Qais Abd al-Karim

Qais Abd al-Karim (known also as Abu Laila) is the deputy secretary general of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and a member of its Politburo. He helped found the group in 1969. Abd al-Karim is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Israeli reportedly tried to assassinate him in 2001.

Born in Iraq, he began his political career with the Arab Nationalist Movement. He joined the Palestinian liberation movement in 1968 and took part in the fighting against Jordanian forces in September 1970 (“Black September”). Following the PLO’s ejection from Jordan, he lived in Beirut and Damascus. After the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 he moved to the OPT where he became the DFLP’s main representative.