RAMALLAH: Al-Monitor reports that Nayef Hawatmeh, the head of the once popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is requesting entry to the occupied Palestinian Territories. Based in Syria, the Hawatmeh has requested entry to the oPt due to the conflict and his age. Born in 1938 in Jordan, Hawatmeh comes from a Christian Palestinian tribe. He has a storied history with Israel which will most likely inhibit his return to Palestine. Hawatmeh was a founding member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and split from the group in 1969 when he formed the DFLP. Israel holds the DFLP responsible for the 1974 Ma'alot Massacre. Several members of the DFLP entered northern Israel through the Lebanese border dressed as Israeli armed forces and took approximately 115 people hostage. The majority of the hostages were teenagers on a school field trip who were ransomed for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces from the occupied Golan Heights stormed the building where the hostages were held, resulting in the death of the 3 DFLP members and approximately 22 hostages. The DFLP also killed Palestinian-Israelis while en route to Ma'alot. Hawatmeh was staunchly opposed to the Oslo Accords, even though he was the author of a ten-point plan for Palestinians to govern any land ceded by Israel which many view as the foundation of the accords. He was granted a Palestinian identification card as a result of the agreement but has never been allowed to enter. His stance on the Oslo Accords cost him many followers. Deputies in the DFLP left Syria to rejoin Yasser Arafat. He softened his positions throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. In spite of this softening, DFLP activism has almost halted completely. The request comes at a time when many Palestinian organizations are fleeing due to ideological disputes with the Assad regime and refugees for personal safety BN
