The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is the second largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It was founded in 1967 as an extension of the Palestinian branch of the Arab Nationalist Movement. It was founded by a group of Arab nationalist leaders and some Palestinian organizations that were widespread at the time, headed by its founder and former Secretary-General George Habash and Wadih Haddad..
Establishment and launch
The Popular Front was launched on December 11, 1967, by a group of Arab nationalists and some Palestinian organizations that were widespread at the time, led by its founder and former Secretary-General, Dr. George Habash, Abu Ali Mustafa (known as Mustafa Al-Zubri), Wadih Haddad and Ahmed Al-Yamani And Abu Asaad (Hussein Hammoud).
The list of founders included: George Habash, Abu Ali Mustafa, Tayseer Qabaa, Wadih Haddad, Ahmed Al-Yamani, Omar Khalil, Omar Muhammad Al-Musalmi, Adnan Jaber, Atallah Abu Ghattas, Adeeb Assaf, Ahmed Mahmoud Abu Issa, Salah Salah, Hani Al-Hindi, Ghassan Kanafani, Widad Hamdi, Laila Khaled, Rafiq Sorour, Hajj Fayez Jaber..
The Front joined the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1968, and its Secretary-General from its founding until 2000 was George Habash, when he stepped down and took over. Abu Ali Mustafa The position of Secretary-General after him until the date of his assassination on August 27, 2001, when Ahmed Saadat, who was detained in Israeli prisons and accused of being behind the assassination of the Israeli Minister of Tourism, Rehavam Ze’evi, took over the position of Secretary-General..
One of the most important milestones that the Popular Front went through during the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000 was the assassination of its Secretary-General, Abu Ali Mustafa, on July 28, 2001. The Front responded by assassinating the Israeli Minister of Tourism, Rehavam Ze’evi. This operation is classified as the first of its kind in the Arab-Israeli conflict due to its targeting of one of Israel’s leaders..
The Popular Front is considered one of the most prominent leftist organizations that embraces the armed struggle to liberate Palestine. It has been known for its rejection of agreements that it sees as detracting from the rights of the Palestinian people since its inception. It strongly opposed the Camp David Accords in the 1970s, and also opposed the agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, represented by the Oslo Accords and what resulted from them..
The political program of the Front:
- Liberating the entire Palestinian territory and establishing the Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
- Developing and strengthening the struggle of our people within the occupied homeland.
- The struggle against Jewish immigration to occupied Palestine.
- Strengthening the struggle role of Palestinian women, and enhancing their level of participation in national action.
- Develop a comprehensive plan to escalate and develop forms of revolutionary violence against the Israeli enemy.
- Working to guarantee the civil, political and militant rights of Palestinian refugees.
- Working to strengthen and develop efforts made in the field of mobilizing the Palestinian and Arab masses.
- Interest in establishing and developing various institutions at home and abroad.
- Care and attention to the issue of the Palestinian child as the future generation.
- Defending human rights and struggling to release Palestinian and Arab political prisoners and detainees.
- Working to develop the revolution’s level of care and interest in Palestinian students and youth.
- Protecting Palestinian popular heritage and national culture.
- Resisting all liquidation plans and projects for the Palestinian cause.
- Obtaining the right of return, self-determination, and establishing a state.
- Working to strengthen the role and status of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- Working to strengthen, develop and consolidate national unity within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- Rejecting the Oslo Accords.
Military wings of the Popular Front:
- Popular Resistance Forces: The military wing of the Popular Front was known as the (Popular Resistance Forces), and the uprising witnessed several car bombings and other operations..
- Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades: After the assassination of the Secretary-General of the Popular Front, Abu Ali Mustafa, on August 27, 2001, the Popular Resistance Forces were transformed into the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and its military commander was Ahed Abu Gholma, who is currently detained in the occupation prisons..
History of my struggle
Thank you The position of Secretary-General, on August 27, 2001, Ahmed Saadat, who is currently detained in the Palestinian Jericho prison under heavy guard after a deal between the President of the Palestinian Authority and Israel was based on Saadat and 4 members of the Popular Front were imprisoned after a mock court held for them by Yasser Arafat. In return, Israel temporarily lifted its siege of Arafat.“.
Israel accuses Saadat and his colleagues of being behind the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi in response to the Israeli forces’ assassination of the former Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abu Ali Mustafa..
In March 2006, Israeli forces stormed Jericho Prison, then kidnapped Saadat and a group of Palestinian prisoners, and they are detained in Ofer Prison until today..
Front guerrilla action:
The Popular Front was the first to invent airplane hijacking, and Leila Khaled is considered the first woman to hijack a plane in the world. At the beginning of 1969, she joined training camps affiliated with the Popular Front in Jordan. She received training from a member of the Front, Muhammad al-Qadi, who was temporarily assigned at the time to provide military training for some forces in Jordan. On February 29, 1969, Laila Khaled, with the help of Salim Al-Issawi, hijacked an American passenger plane, Flight No. 840, connecting the Los Angeles-Tel Aviv route. They boarded the plane and changed the flight path to Damascus.
The Front was the first to kill a first-ranking Israeli official, when it assassinated the extremist Minister Rehavam Ze’evi, the proponent of the displacement theory. The Popular Front was also able to attract revolutionary fighters from various parts of the world, considering that the Palestinian issue is an international issue, so it carried out with the Japanese Red Army the Lod Airport operation. The Venezuelan Carlos and the Guatemalan Aguerio were examples of revolutionaries who joined the ranks of the resistance from various parts of the earth. As well as supporting the Irish Republican Army and other libertarian organizations in the world.
