a breakaway group that pledged allegiance to Arafat and the PLO mainstream, prioritizing operations that advanced PLO diplomatic and militant objectives against Israel.^[13]^[15] This pro-PLO faction, headquartered primarily in Tunis after the PLO's relocation from Lebanon, focused on spectacular attacks to garner international attention while maintaining tactical coordination with Arafat's Fatah-dominated structure.^[4]^[14] The original PLF leadership under secretary-general Tal'at Ya'qub resisted full alignment with Arafat, opting for neutrality in the intra-Palestinian conflicts but gradually tilting toward Syrian patronage to secure operational space in Damascus and Lebanese refugee camps.^[15] Yaqub's faction, smaller and less active in high-profile operations, emphasized survival amid the Lebanese civil war's chaos, including the emerging War of the Camps, where Syrian-backed Amal militia targeted PLO remnants.^[15] This group further splintered, with the Abu Nidal Ashqar wing solidifying pro-Syrian orientation by relocating to Damascus and adopting rhetoric supportive of Hafez al-Assad's anti-Arafat stance.^[4] A third, pro-Libyan faction also emerged from the divisions, drawing support from Muammar Gaddafi's regime and operating with limited autonomy, though its activities remained marginal compared to the Abu Abbas group.^[14] Yaqub himself died in 1988, reportedly from natural causes, leaving his remnants under fragmented control and diminishing influence.^[16] These schisms were driven by pragmatic calculations of patronage and survival rather than ideological rifts, as all factions retained core commitments to armed struggle for Palestinian statehood, but the Abu Abbas wing's PLO loyalty positioned it for greater resources and visibility in subsequent years.^[15]^[13]

Post-Split Developments up to 2000

Following the 1983 split within the Palestinian Liberation Front, the organization fragmented into multiple factions, primarily distinguished by their alignments with external patrons. The dominant faction, led by Muhammad Zaidan (known as Abu Abbas), remained aligned with Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mainstream and operated from bases in Iraq, where it received support from the Saddam Hussein regime.^[17] This group continued militant operations in the mid-1980s, most prominently orchestrating the October 7, 1985, hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean, during which four hijackers killed American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly wheelchair user, and dumped his body overboard.^[18] The Talat Yaqub-led faction, based in Syria and seeking neutrality amid regional rivalries, maintained a hardline ideological stance but engaged in minimal documented attacks, limiting its visibility and operational impact compared to Abu Abbas's group.^[19] A smaller pro-Libyan splinter also emerged but similarly faded into obscurity without significant actions. By the late 1980s, internal divisions and the PLO's expulsion from Lebanon in 1982 had already eroded the PLF's cohesion, with factions competing for resources amid shifting Arab state alliances.^[17] In the 1990s, the Abu Abbas faction's trajectory shifted amid the broader Palestinian political landscape. After Iraq's defeat in the 1991 Gulf War severed key funding, Abu Abbas relocated operations and, following the PLO's 1993 Oslo Accords with Israel, publicly endorsed the peace process, renounced terrorism, and advocated for Israel's right to exist alongside a Palestinian state.^[20]^[21] This pivot led to a focus on propaganda and political engagement rather than armed actions, though rogue elements attempted a seaborne incursion against an Israeli beach target in May 1990, which Israeli forces intercepted, killing two infiltrators and prompting U.S. suspension of dialogue with the PLO for Abu Abbas's failure to condemn it unequivocally.^[11] By 1997, the U.S. designated the Abu Abbas PLF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, reflecting its diminished but lingering militant associations.^[22] Through the late 1990s, both major factions declined in relevance, overshadowed by the Oslo framework's emphasis on negotiation and the ascendance of Islamist groups like Hamas. Membership dwindled to a few hundred across factions, with operational capacity hampered by international sanctions, loss of state sponsors, and internal PLO pressures favoring diplomacy over splinter militancy. Abu Abbas's efforts to reintegrate into Palestinian politics culminated in Israeli permission for his 1996 visit to Gaza Strip territories under PLO control, signaling a tentative moderation, though hardliners within the PLF rejected the accords.^[20] The Yaqub faction, remaining pro-Syrian, conducted no major operations by 2000, further marginalizing it within the Palestinian resistance spectrum.^[19]

Leadership and Organizational Structure

Key Leaders and Figures

Muhammad Zaidan, better known as Abu Abbas, co-founded the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) in 1977 alongside Talat Yaqoub following their departure from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); he led the organization's pro-PLO faction, which was headquartered in Baghdad and received support from Iraq under Saddam Hussein.^[7]^[23] Abu Abbas directed high-profile operations, including the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship, during which an elderly American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer, was murdered and thrown overboard; the incident drew international condemnation and led to Abu Abbas's inclusion on U.S. wanted lists.^[20] Captured by U.S. forces in Iraq on April 13, 2003, he died in custody on March 8, 2004, reportedly from natural causes related to cardiovascular issues.^[23] Talat Yaqoub, the other co-founder, headed a rival PLF faction after the 1983 split, aligning it with Syrian and Libyan interests in opposition to the Abu Abbas-led group and Yasser Arafat's PLO mainstream.^[7]^[24] Yaqoub's wing operated from Damascus and emphasized militant activities against Israel, though it remained smaller and less internationally prominent than the Abu Abbas faction. He died of a heart attack in Algeria on November 17, 1988, at age 53, marking the effective end of his faction's independent operations.^[25] Following the deaths of both founders, the PLF's remnants, primarily the Abu Abbas faction designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 1997, have been led by figures such as Wasel Abu Yousef, who maintains nominal ties to the PLO while the group engages in limited activities.^[26] The organization's leadership has since fragmented, with no single dominant figure emerging, reflecting its diminished role post-Oslo Accords and the decline of state sponsors like Iraq.^[27]

Operational Bases and Support Networks

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), under the leadership of Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas), relocated its primary operational base to Iraq in the late 1980s, with headquarters established in Baghdad by 1990. This shift followed the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, which disrupted earlier activities in Palestinian refugee camps there, and aligned the group with the Iraqi regime's strategic interests against common adversaries. Iraqi support included provision of safe haven, training facilities, and financial aid, enabling the PLF to plan and execute cross-border operations.^[17]^[4] The PLF maintained secondary operational presences in Lebanon, particularly southern regions hosting Palestinian militias, and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where affiliated cells conducted low-level activities such as recruitment and surveillance. These networks relied on diaspora Palestinian communities and smuggling routes for logistics, though their scale diminished after the 1993 Oslo Accords, which integrated some PLF elements into Palestinian Authority security structures.^[17] Support networks for the Abu Abbas faction were predominantly state-sponsored by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which viewed the PLF as a proxy for anti-Israel attacks, providing an estimated annual funding of several million dollars in the 1990s alongside arms from Iraqi stockpiles. Internal splits in 1983 produced pro-Syrian and pro-Libyan factions with bases in Damascus and Tripoli, respectively, drawing on those regimes' rivalries within the Arab world; however, these offshoots remained marginal compared to the Iraq-aligned main branch until Iraq's 2003 regime change severely curtailed overall capabilities.^[17]^[4]

Ideology and Objectives

Core Principles and Evolution

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), formed as a splinter from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) in the late 1970s, centered its core principles on Palestinian nationalism and the exclusive use of armed struggle to reclaim all of historic Palestine, explicitly rejecting Israel's legitimacy and any form of coexistence.^[17] This stance inherited leftist revolutionary elements from the PFLP lineage, emphasizing militant operations over political negotiation as the path to national liberation, with objectives framed as dismantling Israeli control through targeted violence against civilian and military assets.^[28] The group's early activities, such as aerial incursions into Israel, reflected a tactical focus on high-impact disruptions to internationalize the Palestinian cause and coerce concessions.^[17] Internal factionalism in the 1980s marked a key evolutionary phase, yielding pro-PLO, pro-Syrian, and pro-Libyan branches, with Muhammad Abbas (Abu Abbas) leading the pro-PLO wing that realigned with Yasser Arafat's mainstream leadership while preserving rejectionist tenets.^[17] This alignment facilitated operational basing in Iraq from 1990 onward and participation in broader Palestinian efforts like the al-Aqsa Intifada, yet it did not moderate the commitment to armed resistance, as demonstrated by the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking, which killed an American passenger and underscored the PLF's prioritization of spectacular attacks for propaganda gains.^[3] The Abu Abbas faction explicitly opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords, viewing them as a betrayal that legitimized Israel and halted legitimate resistance, thereby maintaining ideological continuity amid shifting alliances with state sponsors like Libya and Iraq.^[3]^[28] Post-1990s developments saw no fundamental doctrinal shifts, with the PLF's reduced activity—exemplified by the failed 1990 Nizanim beach landing attempt, disavowed by Arafat—highlighting tensions between its militancy and the PLO's diplomatic pivot, leading to marginalization within Palestinian politics.^[3] Following Abu Abbas's detention and death in 2003–2004, leadership transitioned to figures like Omar Shibli (died 2010) and later Wasel Abu Yousef, who gained a PLO Executive Committee seat in 2018, but the group retained its foundational opposition to negotiation and recognition of Israel, operating at low intensity without adapting to electoral or reconciliatory frameworks.^[17]^[3] This persistence in armed rejectionism, amid declining relevance after the collapse of patrons like Saddam Hussein's regime, illustrates the PLF's evolution as one of tactical pragmatism in alliances rather than ideological compromise.^[28]

Views on Armed Struggle versus Negotiation

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) adhered to a rejectionist ideology that prioritized armed struggle over diplomatic negotiation, viewing the latter as a concession to Israeli legitimacy without achieving full liberation of historic Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Formed as a splinter from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1977, the PLF emphasized military operations, including sea hijackings and infiltrations, as essential to weakening Israeli resolve and mobilizing international attention, rather than relying on talks that could dilute core demands for armed resistance until victory.^[3] This preference manifested in the PLF's explicit opposition to the Oslo Accords signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on September 13, 1993, which required recognition of Israel and a halt to violence in favor of phased negotiations. The Abu Abbas-led faction rejected the accords, aligning with other rejectionist groups in the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, as they entailed abandoning the armed struggle doctrine central to the group's Ba'athist-influenced objectives of total liberation without compromise. PLF statements and actions post-Oslo, such as continued plotting of attacks from bases in Iraq and Syria, underscored a causal belief that negotiations alone failed to extract territorial or political gains, necessitating violence to alter power dynamics.^[3]^[29] Over time, divisions emerged, with Abu Abbas personally moderating his views by the mid-1990s, publicly endorsing the peace process in 1996, condemning terrorism, and advocating Israel's right to exist as a pragmatic evolution from pure militancy. This shift, however, did not fully permeate the organization; splinter factions like the Abu Nidal Ashqar wing persisted in rejecting Oslo and upholding armed struggle, exiting the PLO in 1993 to preserve operational independence for resistance activities. Such factionalism highlighted internal tensions between ideological purists favoring unrelenting violence and pragmatists open to negotiation under pressure from state sponsors like Iraq, which backed the PLF's militant posture until the 2003 U.S. invasion disrupted its networks.^[23]^[20]

Terrorist Activities

Attacks in the 1970s and 1980s

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), founded in 1977 as a splinter from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, prioritized maritime infiltration tactics to launch attacks inside Israel during its early years. These operations typically involved small teams arriving by speedboat from Lebanese waters, aiming to target civilian and security sites in northern Israel to maximize casualties and media attention.^[17] On September 30, 1978, a PLF squad attempted to infiltrate the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona via the sea but was intercepted and thwarted by Israeli security forces before reaching their objective.^[30] The PLF's most notorious operation in this period occurred on April 22, 1979, when four armed militants landed by rubber dinghy on the beach in Nahariya, a coastal city in northern Israel. The attackers first encountered and fatally shot police officer Eliyahu Shahar during a patrol. They then broke into the nearby apartment of the Haran family; Danny Haran was marched outside with his four-year-old daughter Einat and executed by gunfire, while Einat was bludgeoned to death with a rifle butt to silence her cries. Danny's wife, Smadar Haran, hid in an attic crawlspace with their two-year-old son Yael to evade detection, but the infant suffocated from her efforts to muffle his noise; Smadar survived the ordeal. Two of the perpetrators were killed in the ensuing confrontation with Israeli forces, while the other two, including leader Samir Kuntar, were captured. The PLF publicly claimed responsibility for the assault, which killed four Israelis (including the child) and injured Smadar Haran. Israel responded with naval shelling of suspected PLF positions in southern Lebanon.^[31]^[32] Throughout the early 1980s, the PLF persisted with similar sea-borne infiltration efforts against Israeli coastal targets, though most were foiled by enhanced naval patrols and intelligence, resulting in fewer successful strikes compared to the late 1970s. These activities reflected the group's operational doctrine of asymmetric warfare via surprise incursions, often supported by training in Syrian- or Iraqi-aligned bases in Lebanon.^[30]

Achille Lauro Hijacking and International Incidents

On October 7, 1985, four militants from the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), led overall by Muhammad Zaidan (known as Abu Abbas), hijacked the Italian cruise ship MS Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.^[33] ^[34] The hijackers, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, seized control of the vessel, which had departed from Alexandria bound for Ashdod, Israel, carrying about 80 passengers and over 400 crew members.^[33] ^[35] The perpetrators isolated passengers perceived as Jewish or American, culminating in the murder of Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old wheelchair-bound Jewish-American tourist from New York, on October 8; he was shot in the forehead and chest at close range and his body dumped overboard with his wheelchair.^[34] ^[36] The hijackers demanded the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and threatened to blow up the ship or execute more hostages if their ultimatum was not met within 24 hours.^[33] ^[34] Egyptian authorities mediated negotiations, with PLF leader Abu Abbas traveling to Port Said on October 9 to oversee talks; the hijackers ultimately surrendered the ship and hostages after Egypt pledged safe passage out of the country, though the murder of Klinghoffer had already occurred.^[34] ^[37] Abu Abbas and the four hijackers boarded an EgyptAir Boeing 737 for Tunisia, but U.S. President Ronald Reagan, informed of their presence via intelligence, ordered U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters from the USS Gigioio to intercept the aircraft on October 10, forcing it to divert and land at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy.^[33] ^[34] Italian authorities arrested the four ship hijackers upon landing, charging them with crimes including murder and terrorism; they were later convicted in 1986 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 to 30 years.^[33] ^[37] However, Italy controversially released Abu Abbas, citing his diplomatic status as a PLF representative and lack of direct involvement in the onboard violence, sparking a diplomatic crisis with the United States, where Delta Force commandos briefly confronted Italian forces at Sigonella before standing down.^[34] ^[37] The U.S. government indicted Abu Abbas in absentia for murder and air piracy, designating the PLF a terrorist organization and intensifying international scrutiny on its operations.^[34] The incident elevated the PLF's profile as a perpetrator of maritime terrorism targeting civilian vessels, drawing widespread condemnation and contributing to heightened global counterterrorism measures against Palestinian factions in the late 1980s.^[37] ^[36] No other major international incidents directly attributed to the PLF in the 1980s matched the Achille Lauro's scale, though the event underscored Abu Abbas's role in coordinating cross-border operations from bases in Tunisia and later Iraq.^[34]

Operations in the 1990s and 2000s

In May 1990, the PLF, under Abu Abbas's leadership, attempted a seaborne infiltration attack targeting beaches near Tel Aviv, launching from a mother ship off the coast of Nitzanim in southern Israel. Israeli naval forces intercepted three speedboats carrying approximately 16 PLF militants armed with AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and explosives, resulting in the deaths of four attackers and the capture of twelve others; no Israelis were harmed in the foiled operation.^[38]^[39] The incident, planned with logistical support from the PLO, prompted the United States to suspend dialogue with the PLO, citing it as evidence of ongoing terrorism endorsement.^[40] Throughout the remainder of the 1990s, PLF operational activity diminished following the Oslo Accords, with the group shifting emphasis toward political propaganda and maintaining a low profile from its base in Iraq, though U.S. assessments noted suspicions of continued support for anti-Israel terrorism by PLF elements. The faction's designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department in October 1997 reflected ongoing concerns over its potential for maritime and infiltration attacks, despite reduced direct involvement.^[22] In the early 2000s, PLF resumed limited direct actions amid the Second Intifada, including an April 22, 2001, attempt to detonate an explosive device at a bus stop near Haifa, which wounded two Israelis during Israeli forces' dismantling efforts. On July 24, 2001, PLF operatives kidnapped and murdered 19-year-old Israeli Yuri Gushchin in El Bireh, near Ramallah, as part of targeted killings against Jewish civilians. Iraqi intelligence directed these and other planned assaults, such as attacks on Ben Gurion International Airport and the Tel Aviv seafront, with PLF militants receiving training at Iraqi facilities like the Al-Quds camp.^[4] By mid-2002, Israeli security forces dismantled a PLF cell in the West Bank villages of Kaubar and Beit Rima, arresting members trained in Iraq at Republican Guard bases in Tikrit for operations involving RPGs and mortars against IDF checkpoints and aircraft. These efforts, funded partly through Palestinian Authority stipends of $12,000 monthly approved by Yasser Arafat, underscored Iraq's role in proxy terrorism via the PLF until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion disrupted its networks; activity tapered thereafter, with Abu Abbas's death in 2004 marking a further operational nadir.^[4]^[41]

Political Involvement

Role within PLO and Palestinian Politics

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) emerged as a small faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), initially splintering from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) in 1977 under leaders Talat Yaqub and Muhammad Zaydan (Abu Abbas).^[20] The group aligned with the pro-PLO orientation, distinguishing itself from anti-PLO rivals, and its leader Abu Abbas served on the PLO Executive Committee, providing the PLF a nominal voice in the organization's decision-making structures despite its marginal size and influence.^[17]^[42] This affiliation positioned the PLF within the PLO's umbrella of factions, where it advocated rejectionist policies opposing diplomatic concessions to Israel, often aligning with the broader Rejectionist Front alongside groups like the PFLP-GC and Arab Liberation Front.^[43] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the PLF's role in Palestinian politics emphasized armed resistance over negotiation, reflecting tensions with Yasser Arafat's Fatah-dominated mainstream, particularly after high-profile operations like the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking that strained PLO unity.^[1] Funded primarily by Iraq's Ba'ath regime, the group maintained bases and operational support there, which bolstered its autonomy but limited its integration into evolving PLO strategies post-Oslo Accords.^[26] While participating in PLO forums, the PLF's commitment to Israel's destruction and rejection of peace processes marginalized it amid the PLO's shift toward diplomacy, rendering it a peripheral hardline element rather than a major political player.^[1] Following Abu Abbas's death in 2003, the PLF's influence waned further, with leadership passing to figures like Wasel Abu Yousef, who continued its status as a minor PLO affiliate focused on symbolic rather than substantive political engagement.^[26] The faction has not demonstrated significant electoral participation or broad grassroots support in Palestinian legislative processes, prioritizing militant objectives over institutional politics, which has confined its role to dissenting voices within the PLO's fragmented landscape.^[17] This dynamic underscores the PLF's historical reliance on external patronage and ideological rigidity, contributing little to unified Palestinian governance efforts.^[26]

Electoral Participation and Performance

The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) has maintained a marginal presence in Palestinian electoral politics, contesting votes through the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and local council elections but consistently failing to secure seats or substantial support, consistent with its limited membership and historical focus on militant activities over mass mobilization.^[26] In the 2006 PLC elections, the first and only nationwide legislative contest held since the body's establishment, the PLF ran under the banner of the "Martyr Abu Abbas" list—named after its late leader Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas), who died in U.S. custody in 2003—receiving 3,011 votes out of approximately 1,017,000 valid ballots cast, or about 0.3% of the total.^[44] This performance yielded no seats in the 132-member council, where Hamas's Change and Reform list dominated with 44.45% and Fatah secured 41.43%.^[44] The PLF's low tally reflected its niche appeal among voters prioritizing armed resistance affiliations tied to Iraq under Saddam Hussein, rather than broader programmatic platforms.^[26] Subsequent participation occurred in local council elections. For the 2016-2017 municipal polls, restricted primarily to the West Bank due to disputes over Gaza's inclusion, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) registered one list affiliated with the PLF among over 800 competing slates.^[45] These elections proceeded in phases, with 182 lists (including potentially the PLF's) winning uncontested, but no records indicate the PLF securing any council seats or notable vote shares amid dominance by Fatah independents and Hamas boycotts in certain areas.^[45] The fragmented, low-turnout nature of these contests—yielding victories often by acclamation—further marginalized smaller factions like the PLF.^[46] Ahead of the scheduled 2021 PLC and presidential elections, the first planned since 2006, the PLF joined a Fatah-led coalition with four other minor PLO factions—the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA), Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, Arab Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Palestinian Arab Front—to form a joint list aimed at bolstering pro-Oslo alignment against Hamas.^[47] This alliance underscored the PLF's strategic subordination to larger partners, given its inability to field competitive standalone candidacies. However, the elections were indefinitely postponed by President Mahmoud Abbas in April 2021, citing Israeli restrictions on voting in East Jerusalem, leaving the PLF without further recorded performance data.^[47] The PLF's electoral record highlights systemic challenges for splinter militant groups in transitioning to political competition: reliance on external patrons like Iraq (pre-2003) eroded domestic legitimacy, while voter preferences shifted toward governance-focused parties post-Oslo Accords. No evidence exists of PLF involvement in the 1996 PLC elections or subsequent national polls, affirming its peripheral role.^[26]

International Relations and Designations

Ties to State Sponsors like Iraq and Syria

The Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), particularly under the leadership of Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas), established its primary operational base in Baghdad, Iraq, where it received financial and logistical support from Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime.^[17]^[26] This backing included harboring PLF operatives and utilizing the group as a proxy for anti-Israel terrorist activities, with Abu Abbas residing openly in Iraq as a protected figure until his capture by U.S. forces on April 15, 2003, in a raid on the outskirts of Baghdad.^[4]^[48] Iraq's patronage aligned with its broader policy of supporting Palestinian militant factions to project influence and challenge Israel, providing the PLF with resources amid its internal splits and international isolation following high-profile attacks like the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking.^[49]^[4] In contrast, ties to Syria were more factional and secondary, stemming from earlier schisms within the PLF that produced a pro-Syrian splinter group alongside the dominant pro-Iraq Abu Abbas faction and others aligned with Libya.^[17] The Syrian-backed elements, often associated with figures like Talat Yaqub, operated with Damascus's tolerance or indirect support as part of Syria's strategy to cultivate Palestinian proxies within the broader rejectionist front against the Palestine Liberation Organization's mainstream leadership.^[17] However, these connections did not extend to the core Abu Abbas leadership, which prioritized Iraqi sponsorship, reflecting Syria's preference for rival groups like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command over the PLF's Iraq-oriented branch.^[17] Syria's role thus remained peripheral, focused on hosting minor dissident elements rather than providing sustained state-level patronage comparable to Iraq's.

Terrorist Designations and Sanctions

The Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), specifically the Abu Abbas faction, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States Department of State on October 8, 1997, under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, due to its involvement in planning and executing acts of terrorism, including the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking that resulted in the murder of American citizen Leon Klinghoffer.^[50] This designation has been periodically reviewed and maintained, with confirmations in subsequent years such as 2016 and inclusions in annual Country Reports on Terrorism, reflecting the group's continued commitment to armed attacks against targets in Israel and the West.^[51]^[1] The FTO status triggers comprehensive sanctions, including the blocking of all property and interests in property of the PLF and its aliases (such as PLF-Abu Abbas) within U.S. jurisdiction by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as listed on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with the group.^[52] These measures extend to criminal penalties for providing material support, such as funds, training, or weapons, and restrict travel and visa issuance to designated individuals. Executive Order 13224 further authorizes asset freezes and financial restrictions on entities supporting the PLF, aiming to disrupt its operational funding and international networks.^[53] Canada has listed the PLF (also known as PLF-Abu Abbas Faction) as a terrorist entity under its Anti-Terrorism Act since at least the early 2000s, subjecting it to similar prohibitions on financial dealings, property seizures, and participation in its activities by Canadian citizens or on Canadian soil, with penalties including up to 10 years imprisonment for support.^[54] Israel regards the PLF as a terrorist organization owing to its history of cross-border raids and attacks on Israeli civilians and military personnel dating back to the 1970s, though formal designation details align with broader classifications of PLO splinter factions engaged in such violence. The European Union and United Kingdom have not separately proscribed the PLF on their autonomous terrorist lists as of recent reviews, focusing instead on larger PLO components like Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, potentially reflecting differing assessments of the group's current operational scale post-Abu Abbas's death in 2003.^[55]^[56]

Decline and Current Status

Factors Leading to Diminishment

The death of PLF founder and leader Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas) in March 2004, while in U.S. custody following his capture in Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq invasion, created a profound leadership vacuum that contributed significantly to the organization's operational collapse.^[57]^[58] As head of the dominant Abu Abbas faction—headquartered in Iraq and reliant on Saddam Hussein's regime for funding, safe haven, and logistical support—the group lost its primary command structure and patronage network after Hussein's ouster, which had enabled its activities for decades.^[17]^[59] The U.S. designation of the PLF-Abu Abbas faction as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in October 1997 further constrained its capabilities by authorizing asset freezes, travel bans, and prohibitions on material support, effectively isolating it from international financial systems and potential donors.^[22] Similar listings by the European Union and other entities amplified these restrictions, diminishing recruitment and operational funding amid heightened global counterterrorism scrutiny post-9/11.^[60] The PLF's staunch rejection of the 1993 Oslo Accords, including opposition to PLO recognition of Israel and abandonment of armed struggle, marginalized it within evolving Palestinian politics dominated by Fatah-led moderation and the subsequent rise of the Palestinian Authority.^[3] This ideological rigidity excluded the group from institutional power-sharing and resources channeled through the PLO and PA, reducing its influence as mainstream factions prioritized negotiation over rejectionism.^[61] Pre-existing factional splits—into pro-PLO (Abu Abbas), pro-Syrian, and pro-Libyan wings dating to the 1980s—exacerbated internal fragmentation, preventing unified action and diluting membership, which had always been limited compared to larger groups like Fatah or Hamas.^[17] By the mid-2000s, these dynamics, combined with the evaporation of state sponsors like Iraq and Libya amid regional upheavals, rendered the PLF largely dormant, with no major operations recorded since the early 1990s.^[61]

Activities and Relevance Post-2010

Following the death of its founder Muhammad Zaidan (Abu Abbas) in 2003, the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) – Abu Abbas Faction experienced a significant decline in operational capacity, with activities post-2010 limited to sporadic claims of low-level attacks primarily in the Gaza Strip.^[62] In February 2010, the group claimed responsibility for an improvised explosive device (IED) attack targeting an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) patrol in southern Gaza, which wounded four Israeli soldiers.^[1] This marked the resumption of claimed operations after a prolonged period of inactivity, followed by attributions for two additional attacks against Israeli targets on March 14, 2012, involving rocket fire from Gaza.^[63] The PLF's last claimed militant actions occurred in 2016, after which it has not publicly taken responsibility for any attacks or operations.^[1] U.S. government assessments indicate the group's strength remains unknown, with potential presence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, but no evidence of coordinated or significant threats in recent years.^[62] The organization continues to operate as a minor faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by Wasel Abu Yousef, focusing more on political rhetoric than armed activity.^[26] Despite its diminished militant profile, the PLF retains relevance through its ongoing designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States since 1997, subjecting it to sanctions that restrict funding and travel.^[60] This status underscores its historical ties to state sponsors like Iraq under Saddam Hussein, though post-2003 shifts, including the fall of the Ba'athist regime, further eroded its logistical base.^[64] In Palestinian politics, the group holds marginal influence, occasionally aligning with PLO statements on broader issues like Gaza ceasefires, but lacks electoral presence or independent operational impact.^[26] Its inactivity reflects broader trends among legacy PLO splinter groups, supplanted by more active Islamist factions such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.^[62]

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