That the missionaries were held by the FARC calls into doubt the existence of the VPT-20. The group may have been a cover for the FARC, though it is possible that a small group of right-wing Panamanians aided the kidnapping and then left the victims with the FARC. Furthermore, there is some confusion as to whether or not VPT-20 actually claimed credit for the 1991 grenade attack on the U.S. Embassy. Some sources say it was the December 20 Movement. It is also possible that VPT-20 could be a faction or an alias of December 20. In any case, the VPT-20 was never associated with any other incidents and is no longer a threat. <P>

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)

Hamas -- Rival and Ally
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- Rival and Ally
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) -- Rival and Ally
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command (PFLP-GC) -- Rival and Ally
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) -- Founding Group

al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyya li-Tahrir Filastin, Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP)

Syria provides financial support and safehaven to the DFLP.  Libya has also provided financial support.  Up until the 1980s, the DFLP received support from the Soviet Union and other Marxist governments/movements from around the world including Cuba and t

The DFLP is a Marxist-Leninist, Palestinian secular nationalist movement.  The DFLP broke away from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1969 over ideological and personal differences and quickly became the PLO's third largest faction.  Nayaf Hawatmeh, founder of the DFLP, believed that the PFLP had improperly emphasized Arab/Palestinian nationalism over Marxist-Leninist ideology.  The DFLP therefore sought to refocus on leftist ideology, believing that the ultimate goal of Palestinian nationalism could not be achieved without Marxist revolutions throughout the entire Middle East.  The DFLP has promoted revolutionary change in all Arab countries and has sought to place the Palestinian nationalist movement within the international context of Marxist liberation.  As part of its ideology, the DFLP committed itself to the destruction of Israel and to the opposition of US policy in the region.  <br /><br /><p>Despite its radical ideology, the DFLP has remained surprisingly pragmatic.  While remaining dedicated to destroying Israel, it proposed negotiations with Israel in 1971 and even accepted the idea of creating a democratic Palestinian state with equal rights for Arabs and Jews.  The group has generally steered a middle course between rejectionism (i.e. rejection of Israel's right to exist) and outright negotiation with Israel.  Unlike other Palestinian factions that espoused international displays of violence, the DFLP has generally focused its violent activities within Israel and the Palestinian Territories.