Editing Palestine Liberation Organization

{{Short description|Palestinian nationalist coalition}}
{{Redirect|PLO}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Palestine Liberation Organization
| native_name      = {{lang|ar|منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية}}<br/>{{nobold|{{Transliteration|ar|Munaẓẓamat at-Taḥrīr al-Filasṭīniyyah}}}}
| logo             = Emblem of the PLO Vector Graphic.svg
| colorcode        = #FFA315
| abbreviation     = PLO
| native_name_lang = ar
| leader1_title    = [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Chairman]]
| leader1_name     = [[Mahmoud Abbas]]
| founded          = {{start date and age|df=y|28 May 1964}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/29/archives/arabs-create-organization-for-recovery-of-palestine.html|title=Arabs Create Organization For Recovery of Palestine|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 May 1964|agency=Reuters|quote=The creation of Palestine liberation organization was announced today...}}</ref>
| headquarters     = {{nowrap|[[Al-Bireh]], [[West Bank]]<ref name="PLOhead1">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-ramallah/in-west-bank-ramallah-looks-ever-more-like-capital-idUSTRE6AT1VF20101130|title=In West Bank, Ramallah looks ever more like capital|date=30 November 2010|work=Reuters|last1=Sawafta|first1=Ali}}</ref><ref name="PLOhead2">{{cite web|url=https://m.jpost.com/Middle-East/Abbas-Referendum-law-is-obstacle-to-peace|title=Abbas: Referendum law is 'obstacle to peace'|work=Jerusalem Post|first=Khaled Abu|last=Toameh|date=24 November 2010|access-date=27 October 2023}}</ref>}}
| international    = [[United Nations General Assembly observers#Non-member observers|United Nations non-member observer]]
| ideology         = {{ubl|
*[[Palestinian nationalism]]
*[[Arab nationalism]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Szekely|first=Ora|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6i6gDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA51|title=The Politics of Militant Group Survival in the Middle East: Resources, Relationships, and Resistance|date=2016-11-26|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-40141-6|pages=51|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Pan-Arabism]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spyer|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NoZra6mWVaQC&pg=PA23|title=The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict|date=2011-01-01|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4411-6663-0|pages=23|language=en}}</ref>|[[Arab socialism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://otralectura.com/2019/03/17/quien-fue-yasser-arafat/|title=Quién fue Yasser Arafat?|date=17 March 2019}}</ref>
*[[Secularism]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grafton|first=David D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxATBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT222|title=Piety, Politics, and Power: Lutherans Encountering Islam in the Middle East|date=2009-03-16|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-63087-718-7|pages=222|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Anti-imperialism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/rewriting-history-abbas-calls-israel-a-colonial-project-unrelated-to-judaism/|title=Rewriting history, Abbas calls Israel a 'colonial project' unrelated to Judaism|website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>
*'''Factions:'''
*[[One-state solution]]<ref name="Haaretz">{{Cite news|title=Jailed PFLP Leader: Only a One-state Solution Is Possible|language=en|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/2010-05-05/ty-article/jailed-pflp-leader-only-a-one-state-solution-is-possible/0000017f-f6de-d460-afff-fffe63970000|access-date=2023-11-08}}</ref>
*[[Anti-Zionism]]<ref name="Haaretz"/>
*[[Ba'athism]]<ref name="Rubenberg">{{Cite book|last=Rubenberg|first=Cheryl|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NmXBmOGbHL4C&pg=PA41|title=The Palestinians: In Search of a Just Peace|date=2003|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-1-58826-225-7|pages=41|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Marxism]]<ref name="Rubenberg"/>
}}
| position         = [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]
| anthem           = [[Fida'i]]<ref>{{cite web|work=National Anthems|url=http://www.nationalanthems.info/ps.htm|title=Palestine}}</ref>
| flag             = Flag of Palestine - short triangle.svg
| affiliation1_title = Members
| affiliation1     = {{Bulleted list|[[Fatah]]|[[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP)|[[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP)|[[Palestinian People's Party]] (PPP)|[[Palestinian Liberation Front]] (PLF)|[[Arab Liberation Front]] (ALF)|[[As-Sa'iqa]]|[[Palestinian Democratic Union]] (FIDA)|[[Palestinian Popular Struggle Front]] (PPSF)|[[Palestinian Arab Front]] (PAF)|[[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command]] (PFLP-GC)<ref name=fasael>{{cite web|title=fasael - منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية|url=https://www.plo.ps/ar/Category/112/%D9%81%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84|website=Palestine Liberation Organization|access-date=29 August 2024|language=ar}}</ref>}}
| seats1_title     = [[Palestinian Legislative Council]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|50|132|hex=#FFA315}}
| website          = http://www.plo.ps/en
| country          = Palestine
| country_dab1     = Politics of the Palestinian National Authority
| parties_dab1     = List of political parties in Palestine
| elections_dab1   = Elections in Palestine
}}
{{Politics of Palestine}}
{{Yasser Arafat series}}
The '''Palestine Liberation Organization''' ('''PLO'''; {{langx|ar|منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية|{{Audio|ArPLO.ogg|Munaẓẓamat at-Taḥrīr al-Filasṭīniyyah}}}}) is a [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian nationalist coalition]] that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]] in both the [[Occupied Palestinian territories]] and the [[Palestinian diaspora|diaspora]].<ref name="c447">{{cite journal|first1=Jamil|last1=Hilal|first2=Rema|last2=Hammami|title=An Uprising at a Crossroads|journal=Middle East Report|date=2001-06-13|url=https://merip.org/2001/06/an-uprising-at-a-crossroads/|access-date=2024-07-26|quote=the higher and more encompassing power of the PLO, as the representative of all Palestinians, not just Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whom the institutions of the PA represent.}}</ref><ref name="al -Madfai">{{cite book|first=Madiha Rashid|last=Al-Madfai|title=Jordan, the United States and the Middle East Peace Process, 1974–1991|publisher=Cambridge Middle East Library, Cambridge University Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0-521-41523-1|page=21|quote=On 28 October 1974, the seventh Arab summit conference held in Rabat designated the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed their right to establish an independent state of urgency.}}</ref><ref name="Geldenhuysp155">{{Cite book|last1=Geldenhuys|first1=Deon|url=https://archive.org/details/isolatedstatesco0000geld|title=Isolated states: a comparative analysis|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-521-40268-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isolatedstatesco0000geld/page/155 155]|quote=The organisation has also been recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by well over 100 states ...|url-access=registration}}</ref> It is currently represented by the [[Palestinian Authority]] based in the West Bank city of [[Al-Bireh]].

Founded in 1964, it initially sought to establish an [[Arab world|Arab state]] over the entire territory of the former [[Mandatory Palestine]], advocating the elimination of [[Israel]]. Mediated talks between the Israeli government and the PLO in 1993 (the Oslo I Accord) resulted in the PLO recognizing [[Legitimacy of the State of Israel|Israel's legitimacy]] and accepting [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242]], which mandated Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories, while Israel recognized the PLO as a legitimate authority representing the Palestinian people.<ref name="Murphy">{{cite news|first=Kim|last=Murphy|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-10-mn-33546-story.html|title=Israel and PLO, in Historic Bid for Peace, Agree to Mutual Recognition|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=10 September 1993}}</ref> Despite the [[Israel–Palestine Liberation Organization letters of recognition|Israel–PLO Letters of Mutual Recognition]] (1993), in which PLO leader [[Yasser Arafat]] renounced violence against Israel, the PLO engaged in militant activities during the [[Second Intifada]] (2000–2005). On 29 October 2018, the [[Palestinian Central Council|PLO Central Council]] suspended the [[International recognition of Israel|Palestinian recognition of Israel]].<ref name="suspend">{{cite web|url=https://www.elwatannews.com/news/details/3761652|script-title=ar:المجلس المركزي الفلسطيني يعلن تعليق الاعتراف بدولة إسرائيل|trans-title=The Palestinian Central Council announces the suspension of recognition of the State of Israel|first=Rami|last=Mustafa|work=[[El Watan]]|date=29 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Palestinian Central Council suspends recognition of Israel|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestinian-central-council-suspends-recognition-of-israel/2498269|access-date=2023-11-02|website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref>

As the officially recognized government of the {{Langx|la|de jure|label=none}} [[Palestine|State of Palestine]], it has enjoyed [[United Nations General Assembly observers|United Nations observer status]] since 1974.<ref>United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3210. "Invites the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate in the deliberations of the General Assembly on the question of Palestine in plenary meetings."</ref><ref>United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236. "Having heard the statement of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, ..."</ref><ref>United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3237</ref> Prior to the [[Oslo Accords]], the PLO's militant wings engaged in [[Palestinian political violence|acts of violence]] against both the Israeli military and civilians, within Israel and abroad.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Beyer|first=Lisa|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,781566,00.html|title=Arafat: A Life in Retrospect|magazine=Time|date=12 November 2004|access-date=8 March 2017|archive-date=8 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008191948/https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,781566,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-11-08-mn-2784-story.html|title=PLO to Limit Attacks, Arafat Says|work=Los Angeles Times|date=17 October 2000|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palestine-Liberation-Organization|title=Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref> The [[United States]] designated it as a terrorist group in 1987, though a presidential waiver has permitted [[Palestine–United States relations|American–PLO contact]] since 1988.<ref name="auto">{{USC2|22|5201|Findings; determinations}}</ref><ref name="fundingevil">{{cite book|first=Rachel|last=Ehrenfeld|type=preview chapter|chapter=The Palestinians|title=Funding Evil, How Terrorism Is Financed – and How to Stop It|year=2003|url=http://eufunding.org.uk/terror/FundingEvil.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426160931/http://eufunding.org.uk/terror/FundingEvil.pdf|archive-date=26 April 2011|publisher=Bonus Books|via=Funding for Peace Coalition|access-date=2023-10-27}}</ref>

==History and armed actions==
===Early actions===
At its [[1964 Arab League summit (Cairo)|first summit meeting]] in [[Cairo]] in 1964, the [[Arab League]] initiated the creation of an organization representing the Palestinian people.<ref name="masri">[http://muftah.org/the-plo-and-the-crisis-of-representation-by-mazen-masri/#.Vef84LNnor4 ''The PLO and the crisis of representation''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322193612/http://muftah.org/the-plo-and-the-crisis-of-representation-by-mazen-masri/#.Vef84LNnor4|date=22 March 2016}}.  Mazen Masri, Muftah, 15 October 2010</ref> The [[Palestinian National Council]] convened in [[Jerusalem]] on 28 May 1964. After concluding the meeting, the PLO was founded on 2 June 1964. Its stated "complementary goals" were Arab unity and the liberation of [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].<ref name="1964_charter"/>

The PLO began their militancy campaign from its inception with an attack on [[National Water Carrier of Israel|Israel's National Water Carrier]] in January 1965.<ref name="fundingevil"/> The group used [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] tactics to attack Israel from their bases in [[Jordan]] (which then included the [[West Bank]]), [[Lebanon]], Egypt ([[Gaza Strip]]), and [[Syria]].<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/arab-israeli_conflict.html Arab-Israeli Conflict], [[Encarta]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028083130/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/arab-israeli_conflict.html|date=28 October 2009}}</ref>

The most notable of what were considered terrorist acts committed by member organizations of the PLO were in the 1970s. The 1970 [[Avivim school bus bombing|Avivim school bus massacre]] by the [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP), killed nine children, three adults and crippled 19. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]], the second-largest PLO faction after [[Fatah|al-Fatah]], carried out [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine#Armed attacks of the PFLP|a number of attacks and plane hijackings]] mostly directed at Israel, most infamously the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]], which precipitated the [[Black September]] crisis.

In 1972, the [[Black September Organization]] carried out the [[Munich massacre]] of Israeli Olympic athletes. In 1974, members of the DFLP seized a school in Israel and killed a total of 26 students and adults and wounded over 70 in the [[Ma'alot massacre]]. The 1975, [[Savoy Hotel attack|Savoy Hotel hostage situation]] killing 8 hostages and 3 soldiers, carried out by Fatah. The 1978, [[Coastal road massacre]] killing 37 Israelis and wounding 76, also carried out by Fatah.

===PLO operations in Jordan: 1967–1971===
{{main|War of Attrition|Black September}}
From 1967 to September 1970 the PLO, with passive support from Jordan, fought a [[War of Attrition|war of attrition]] with Israel. During this time, the PLO launched artillery attacks on the [[moshav]]im and [[kibbutz]]im of [[Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council|Bet Shean Valley Regional Council]], while [[Palestinian fedayeen|fedayeen]] launched numerous attacks on Israeli forces. Israel raided the PLO camps in Jordan, including [[Battle of Karameh|Karameh]], withdrawing only under Jordanian military pressure.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ben-Tzedef|first=Eviatar|title=Inferno at Karameh|work=nfc|access-date=3 September 2008|date=24 March 2008|url=http://www.nfc.co.il/Archive/003-D-28622-00.html?tag=10-27-34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921135837/http://www.nfc.co.il/Archive/003-D-28622-00.html?tag=10-27-34|archive-date=21 September 2008|url-status=dead|language=he}}</ref>

This conflict culminated in [[Black September|Jordan's expulsion of the PLO]] to Lebanon in July 1971.

The PLO suffered a major reversal with the Jordanian assault on its armed groups, in the events known as [[Black September]] in 1970. The Palestinian groups were expelled from Jordan, and during the 1970s, the PLO was effectively an [[Umbrella organization|umbrella group]] of eight organizations headquartered in [[Damascus]] and [[Beirut]], all devoted to armed struggle against [[Zionism]] or Israeli occupation, using methods which included direct clashing and [[guerrilla warfare]] against Israel. After Black September, the [[Cairo Agreement (1969)|Cairo Agreement]] led the PLO to establish itself in Lebanon.

===Lebanese Civil War: 1971–1982===
{{Main|Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon|Lebanese Civil War}}
In the late 1960s, and especially after the expulsion of the Palestinian militants from Jordan in [[Black September|Black September events in 1970–1971]], Lebanon had become the base for PLO operations. Palestinian militant organizations relocated their headquarters to South Lebanon, and relying on the support in Palestinian refugee camps, waged a campaign of attacks on the Galilee and on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. Increasing penetration of Palestinians into Lebanese politics and Israeli retaliations gradually deteriorated the situation.

By the mid-1970s, Arafat and his Fatah movement found themselves in a tenuous position.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Arafat increasingly called for diplomacy, perhaps best symbolized by his [[PLO's Ten Point Program|Ten Point Program]] and his support for a UN Security Council resolution proposed in 1976 calling for a [[two-state solution|two-state settlement]] on the pre-1967 borders.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} But the [[Rejectionist Front]] denounced the calls for diplomacy, and a diplomatic solution was vetoed by the United States.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} In 1975, the increasing tensions between Palestinian militants and Christian militias exploded into the [[Lebanese Civil War]], involving all factions. On 20 January 1976, the PLO took part in the [[Damour massacre]] in retaliation to the [[Karantina massacre]]. The PLO and [[Lebanese National Movement]] attacked the Christian town of [[Damour]], killing 684 civilians and forcing the remainder of the town's population to flee. In 1976 Syria joined the war by invading Lebanon, beginning the 29‑year [[Syrian occupation of Lebanon]], and in 1978 Israel [[1978 South Lebanon conflict|invaded South Lebanon]] in response to the [[Coastal road massacre]], executed by Palestinian militants based in Lebanon.

The population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip saw Arafat as their best hope for a resolution to the conflict.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} This was especially so in the aftermath of the [[Camp David Accords]] of 1978 between Israel and Egypt, which the Palestinians saw as a blow to their aspirations to self-determination.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} [[Abu Nidal]], a sworn enemy of the PLO since 1974,<ref>Seale 1992, 98.</ref> assassinated the PLO's diplomatic envoy to the [[European Economic Community]], which in the [[Venice Declaration]] of 1980 had called for the Palestinian right of self-determination to be recognized by Israel.

Opposition to Arafat was fierce not only among radical Arab groups, but also among many on the Israeli right.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} This included [[Menachem Begin]], who had stated on more than one occasion that even if the PLO accepted [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|UN Security Council Resolution 242]] and recognized Israel's right to exist, he would never negotiate with the organization.<ref>Smith, op. cit., p. 357</ref>{{verify source|date=April 2012}} This contradicted the official United States position that it would negotiate with the PLO if the PLO accepted Resolution 242 and recognized Israel, which the PLO had thus far been unwilling to do. Other Arab voices had recently called for a diplomatic resolution to the hostilities in accord with the international consensus, including Egyptian leader [[Anwar Sadat]] on his visit to Washington, DC in August 1981, and Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia in his 7 August peace proposal; together with Arafat's diplomatic maneuver, these developments made Israel's argument that it had "no partner for peace" seem increasingly problematic. Thus, in the eyes of Israeli hard-liners, "the Palestinians posed a greater challenge to Israel as a peacemaking organization than as a military one".<ref>Smith, op. cit., 376</ref>

After the appointment of Ariel Sharon to the post of [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Minister of Defense]] in 1981, the Israeli government policy of allowing political growth to occur in the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip changed. The Israeli government tried, unsuccessfully, to dictate terms of political growth by replacing local pro-PLO leaders with an Israeli civil administration.<ref>Shaul Mishal, Ranan D. Kuperman, David Boas (2001). ''Investment in Peace: Politics of Economic Cooperation Between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority''. Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-902210-88-9}} p 64</ref>

In 1982, after an attack on a senior Israeli diplomat by Lebanon-based Palestinian militants in Lebanon, Israel [[1982 Lebanon War|invaded Lebanon]] in a much larger scale in coordination with the Lebanese Christian militias, reaching Beirut and eventually resulting in ousting of the PLO headquarters in June that year. Low-level Palestinian insurgency in Lebanon continued in parallel with the consolidation of Shia militant organizations, but became a secondary concern to Israeli military and other Lebanese factions. With ousting of the PLO, the Lebanese Civil War gradually turned into a prolonged conflict, shifting from mainly PLO-Christian conflict into involvement of all Lebanese factions – whether [[Lebanese Sunni Muslims|Sunni]], [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Shia]], [[Lebanese Druze|Druze]], and [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]].

===Headquarters in Tunis: 1982–1991===
In 1982, the PLO relocated to [[Tunis]], Tunisia after it was driven out of Lebanon by Israel during the [[1982 Lebanon War]]. Following massive raids by Israeli forces in Beirut, it is estimated that 8,000 PLO fighters evacuated the city and dispersed.<ref>[[Helena Cobban]] (1984), ''The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics'', [[Cambridge University Press]], p. 3.</ref>

On 1 October 1985, in [[Operation Wooden Leg]], [[Israeli Air Force]] [[McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle|F-15s]] bombed the PLO's Tunis headquarters, killing more than 60 people.

It is suggested that the Tunis period (1982–1991) was a negative point in the PLO's history, leading up to the Oslo negotiations and formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PLO in exile was distant from a concentrated number of Palestinians and became far less effective.<ref>[[Rashid Khalidi]] (2006), ''The Iron Cage: The Story of the Struffle for Palestinian Statehood'', [[Beacon Press]] ({{ISBN|978-0-8070-0308-4}}), p. 180.</ref> There was a significant reduction in centers of research, political debates or journalistic endeavors that had encouraged an energized public presence of the PLO in Beirut. More and more Palestinians were abandoned, and many felt that this was the beginning of the end.<ref>Khalidi (2006), ''The Iron Cage'', p. 164.</ref>

===Oslo I Accord (1993)===
Mediated talks between the Israeli government and the PLO in 1993 (the [[Oslo I Accord]]) resulted in the PLO recognizing [[Legitimacy of the State of Israel|Israel's right to exist in peace]] and accepting [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242]] ("inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East in which every State in the area can live in security"), while Israel recognized the PLO as a legitimate authority representing the Palestinian people.<ref name="Murphy"/> Despite the [[Israel–Palestine Liberation Organization letters of recognition|Israel–PLO Letters of Mutual Recognition]] (1993), in which PLO leader [[Yasser Arafat]] renounced "terrorism and other acts of violence" against Israel, the PLO continued to engage in militant activities, particularly during the [[Second Intifada]] (see next subsection).

===Second Intifada: 2000–2004===
{{Main|Second Intifada}}
The Second or Al-Aqsa Intifada started concurrently with the breakdown of July 2000 [[2000 Camp David Summit|Camp David talks]] between Palestinian Authority Chairman [[Yasser Arafat]] and Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Barak]]. The Intifada never ended officially, but violence hit relatively low levels during 2005. The death toll, including both military personnel and civilians, of the entire conflict in 2000–2004 is estimated to be 3,223 Palestinians and 950 Israelis, although this number is criticized for not differentiating between combatants and civilians.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Members of the PLO have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
The PLO has been sued in the United States by families of those killed or injured in attacks by Palestinians. [[Leon Klinghoffer|One lawsuit]] was settled prior to going to trial.<ref name=NYT1997>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/world/a-settlement-with-plo-over-terror-on-a-cruise.html|title=A Settlement With P.L.O. Over Terror On a Cruise|first=Benjamin|last=Weiser|newspaper=The New York Times|date=12 August 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB871320035744096000|title=PLO Settles Klinghoffer Suit Over Achille Lauro Murder|first=Michael|last=Rapoport|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=12 August 1997|via=www.wsj.com}}</ref> [[Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization|The other]] went to trial. The PLO was found liable for the death and injuries of US citizens in a number of terrorist attacks in Israel from 2001 to 2004 and ordered to pay a judgment of $655.5 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/nyregion/damages-awarded-in-terror-case-against-palestinian-groups.html?emc=edit_na_20150223&nlid=31298867&_r=0|title=Palestinian Groups Are Found Liable at Manhattan Terror Trial|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 February 2015|access-date=8 March 2017|last1=Weiser|first1=Benjamin}}</ref> The verdict was overturned on appeal for a lack of US federal jurisdiction over actions committed overseas.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/nyregion/appeals-court-terror-verdict-plo-palestinian-authority.html?_r=0 Court Throws Out $655.5 Million Terrorism Verdict Against Palestinian Groups], B. Weiser, 31 August 2016, The New York Times</ref>

==Ideology==
{{primary sources section|find=Palestine Liberation Organization|find2=ideology|date=July 2020}}
The ideology of the PLO was formulated in the founding year, 1964, in the [[Palestinian National Covenant]].<ref name=1964_charter>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/pid/12363|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130144018/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/pid/12363|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 November 2010|title=Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations – Palestine National Charter of 1964|date=30 November 2010|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref>

After the [[Six-Day War|1967 war]], the ideology of the PLO changed significantly.<ref name=handbook/> In 1968, the Charter was replaced by a comprehensively revised version.<ref name=1968_charter>[http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/plocov.asp ''The Palestinian National Charter: Resolutions of the Palestine National Council 1–17 July 1968''], on Avalon</ref> For the first time, the PLO called for the establishment of a Palestinian state (to replace Israel) in which Christians, Muslims and Jews would have equal rights, thereby tacitly accepting Jewish presence in Palestine.<ref name=handbook/> The goal was akin to forcing [[regime change]] in Israel, as opposed to a drastic redrawing of borders.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Palestine and the Palestinians in the 21st century|date=2013|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-01080-3|editor-last=Davis|editor-first=Rochelle|location=Bloomington|pages=65|editor-last2=Kirk|editor-first2=Mimi|editor-last3=Piterberg|editor-first3=Gabriel}}</ref> The [[Palestinian National Council]] also insisted upon greater independence from Arab governments.<ref name=handbook>{{cite book|title=Political Handbook of the World 2012|date=2 April 2012|publisher=[[Sage Publishing]]|isbn=9781608719952|page=1634}}</ref>

In 1974, PLO accepted the creation of a "national authority" in the West Bank and Gaza as a first step towards liberating Palestine.<ref name=handbook/> This tacit recognition of Israel caused the [[Rejectionist Front]] to break away.<ref name=handbook/> In 1976, PLO accepted an "independent state" in the West Bank and Gaza, which was widely interpreted as accepting Israel's permanent existence. Shortly after that, the PLO established contacts with the Israeli left.<ref name=handbook/> PLO's proposal was similar to the one given by Egyptian Prime Minister [[Ismail Fahmi]], in 1976, where he promised Israel peace on the basis of withdrawing to the 1967 borders, creation of the [[Palestine|State of Palestine]] in the West Bank and Gaza, and a nuclear weapons free Middle East.<ref name=chomsky>{{cite book|last1=Chomsky|first1=Noam|author1-link=Noam Chomsky|title=The Chomsky Reader|date=2010|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|pages=395–396}}</ref> The PNC also authorized Palestinian representatives to meet Israeli officials at an Arab-Israeli peace conference.<ref name=chomsky/> In response, Israeli Prime Minister Rabin responded, "the only place the Israelis could meet the Palestinian guerrillas was on the field of battle."<ref name=chomsky/>

Until 1993, the only promoted option was armed struggle.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} From the signing of the Oslo Accords, negotiation and diplomacy became the only official policy.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

In April 1996, a large number of articles, which were inconsistent with the [[Oslo Accords]], were wholly or partially nullified.<ref name=letter_arafat-clinton>[http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=428&CategoryId=10 Letter From President Yasser Arafat to President Clinton], Miftah.org, 13 January 1998</ref>

At the core of the PLO's ideology is the belief that [[Zionism|Zionists]] had unjustly expelled the Palestinians from Palestine and established a Jewish state in place under the pretext of having historic and Jewish ties with Palestine. The PLO demanded that [[Palestinian refugees]] be allowed to [[Palestinian right of return|return]] to their homes. This is expressed in the National Covenant:

Article 2 of the Charter states that "Palestine, with the boundaries it had during the [[Mandatory Palestine|British mandate]], is an indivisible territorial unit",<ref name=1968_charter/> meaning that there is no place for a Jewish state. This article was adapted in 1996 to meet the Oslo Accords.<ref name=letter_arafat-clinton/>

Article 20 states: "The [[Balfour Declaration]], the Mandate for Palestine, and everything that has been based upon them, are deemed null and void. Claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history and the true conception of what constitutes statehood. Judaism, being a religion, is not an independent nationality. Nor do Jews constitute a single nation with an identity of its own; they are citizens of the states to which they belong".<ref name=1968_charter/> This article was nullified in 1996.<ref name=letter_arafat-clinton/>

Article 3 reads: "The Palestinian Arab people possess the legal right to their homeland and have the right to determine their destiny after achieving the liberation of their country in accordance with their wishes and entirely of their own accord and will".

===Secularism versus adherence to Islam===
The PLO and its dominating faction, Fatah, are often contrasted with more religious-orientated factions like [[Hamas]] and the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] (PIJ). All, however, represent a predominantly Muslim population. Practically the whole population of the Territories is Muslim, mostly [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]]. Around 50,000 (c. 1%) of the 4.6 million [[Palestinians]] in the [[occupied Palestinian territories]] (OPT) are [[Palestinian Christians|Palestinian Christian]].<ref name=lpj>[http://en.lpj.org/2014/10/21/palestinian-christians-in-the-holy-land-and-the-diaspora/ ''Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land and the Diaspora''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811101759/http://en.lpj.org/2014/10/21/palestinian-christians-in-the-holy-land-and-the-diaspora/|date=11 August 2015}}. Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 21 October 2014</ref><ref name=imeu>[http://imeu.org/article/palestinian-christians-in-the-holy-land ''Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land'']. Institute for Middle East Understanding, 17 December 2012</ref>

Under President Arafat, the Fatah-dominated [[Palestinian Authority]] adopted the 2003 Amended Basic Law, which stipulates Islam as the sole official religion in Palestine and the principles of Islamic [[sharia]] as a principal source of legislation.<ref name=2003_basic_law>[http://www.palestinianbasiclaw.org/basic-law/2003-amended-basic-law ''2003 Amended Basic Law'']<br/>Art. 1: "Palestine is part of the larger Arab world, and the Palestinian people are part of the Arab nation."; Art. 4: "Islam is the official religion in Palestine. Respect for the sanctity of all other divine religions shall be maintained; The principles of Islamic Shari'a shall be a principal source of legislation.; Arabic shall be the official language."</ref> The draft Constitution contains the same provisions.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040325025809/http://www.mopic.gov.ps/constitution/english%20constitution.asp The revision of the third draft of the constitution of the State of Palestine] (Art. 5 and 7). 15 May 2003</ref><ref name=mew_constitution>[http://www.mideastweb.org/palconstitution.htm ''Draft Palestine Constitution''].  MidEastWeb, 25 March 2003</ref> The draft Constitution was formulated by a Constitutional Committee, established by Arafat in 1999 and endorsed by the PLO.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011103033915/http://pcpsr.org/domestic/2001/conste1.html The draft of the Palestinian Constitution]. Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), February 2001</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040325162822/http://www.mopic.gov.ps/constitution/ ''Palestinian Constitution'']. Palestinian National Authority, April 2003</ref>

==Organization==
===Structure===
[[File:Orient House.jpg|thumb|[[Orient House]], the former PLO headquarters in Jerusalem]]
The PLO incorporates a range of generally secular ideologies of different Palestinian movements "committed to the struggle for Palestinian independence and liberation," hence the name of the organization. It's formally an umbrella organization that includes "numerous organizations of the resistance movement, political parties, and popular organizations."<ref name="un-observer">[http://palestineun.org/about-palestine/palestine-liberation-organization/ ''Palestine Liberation Organization'']. Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations</ref> From the beginning, the PLO was designed as a government in exile, with a parliament, the [[Palestinian National Council|Palestine National Council]] (PNC), chosen by the Palestinian people, as the highest authority in the PLO, and an executive government (EC), elected by the PNC.<ref name="un-observer"/> In practice, however, the organization was rather a hierarchic one with a military-like character, needed for its function as a liberation organization, the "liberation of Palestine".<ref name=masri/>{{better source needed|reason=The source is accessible to members only|date=December 2021}}

The [[Palestinian National Covenant|Palestinian National Charter]] describes the ideology of the PLO. A constitution, named "Fundamental Law", was adopted, which dictates the inner structure of the organization and the representation of the Palestinian people. A draft Constitution was written in 1963, to rule the PLO until free general elections among all the Palestinians in all the countries in which they resided could be held.<ref>[http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/draft.html ''The Draft Constitution of the Palestine Liberation Organization (1963)''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226003303/http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/draft.html|date=26 December 2013}} See Article 4. The Jerusalem Fund</ref> The Constitution was revised in 1968.<ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/plocon.html ''Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO):Constitution'']. Text of the 1968 Constitution on JVL</ref>

===Institutions===
The [[Palestinian National Council]] has 740 members and the [[Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Executive Committee]] or ExCo has 18 members. The [[Palestinian Central Council]] or CC or PCC, established by the PNC in 1973, is the second leading body of the PLO.<ref name=memo_distinction/> The CC consists of 124 members<ref name=pcc_1996>See the 1996 list of members: [https://web.archive.org/web/20081025100117/http://middleeastreference.org.uk/plocc.html Members of the PLO Central Council as of 1996]. At middleeastreference.org.uk</ref> from the PLO Executive Committee, PNC, [[Palestinian Legislative Council|PLC]] and other Palestinian organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/pdf/pdf2003/sections2/PLO-CC.pdf|title=PLO Central Council Members|website=Passia.org|access-date=8 March 2017
|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102214/http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/pdf/pdf2003/sections2/PLO-CC.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> The EC includes 15 representatives of the PLC.<ref name="un-observer"/> The CC functions as an intermediary body between the PNC and the EC. The CC makes policy decisions when PNC is not in session, acting as a link between the PNC and the PLO-EC. The CC is elected by the PNC and chaired by the PNC speaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-bab.com/arab/countries/palestine/orgs1.htm|title=Arab Gateway: Palestinian organisations (1)|website=www.al-bab.com|access-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021001205923/http://www.al-bab.com/arab/countries/palestine/orgs1.htm|archive-date=1 October 2002|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The PNC serves as the parliament for all Palestinians inside and outside of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. The PLO is governed internally by its "Fundamental Law", which describes the powers and the relations between the organs of the PLO.<ref name=memo_distinction>[http://transparency.aljazeera.net/files/4698.pdf ''Memo: Distinction between PLO, PA, PNC, PLC'']. Al Jazeera, The Palestine Papers, 5 February 2006. [http://transparency.aljazeera.net/en/projects/thepalestinepapers/201218205949656112.html Available on]. Internal PLO document from Mazen Masri, legal researcher, to the PLO Negotiations Support Unit. See also note 4 in the pdf.</ref>

[[Ahmad Shukeiri]] was the first [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee]] from 1964 to 1967.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWhgIe3Hq98C&pg=PA316|title=The Palestine Yearbook of International Law 1987–1988|last=Pineschi|year=1997|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=978-90-411-0341-3}}</ref> In 1967, he was replaced by Yahia Hammuda. [[Yasser Arafat]] occupied the position from 1969 until his death in 2004.<ref name=lansford_p1634>Tom Lansford,[https://books.google.com/books?id=iC_VBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1627 ''Political Handbook of the World 2014''], p. 1634. CQ Press, March 2014</ref> He was succeeded by [[Mahmoud Abbas]] (also known as Abu Mazen).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6459196|title=Mahmoud Abbas elected chairman of PLO|date=2004|website=[[NBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20033995|title=Profile: Mahmoud Abbas|date=29 November 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=8 December 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref>

According to an internal PLO document, the PNC continues to act if elections are not possible. In absence of elections, most of the members of the PNC are appointed by the executive committee. The document further states that "the PNC represents all sectors of the Palestinian community worldwide, including numerous organizations of the resistance movement, political parties, popular organizations and independent personalities and figures from all sectors of life, including intellectuals, religious leaders and businessmen".<ref name=memo_distinction/>

===Publications===
The PLO has published various newspapers and magazines first of which was ''[[Falastinuna]]'' and pamphlets.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Periodicals and Pamphlets Published by the Palestinian Commando Organizations|journal=Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=1|issue=1|pages=136–151|year=1971
|doi=10.2307/2536009|jstor=2536009|issn=0377-919X}}</ref> During the late 1970s its publications increased consisting of twenty-nine dailies, eighteen weeklies, thirteen biweeklies, sixty-two monthlies, sixteen quarterlies, and twenty-one annuals.<ref name=dina>{{cite journal|author=Dina Matar|title=PLO Cultural Activism: Mediating Liberation Aesthetics in Revolutionary Contexts|journal=[[Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East]]|page=360|doi=10.1215/1089201x-6982123|volume=38|issue=2|year=2018|s2cid=148869236|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/24506/1/matar-plo-cultural-activism-mediating-liberation-aesthetics-in-revolutionary-contexts.pdf}}</ref> Some of them are ''[[Falastin Al Thawra]]'' and ''[[Shu'un Filastiniyya]]''.<ref name=dina/><ref name=rasha>{{cite journal|author=Rashid Hamid|title=What is the PLO?|journal=Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=4|issue=4|date=Summer 1975|jstor=2535603|doi=10.2307/2535603|page=107}}</ref> Its official news agency is [[Wafa]].<ref name=rasha/>

===Challenged representation===
As of 2015, there have not been elections for many years, neither for the PNC, nor for the EC, the PCC or the [[President of the State of Palestine]]. The executive committee has formally 18 members, including its chairman, but in past years many vacant seats in the Executive remained empty. Moreover, [[Hamas]], the largest representative of the inhabitants of the Palestinian Territories alongside [[Fatah]], is not represented in the PLO at all. The results of the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election|last parliamentary elections for the PLC]], held in the Territories in 2006, with Hamas as the big winner while not even a member of the PLO, "underlined the clear lack of a popular mandate by the PLO leadership", according to [[Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs|PASSIA]].<ref name=passia_plo-vs-pa>[http://www.passia.org/images/meetings/2014/oct/28/PA-PLO2.pdf ''PLO vs. PA''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102228/http://www.passia.org/images/meetings/2014/oct/28/PA-PLO2.pdf|date=4 March 2016}}, p. 9. Passia, September 2014</ref> Individual elected members of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council|PLC]] representing Hamas, however, are automatically members of the PNC.

The representative status of the PLO has often been challenged in the past.<ref name=masri/> It was for example doubted in 2011 by a group of Palestinian lawyers, jurists and legal scholars, due to lack of elections. They questioned the PLO's legitimacy to alter the status and role of the Organization in respect of their status within the UN. They demanded immediate and direct elections to the Palestine National Council to ″activate representative PLO institutions in order to preserve, consolidate, and strengthen the effective legal representation of the Palestinian people as a whole″, before changing the status within the UN.<ref name=maan-2011/>

===PLO versus PA===
The 1993–1995 [[Oslo Accords]] deliberately detached the Palestinian population in the [[Palestinian territories|Occupied Palestinian Territories]] from the PLO and the Palestinians in exile by creating a [[Palestinian Authority]] (PA) for the Territories. A separate parliament and government were established. [[Mahmoud Abbas]] was one of the architects of the Oslo Accords.<ref name=bbc-2009>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1933453.stm Profile: Mahmoud Abbas]. BBC, 5 November 2009</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NHCQBAFMwawC&dq=Through+Secret+Channels&pg=PA19 Who's Who in the Arab World 2007–2008]. Walter de Gruyter, 2007</ref>

Although many in the PLO opposed the Oslo Agreements, the executive committee and the Central Council approved the Accords. It marked the beginning of the PLO's decline, as the PA came to replace the PLO as the prime Palestinian political institution. Political factions within the PLO that had opposed the Oslo process were marginalized.

The PLO managed to overcome the separation by uniting the power in PLO and PA in one individual, [[Yasser Arafat]]. In 2002, Arafat held the functions of Chairman of the PLO/Executive Committee; Chairman of [[Fatah]], the dominating faction within the PLO; as well as [[President of the Palestinian National Authority]]. He also controlled the [[Palestinian National Security Forces]].<ref name=ahram/>

Only during the [[Hamas]]-led PA Government in 2006–2007 did the PLO resurface. After Hamas [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|took over]] Gaza in 2007, Abbas issued a decree suspending the PLC and some sections of the [[Palestinian law#Basic Law|Palestinian Basic Law]], and appointed [[Salam Fayyad]] as prime minister.

The PLO remains the official representative of [[Palestine]] at [[United Nations|the UN]].

===Internal politics===
On 4 February 1969, Fatah founder, Arafat, was elected [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Chairman of the PLO]] in [[Cairo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HAJIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2064,4351664&dq=arafat&hl=en|title=The Morning Record – Google News Archive Search|work=google.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C14F839541A7493C7A91789D85F4D8685F9|title=Fatah Wins Control Of Palestine Group|website=Select.nytimes.com|date=5 February 1969|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref> Since, Fatah has been the dominant factor within the PLO, which still continues in 2015.

Under pressure from the international community led by Israel and US, and from inside his own party Fatah, Arafat partially transferred some of his strongly centralized power in 2003,<ref name=mew_constitution/><ref name=ahram>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030811171247/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/647/re2.htm ''Arafat vs Abbas'']. Al-Ahram Weekly, 17–23 July 2003, Issue No. 647</ref><ref name=cnn_2002-05-15>[http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/05/15/mideast.arafat/index.html ''Arafat urges overhaul of Palestinian government'']. CNN, 15 May 2002</ref> causing strong tensions within the Palestinian leadership. Arafat appointed [[Mahmoud Abbas]] as prime minister, but this resulted in disputes about the transfer of tasks and responsibilities. Abbas was strongly supported by the US and the international community, because he was supposed to be more willing to give far-reaching concessions to Israel.<ref name=ahram/> While Arafat had retained most of his power and a power struggle within Fatah continued, the leadership was criticised for corruption and nepotism.<ref name=guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/20/israel ''Arafat urged to end corruption after unrest'']. Chris McGreal, The Guardian, 20 July 2004</ref><ref>[https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/corruption-in-palestine/#return-note-4564-9 ''Corruption in Palestine: A Self-Enforcing System'']. Tariq Dana, Al-Shabaka, 18 August 2015</ref>

After [[Death of Yasser Arafat#Theories about the cause of death|Arafat's death]], Abbas increasingly gained exclusive powers within both PLO and PA as well as in Fatah, until he had acquired the same power as was previously held by Arafat.<ref name=frykberg>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/critics-slam-mahmoud-abbas-plo-resignation-farce-150827081457810.html Critics slam Mahmoud Abbas' PLO resignation as 'farce']. Mel Frykberg, Al Jazeera, 28 August 2015</ref> Abbas is criticized for his autocratic rule and refusal to share powers and plans with other Palestinians. In the absence of a functioning parliament and Executive, he even began to issue his own laws. Senior representative of Abbas' Fatah faction and [[Third Qurei Government|former Fatah minister]] of prisoner affairs, [[Sufian Abu Zaida]], complained that Abbas appointed himself as the chief judge and prosecutor, making a mockery of the Palestinian judicial system.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} There appeared reports of widespread corruption and nepotism within the Palestinian Authority.<ref name=frykberg/><ref name=highlights_corruption>[http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/report-corruption-palestine-institutions-gaza.html# Report Highlights Corruption in Palestinian Institutions]. Hazem Balousha, Al-Monitor, 6 May 2013</ref> Only Hamas-ruled Gaza has a more or less functioning parliament.<ref name=birzeit>[http://lawcenter.birzeit.edu/lawcenter/en/conferences/911-the-legislative-status-in-the-palestinian-territory The Legislative Status in the Palestinian Territory]. Birzeit University, December 2012.<br/>″Article 43 of the Amended Basic Law grants the President the power to issue decrees that have the power of law in cases of necessity that cannot be delayed. ... Towards 9 January 2009, laws used to be sent by fax or email to the PNA President for approval within 30 days. Otherwise, laws would automatically enter into force. According to the new Law on the Official Gazette, these were published in the Official Gazette. After 9 January 2009, however, no laws have been sent to the President's Office for approval and promulgation. In this context, Mr. Barham went over major laws passed by the Gaza-based PLC.″</ref>

====2015 struggle for power====
{{see also|Politics of the Palestinian National Authority}}
With a ''de facto'' defunct parliament and Executive, Mahmoud Abbas increasingly gained exclusive powers within both PLO and [[Palestinian National Authority|PA]], as well as in [[Fatah]]. After the announcement in August 2015 of Abbas' resignation as [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Chairman of the Executive Committee]] and of nine other members as well, many Palestinians saw the move as just an attempt to replace some members in the executive committee, or to force a meeting of the PNC and remain in their jobs until the PNC decides whether to accept or to reject their resignations.<ref name=jp_purported>[http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Purported-Abbas-resignation-from-PLO-Executive-Committee-ridiculed-as-silly-show-413006 ''Purported Abbas resignation from PLO Executive Committee ridiculed as ′silly show′'']. Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post, 23 August 2015</ref><ref name=reuters_heats>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-abbas-idUSKCN0QW14B20150827#4Qc7e4CCci6BkWJM.97 ''Abbas heats up Palestinian politics in PLO reshuffle bid'']. Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta, Reuters, 27 August 2015</ref> Met with fierce criticism by many Palestinian factions, a session of the PNC, who had to approve the resignations, was postponed indefinitely.<ref name=maan_postponed>[https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=767521 ''PNC chair confirms controversial session postponed'']. Ma'an News Agency, 9 September 2015</ref>

==Political status==
The Palestine Liberation Organization is recognized by the Arab League as "the ''sole and legitimate'' representative of the Palestinian people",<ref name="al -Madfai"/><ref name=memo_distinction/> and by the United Nations as "the representative of the Palestinian people".<ref>[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/0D024B3225278456852560DE0056AA64 ''Resolution 3210 (XXIX). Invitation to the Palestine Liberation Organization''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103082509/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/0D024B3225278456852560DE0056AA64|date=3 January 2011}}. UNGA, 14 October 1974<br/>"Invites the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate in the deliberations of the General Assembly on the question of Palestine in plenary meetings."</ref>

The PLO was designated a [[List of designated terrorist groups|terrorist organization]] by the United States in 1987,<ref name="auto"/><ref>[http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/22C61.txt 22 USC CHAPTER 61 – ANTI-TERRORISM – PLO] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428004724/http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/22C61.txt|date=28 April 2013}}, Office of the Law Revision Counsel (United States). Retrieved 5 December 2006.</ref> but in 1988, a presidential waiver was issued, which permitted contact with the organization.<ref name="fundingevil"/> Most of the rest of the world recognized the PLO as the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people from the mid-1970s onwards (after the PLO's admission to the UN as an observer.)<ref name=Hajjarp53>Hajjar, 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vTKTj3Uz7iIC&dq=PLO+Israel+terrorists+%22legitimate+representative%22+%22international+community%22&pg=PA53 p. 53].</ref>

In 1993, PLO chairman [[Yasser Arafat]] recognized the [[Israel|State of Israel]] in an official letter to its prime minister, [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. In response to Arafat's letter, Israel decided to revise its stance toward the PLO and to recognize the organization as the representative of the [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]].<ref name="PLOletter">{{cite web|url=http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/36917473237100E285257028006C0BC5|title=Israel-PLO recognition – Exchange of letters between PM Rabin and Chairman Arafat/Arafat letter to Norwegian FM (Non-UN documents) (9 September 1993)|date=28 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028181816/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/36917473237100E285257028006C0BC5|archive-date=28 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="baltimoresun">{{Cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/09/10/at-the-threshold-of-peace-mutual-recognition-ends-3-decades-of-strife-between-israel-and-plo-israeli-plo-peace-talks/|title=At the threshold of peace Mutual recognition ends 3 decades of strife between Israel and PLO ISRAELI-PLO PEACE TALKS|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=22 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722013729/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-09-10/news/1993253104_1_israel-and-plo-palestinians-israeli-plo|url-status=live}}</ref> This led to the signing of the [[Oslo Accords]] in 1993.

===Status at the United Nations===
{{further|State of Palestine|International recognition of Palestine|List of current permanent representatives to the United Nations#United Nations General Assembly observers|Category:Permanent observers of Palestine to the United Nations}}

====Observer status====
The United Nations General Assembly recognized the PLO as the "representative of the Palestinian people" in Resolution 3210 and Resolution 3236, and granted the PLO observer status on 22 November 1974 in Resolution 3237. On 12 January 1976, the [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] voted 11–1 with 3 abstentions to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate without voting rights, a privilege usually restricted to UN member states. It was admitted as a full member of the [[United Nations Regional Groups|Asia group]] on 2 April 1986.<ref>{{cite web|author=Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations|title=Status of Palestine at the United Nations|url=http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/cache/offonce/pid/11550;jsessionid=DB37131DB27A165B6398469FFE4DB1FC|publisher=United Nations|access-date=9 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606092743/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/cache/offonce/pid/11550%3Bjsessionid%3DDB37131DB27A165B6398469FFE4DB1FC|archive-date=6 June 2011}}: "On 2 April 1986, the Asian Group of the U.N. decided to accept the PLO as a full member."</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|title=Government structures|url=http://www.unctad.org/templates/Page.asp?intItemID=4966&lang=1|publisher=United Nations|year=2002|access-date=5 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613180649/http://unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=4966&lang=1|archive-date=13 June 2010}}: "At present, the PLO is a full member of the Asian Group of the United Nations".</ref><ref>United Nations General Assembly [http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-52-250.pdf Resolution 52/250: Participation of Palestine in the work of the United Nations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522214702/http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-52-250.pdf|date=22 May 2011}} (1998): "Palestine enjoys full membership in the Group of Asian States".</ref>

After the [[Palestinian Declaration of Independence]] the PLO's representation was renamed Palestine.<ref name="Unispal.un.org">{{cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/146E6838D505833F852560D600471E25|author=[[United Nations General Assembly|UN General Assembly]]|title=United Nations General Assembly Resolution 43/177|publisher=[[United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine|UN Information System on the Question of Palestine]]|date=9 December 1988|access-date=29 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101093630/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/146E6838D505833F852560D600471E25|archive-date=1 November 2011}}</ref> On 7 July 1998, this status was extended to allow participation in General Assembly debates, though not in voting.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0DpqrRjbMC&q=%22July+7%2C+1998%22+palestine&pg=PA26|title=The Law and Practice of the United Nations|isbn=978-90-04-14308-1|last1=Conforti|first1=Benedetto|year=2005|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers}}</ref>

====2011 application for UN state membership====
When President Mahmoud Abbas [[Palestine 194|submitted an application for UN state membership]], in September 2011, Palestinian lawyers, jurists and legal scholars expressed their concern that the change of Palestine's status in the UN (since 1988 designated as "Palestine" in place of "Palestine Liberation Organization") could have negative implications on the legal position of the Palestinian people. They warned for the risk of fragmentation, where the State of Palestine would represent the people within the UN and the PLO represent the people outside the UN, the latter including the Palestinians in exile, where refugees constitute more than half of the Palestinian people. They were also afraid of the loss of representation of the refugees in the UN.<ref name=maan-2011>[http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=425080 Palestinian lawyers affirm essential role of PLO at UN]. Ma'an News Agency, 13 October 2011</ref> In Resolution 67/19 November 2012, Palestine was at last awarded non-member observer State status, but the General Assembly maintained the status of the PLO.

===="Non-member observer state" status====
By September 2012, with their application for full membership stalled due to the inability of Security Council members to '"make a unanimous recommendation", the PLO had decided to pursue an upgrade in status from observer entity to  [[United Nations General Assembly observers#Non-member observers|non-member observer state]]. On 29 November 2012, [[United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19|Resolution 67/19]] passed, upgrading Palestine to non-member observer state status in the United Nations.<ref>[https://www.un.org/press/en/2012/ga11317.doc.htm ''General Assembly Votes Overwhelmingly to Accord Palestine 'Non-Member Observer State' Status in United Nations'']. UN press release, 29 November 2012</ref><ref name="unispal1">{{cite web|url=https://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/0080ef30efce525585256c38006eacae/181c72112f4d0e0685257ac500515c6c?OpenDocument|title=A/67/L.28 of 26 November 2012 and A/RES/67/19 of 29 November 2012|publisher=Unispal.un.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210160010/http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/0080ef30efce525585256c38006eacae/181c72112f4d0e0685257ac500515c6c?OpenDocument|archive-date=10 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera.com">[http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/01/2013186722389860.html Palestine: What is in a name (change)? – Inside Story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321061622/http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/01/2013186722389860.html|date=21 March 2020}}. Al Jazeera</ref>

===Diplomatic representation===
{{main|Foreign relations of Palestine}}
{{See also|Category:Ambassadors of the State of Palestine}}
The Palestine Information Office was registered with the Justice Department of the United States as a foreign agent until 1968, when it was closed. It was reopened in 1989 as the Palestine Affairs Center.<ref>''The Palestinian Diaspora: Formation of Identities and Politics of Homeland'', by Helena Lindholm Schulz, Juliane Hammer, Routledge, 2003 p. 81</ref> The PLO Mission office in Washington, DC was opened in 1994 and represented the PLO in the United States. On 20 July 2010, the United States Department of State agreed to upgrade the status of the PLO Mission in the United States to "General Delegation of the PLO".<ref>Mozgovaya, Natasha. (2010-07-22) [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-upgrades-status-of-palestinian-mission-in-washington-1.303475 U.S. upgrades status of Palestinian mission in Washington Israel News Broadcast]. Haaretz. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.</ref> Secretary of State [[Rex Tillerson]] in 2017 determined that the PLO Mission broke a US law prohibiting the PLO Mission from attempting to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for offences against Palestinians, under penalty of closure.<ref>{{cite news|title=US may shut down Palestinians' DC office|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5044405,00.html|access-date=10 September 2018|work=Ynet|agency=Associated Press|date=18 November 2017|quote=Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has determined that the Palestinians ran afoul of an obscure provision in a US law that says the Palestine Liberation Organization's mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians. A State Department official said that in September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas crossed that line by calling on the ICC to investigate and prosecute Israelis.}}</ref> On 10 September 2018, National Security Advisor John Bolton announced the closure of the PLO Mission;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Michael R. Gordon|title=Trump Administration to Close Palestine Liberation Organization Office in Washington|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-to-close-palestine-liberation-organization-office-in-washington-1536546125|access-date=10 September 2018|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=10 September 2018}}</ref> Nauert, a U.S. Department of State spokeswoman, cited as the reason Palestine's "push to have the International Criminal Court investigate Israel for possible war crimes."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Conor Finnegan|title=Trump administration shutting down Palestinian office in Washington DC|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-shutting-palestinian-office-washington-dc/story?id=57728300|access-date=11 September 2018|work=ABC News|date=10 September 2018|quote=That includes a push to have the International Criminal Court investigate Israel for possible war crimes against the Palestinian people. Erekat said the Palestinians will continue to push for that, which Nauert also cited as a reason for the U.S. decision to shut down the office.}}</ref>

==Peace process==
{{further|Palestinian views on the peace process#Yasser Arafat and the PLO}}
Initially, as a guerrilla organization, the PLO performed actions against Israel in the 1970s and early 1980s, regarded as terroristic activities by Israel and regarded as a [[Wars of national liberation|war of liberation]] by the PLO. In 1988, however, the PLO officially endorsed a two-state solution, contingent on terms such as making [[East Jerusalem]] the capital of the Palestinian state and giving Palestinians the [[right of return]] to land occupied by Palestinians prior to 1948, as well as the right to continue armed struggle until the end of "The Zionist Entity."{{Clarify|reason=This is misleading. If you agree to a t.s.s. (= peace by accepting two states), it is contradictory to at the same time encourage continued armed struggle against one of those two states. So, we'd need a more precise citing from that 2004 book of W.L. Cleveland.|date=July 2024}}{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}<ref>William L. Cleveland, ''A History of the Modern Middle East'', Westview Press (2004). {{ISBN|978-0-8133-4048-7}}.</ref> In 1996, the PLO nullified the articles of the PLO's Charter, or parts of it, which called for the destruction of Israel and for armed resistance.<ref>Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations, [http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/cache/offonce/pid/12361 ''Decisions and Actions Related to the Palestine National Charter''] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121212003808/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/cache/offonce/pid/12361|date=12 December 2012}}</ref>

===Ten Point Program===
{{main|PLO's Ten Point Program}}
Following the failure of the armies of Egypt and Syria to defeat Israel in October 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]], which broke the status quo existing since June 1967 [[Six-Day War]], the PLO began formulating a strategic alternative.<ref name=merip/> Now, they intended to establish a "national authority" over every territory they would be able to reconquer. From 1 to 9 June 1974, the Palestine National Council held its 12th meeting in Cairo. On 8 June, the [[PLO's Ten Point Program|Ten Point Program]] was adopted. The Program stated:

{{blockquote|The Liberation Organization will employ all means, and first and foremost armed struggle, to liberate Palestinian territory and to establish the independent combatant national authority for the people over every part of Palestinian territory that is liberated. This will require further changes being effected in the balance of power in favour of our people and their struggle.<ref name=ten_point>[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/BA7A9909F792340F8525704D006BDAF1 ''Text of the Ten Point Program''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325120540/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/BA7A9909F792340F8525704D006BDAF1|date=25 March 2015}}, 8 June 1974. On UNISPAL</ref>}}

By "every part of Palestinian territory that is liberated" was implicitly meant the West Bank and Gaza Strip, albeit presented as an interim goal.<ref name=merip>[http://www.merip.org/mer/mer80/plo-crossroads ''The PLO at the Crossroads—Moderation, Encirclement, Future Prospects'']. See par. The PLO on the Road to "Moderation". Sameer Abraham, MER 80, Volume: 9, September/October 1979</ref> The final goal remained "completing the liberation of all Palestinian territory" and "recover all their national rights and, first and foremost, their rights to return and to self-determination on the whole of the soil of their homeland".<ref name=plo1974>[http://www.mideastweb.org/plo1974.htm The PNC Program of 1974], 8 June 1974. On the site of MidEastWeb for Coexistence R.A. – Middle East Resources. Page includes commentary.</ref> In addition, [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|UN Resolution 242]] was still rejected.<ref name=ten_point/>

While clinging to armed struggle as the prime means, the PLO no longer excluded peaceful means. Therefore, the ''Ten Point Program'' was considered the first attempt by the PLO at peaceful resolution. In October 1974, the Arab League proclaimed the PLO "the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in any Palestinian territory that is liberated", and also the UN recognized the PLO. From then, the diplomatic road was prepared. On the other hand, the Program was rejected by more radical factions and eventually caused a split in the movement.<ref name=merip/>

===First Intifada===
{{Main|First Intifada}}
In 1987, the [[First Intifada]] broke out in the [[West Bank]] and Gaza Strip. The Intifada caught the PLO by surprise,<ref>[http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2004/11/11arafat.html Yasser Arafat obituary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111102436/http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2004/11/11arafat.html|date=11 January 2017}}, socialistworld.net (Committee for a Worker's International) 11 November 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2006.</ref> and the leadership abroad could only indirectly influence the events. A new local leadership emerged, the [[Unified National Leadership of the Uprising]] (UNLU), comprising many leading Palestinian factions. After [[Hussein of Jordan|King Hussein]] of Jordan proclaimed the administrative and legal separation of the West Bank from Jordan in 1988,<ref>King Hussein, [http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/88_july31.html Address to the Nation], Amman, Jordan, 31 July 1988. On the Royal Hashemit Court's official site in tribute to King Hussein. Retrieved 5 December 2006.</ref> the Palestine National Council adopted the [[Palestinian Declaration of Independence]] in [[Algiers]], proclaiming an independent [[Palestine]]. The declaration made reference to UN resolutions without explicitly mentioning Security Council [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|Resolutions 242]] and [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 338|338]].

A month later, Arafat declared in [[Geneva]] that the PLO would support a solution to the conflict based on these Resolutions. Effectively, the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist within pre-1967 borders, with the understanding that the Palestinians would be allowed to set up their own state in the West Bank and Gaza. The United States accepted this clarification by Arafat and began to allow diplomatic contacts with PLO officials.<!--While the Intifada many members of PLO organizations take a part at the activities or organized them, especially as "Unified Intifada Leadership" and its branches. At the beginning that activities weren't organized by the PLO itself. But, later the activities (especially the violent ones, like killing Israelis or collaborators) were more and more organized by the PLO. IS THERE A SOURCE FOR THIS? The UIL paid allegiance to the PLO, but how directly influenced it was by the PLO needs to be clarified. That the PLO was responsible for the more violent acts needs a source, please/!--> The Proclamation of Independence did not lead to statehood, although over 100 states [[International recognition of Palestine|recognized]] the State of Palestine.

===Oslo Accords===
{{main|Oslo Accords}}
In 1993, the PLO secretly negotiated the [[Oslo Accords]] with Israel.<ref name=beyer>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2EzIySCw9VIC&q=PLO+secretly+negotiated+1993&pg=PA116|title=Violent Globalisms|isbn=978-0-7546-7205-0|last1=Beyer|first1=Cornelia|year=2008|publisher=Ashgate Publishing}}</ref> The accords were signed on 20 August 1993,<ref name=beyer/> with a subsequent public ceremony in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993 with Yasser Arafat and [[Yitzhak Rabin]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GkbzYoZtaJMC&q=%22september+13+1993%22+arafat&pg=PA66|title=Encyclopedia of the Palestinians|isbn=978-0-8160-6986-6|last1=Mattar|first1=Philip|year=2005|publisher=Infobase}}</ref> The Accords granted Palestinians the right to self-government in the Gaza Strip and the city of [[Jericho]] in the [[West Bank]] through the creation of the [[Palestinian Authority]]. Yasser Arafat was appointed head of the Palestinian Authority and a timetable for elections was laid out. The headquarters of the PLO were moved to [[Ramallah]] on the West Bank.<ref name="PLOhead1"/><ref name="PLOhead2"/>

==Wealth controversy==
According to a 1993 report by the British [[National Criminal Intelligence Service]], the PLO was "the richest of all terrorist organizations", with $8–$10 billion in assets and an annual income of $1.5–$2 billion from "[[donation]]s, [[extortion]], payoffs, illegal [[Arms industry|arms dealing]], [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficking]], [[money laundering]], [[fraud]], etc."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UIJDreLroswC&dq=PLO+was+%22the+richest+of+all+terrorist+organizations%22&pg=PA83 The Palestine Liberation Organization: Terrorism and Prospects for Peace in the Holy Land], Daniel Baracskay, 2011, page 83, Praeger Security International, {{ISBN|978-0-313-38151-5}}</ref> Estimates of the Palestine Liberation Organization's alleged hidden assets vary wildly and only Arafat had the whole picture. A former PLO finance minister said it was $3 billion to $5 billion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Arafat left mystery on PLO's holdings|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-11-16-0411160273-story.html|work=Chicago Tribune|date=16 November 2004|access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref>

==Membership==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2018}}

===Present members include===
*[[Fatah]] – largest faction, [[Secularism|secular]], [[Left-wing nationalism|left-wing nationalist]].
*[[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) – second largest, [[Far-left politics|radical left]] militant and [[Communism|communist]]
*[[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP) – third largest, [[Communism|communist]]
*[[Palestinian People's Party]] (PPP) – [[Socialism|socialist]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solidnet.org/palestine-palestinian-peoples-party/13-imcwp-contribution-of-the-palestinian-pp-en|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160404190011/http://www.solidnet.org/palestine-palestinian-peoples-party/13-imcwp-contribution-of-the-palestinian-pp-en|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2016|title=13 IMCWP, Contribution of the Palestinian PP [En.]|website=Solidnet.org|date=11 December 2011|access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref>
*[[Palestinian Liberation Front]] (PLF, [[Muhammad Zaidan|Abu Abbas]] faction) – minor [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] breakaway from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, after the looting of Beirut in 1975 for which Abu Abbas was blamed.
*[[Arab Liberation Front]] (ALF) – minor faction, aligned to the [[Iraq]]i-led [[Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction)|Ba'ath Party]]
*[[As-Sa'iqa]] – [[Syria]]n-controlled [[Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction)|Ba'athist faction]]
*[[Palestinian Democratic Union]] (Fida) – minor [[Democratic socialism|democratic socialist]], [[two-state solution]], non militant faction
*[[Palestinian Popular Struggle Front]] (PPSF, Samir Ghawsha faction) – minor socialist faction
*[[Palestinian Arab Front]] (PAF) – minor pro-Fatah, former Iraqi [[Ba'athism|Ba'athist]] faction
*[[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command]] (PFLP-GC)<ref>[https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS21235.pdf Palestinian Factions, CRS Report for Congress, Aaron D. Pina, 8 June 2005]: "Damascus based faction that is politically close to Syria and is a Marxist group that suspended its participation in the PLO after the 1993 Israel-Palestinian Declaration of Principles. The PFLP-GC split from the PFLP (established by Dr. George Habbash) in 1968, claiming it wanted to focus more on fighting and less on politics."</ref><ref name=fasael/> – aligned to Syria{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Former member groups of the PLO include===
*[[Palestinian Liberation Front (Abu Nidal Ashqar wing)|Palestinian Liberation Front]] (PLF, Abu Nidal Ashqar wing) – socialist{{verify source|date=August 2024}}
*[[Revolutionary Palestinian Communist Party]] (RPCP) – communist{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
*[[Fatah al-Intifada]] – Syrian-controlled,{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} leftist split from Fatah
*[[Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (1991)|Palestinian Popular Struggle Front]] (PPSF, [[Khalid ʽAbd al-Majid]] faction) – leftist split from PSF

===Executive Committee chairmen===
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Name
!Image
!Term
|-
|[[Ahmad Shukeiri]]
|[[File:Ahmad Shukeiri cropped.jpg|122x122px]]
|2 June 1964 – 24 December 1967
|-
|[[Yahya Hammuda]]
|
|24 December 1967 –  2 February 1969
|-
|[[Yasser Arafat]]
|[[File:YasserArafat.jpg|164x164px]]
|4 February 1969 – 11 November 2004
|-
|[[Mahmoud Abbas]]
|[[File:Mahmoud Abbas 2007.jpg|139x139px]]
|(acting [for Arafat] until 11 November 2004)
29 October 2004 – present
|}
::

==See also==
{{portal|Palestine}}
<!--Please don't add rubbish here. thanks-->
*[[Alliance of Palestinian Forces]]
*[[Fatah–Hamas conflict]]
*[[History of the State of Palestine]]
*[[Human rights in Palestine]]
*[[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
*[[Occupied Palestinian territories]]
*[[Palestine Liberation Army]]
*[[Palestinian political violence]]
*[[PLO Negotiations Affairs Department]]
*[[Palestinian exodus from Kuwait (1990–91)]]
*[[Rejectionist Front]]
*[[Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book|title=Courting conflict: the Israeli military court system in the West Bank and Gaza|first1=Lisa|last1=Hajjar|edition=Illustrated|publisher=University of California Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-520-24194-7}}
*Yezid Sayigh, "Struggle Within, Struggle Without: the Transformation of PLO politics since 1982", ''International Affairs'' vol. 65, no. 2 (spring 1989) pages 247–271.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Palestinian Covenant|PLO Charter/Covenant}}

===Official sites===
*[https://www.nad.ps/en PLO Negotiations Affairs Department]
*[http://palestineun.org/ Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108181841/http://palestineun.org/|date=8 January 2017}}

===Documents===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111211172543/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/pid/12355 Statement of Proclamation of the Organization (1964)]
*[http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/plocov.asp Palestinian National Charter (1968)] published by [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/default.asp The Avalon Project] at Yale Law School
*[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Palestinian_Covenant Palestinian National Charter (1968)] on Wikisource
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101130144018/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/palestine/pid/12363 Palestinian National Charter (1964)] published by the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090509204646/http://www.un.org/en/members/nonmembers.shtml Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080118193127/http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/PNA1.html PLO Political Program] Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council Cairo, 8 June 1974 published by the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118193127/http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/PNA1.html|date=18 January 2008|title=Decisions and Actions related to the Palestine National Charter (1996)}} published by the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations]
*[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/plocon.html Constitution of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1968)]

===Analysis===
*[http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Terrorism/PLO_Covenant_commentary.html Commentary] on the Palestine National Charter published by the [http://www.us-israel.org/ Jewish Virtual Library]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121125032137/http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552681 Dean Peter F. Krogh Discusses the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict] from the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120312181034/http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552494/browse?type=title Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives]

===General===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130618044846/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1816?_hi=1&_pos=3 PLO in Oxford Islamic Studies Online]
*[https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS21235.pdf Palestinian Factions] CRS Report for Congress, Aaron D. Pina, 8 June 2005
*[http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Terrorism/plotoc.html Collection] of Documents, Biographies and other information on the Palestine Liberation Organization published by the [http://www.us-israel.org/ Jewish Virtual Library]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051025081734/http://www.nad-plo.org/inner.php?view=nego_permanent_summary_howsummer2p The Palestinian Vision of Peace (2002)] as stated by the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200203072728/http://www.nad-plo.org/ PLO Negotiations Affairs Department]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124846/http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/BUK/GBARC/pdfs/terr-wd/plo83.pdf Documents regarding the Soviet Ministry of Defense 1983 special operation requested by Yasir Arafat]: delivery of two German-built coast guard cutters belonging to the PLO from Syria to Tunis – (PDF in Russian) from the ''Soviet Archives'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20110425065643/http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/BUK/GBARC/buk.html V.Bukovsky, Soviet Archive] collected by [[Vladimir Bukovsky]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060414200147/http://troubled-times.home.att.net/bernov8.htm Photo enlargement] shows Palestinians marching in West Berlin, 15 November 69.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111008010404/http://www.palestineposterproject.org/content/palestine-liberation-organization-plo Collection of over 150 PLO posters]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151123220121/http://newjerseysolidarity.org/plobulletin/index.html Palestine – P.L.O. Information bulletin Archive]. Some archived issues: 1978, 1979, 1982
{{Palestine topics}}
{{Arab nationalism}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Palestine Liberation Organization| ]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in Palestine]]
[[Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment in Palestine]]
[[Category:National liberation movements]]
[[Category:Organizations formerly designated as terrorist]]
[[Category:Palestinian militant groups]]
[[Category:Resistance movements]]
[[Category:Popular fronts]]