The Mackenzie Institute
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) (Democratic Front, al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyah)
Description/History:
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine split from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1969 to be more ideologically focused (changing its name from the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1974). The group initially believed in forming a single Palestinian state via Marxist/Maoist revolution, but has since moderated to consider a two-state solution and supported the Ten-Point Program in 1974.
The group is a member of the PLO, and was politically positioned between Arafat and the rejectionists during the 1980s. The group briefly aligned with the Alliance of Palestinian Forces (APF) to oppose the 1993 Declaration of Principals.
In 1991 a schism split the group into two factions. The group was further weakened by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Islamism, despite some efforts to ally with the PFLP. The US has not considered the group an official terrorist organization since 1999.
Activities:
The DFLP has targeted Israeli targets with bombings, border raids and other attacks. Most notoriously, the group took hostage and killed a group of children in an Israeli school in 1974. The group has been mostly inactive since the 1990s; however, like the PFLP and the PFLP-GC, the DFLP made a limited attempt to resume attacks against Israel during the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the early 2000s, shooting several Israeli soldiers in 2001.
Location:
The DFLP consists of Palestinians primarily in Syria and Lebanon. The group no longer conducts attacks in Israel, focusing its limited activities against the Occupied Territories. The group was also formerly active in Jordan until it was expelled in 1970.
Financing:
The DFLP receives funding and training from Syria. Before its collapse, the Soviet Union also provided equipment.