Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) History & politic
Established in 1964 and has been the embodiment of the Palestinian national movement. It functions as a broad an umbrella organization, comprised of numerous organizations of the resistance movement, political parties, and independent personalities and figures from all sectors of life. The Arab Summit in 1974 recognized the PLO as the “sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people” and since then the PLO has represented Palestine at the United Nations and in many other organizations. In addition to its broad national and political goals, the PLO has dealt with numerous tasks with regard to the life of the Palestinian people in their main communities and throughout the world through the establishment of several institutions in such realms as health, education and social services. As such, the PLO is more than a national liberation movement striving to achieve the national goals of the Palestinian people, including the independence of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.
By 1967, the PLO had decided that their primary goal was the destruction of the State of Israel. Over the next ten years, this goal was the primary focus of the massive terrorist campaign by which their reputation was formed. This terror war caused hundreds of casualties, on both sides, with very little to show in return for the Palestinian cause. Therefore, in PLO the PLO made a conscious decision to alter its focus from based purely on terrorism to one that would include the diplomatic and political elements necessary for meaningful dialogue.
The PLO’s partial-reversal in ideology created unhappiness among many of its followers who felt that the organization was not finding its mark. This led to the creation of yet another splinter group called the Rejectionist Front. It was at this time that Yasser Arafat and his group, Fatah, took over the leadership of the PLO. Things began to change quickly when the PLO gained international recognition from the United Nations as the primary representative of the Palestinian people. Arafat deftly manipulated the organization from one perceived by the West as barbaric into one considered a freedom movement with legitimate claims. Israel, perhaps sensing the growing sympathy, redoubled its efforts to eliminate the Palestinian threat.
The Executive Committee is the daily leading body of the PLO and it represents the organization at the international level. The Committee is elected by the members of PNC and it is responsible to the PNC. Its main function is to execute the policies and decisions set out by the PNC and the Central Council. The Committee is also responsible for adopting a budget and for overseeing the functioning of the departments of the PLO, the responsibilities of which are distributed among its members. Decisions of the Committee are taken by a simple majority. Its membership stands at 18, including its Chairman. Members of the Executive Committee:
Chairman:
H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
Secretary-General:
Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo
Members & Observers:
15 members & 2 Observers.
The Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) was established as the official military branch of the PLO in 1964, in accordance with the resolutions of the 1st Palestinian Conference (the 1st PNC). At that time, three brigades were established: Ein Jalut in Gaza and Egypt, Kadissiyah in Iraq, and Hitmen in Syria. In practice, those brigades were dominated by the general command of the armed forces of their respective host countries. Over time, however, changes were made to the PLA’s structure, including, for instance, the establishment in 1968 of commando units in Gaza to fight against the Israeli occupation, known as Kuwait al-Tahrir Al-Sha’biya (Popular Liberation Troops). With the establishment of the Palestine National Authority (PNA) in the mid-1990’s, important parts of those brigades were absorbed into the PNA security forces.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palestine-Liberation-Organization
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-plo
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-middle-east-1917-to-1973/the-palestinian-liberation-organisation/
https://www.adl.org/education/resources/glossary-terms/palestine-liberation-organization-plo
