Mustafa Zibri

Mustafa Zibri, also known as Abu Ali Mustafa.

Born in 1935, in the northern West Bank town of Arraba. Married father of five.

One of the founders of the Palestinian Liberation Organization rising to become a member of its ruling Executive Committee at one stage.

Spent 32 years in exile, mainly in Damascus and Jordan, after fleeing his home when Israel captured the town in the 1967 war.

Helped form the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 1967 and became deputy to George Habash.

It was once the second biggest and most influential PLO faction.

The PFLP became prominent for a series of major attacks on Israelis in Israel and Europe as well as high-profile aircraft hijackings in the 1960s and 1970s.

The PFLP was part of a "rejectionist front" of 10 Palestinian groups who refused to join the Palestinian Authority after the interim Oslo accords were signed with Israel in 1993.

The accords saw the PFLP enter politics but it suffered subsequent divisions and splits.

Israel allowed Mustafa to return to Palestinian-ruled areas in 1999 after the beginning of reconciliation with PA President Yasser Arafat.

The PFLP opposed the U.S.-brokered peace talks at Camp David in July 2000, predicting they would collapse and violence would follow.

It rejects anything less than a total Israeli withdrawal from lands occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.

Mustafa was elected the new leader of the PFLP in July 2000 after Habash retired.

He was one of the most senior Palestinian political leaders killed by Israel (on August 27) since the assassination of Khalil Wazir, better known as Abu Jihad, in Tunis in 1988.

Israel said he had masterminded a car bombing campaign against Israelis during the latest uprising, but Palestinians denied he had had a personal role.