The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has been the embodiment of
the Palestinian national movement. It is a broad national front, or an
umbrella organization, comprised of numerous organizations of the
resistance movement, political parties, popular organizations, 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, the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries (NAM), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and in
many other fora. 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 establishment of a Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital.
The PLO was established in 1964 with Arab support. At that time, the
PLO was headed by Mr. Ahmed Al-Shukairy and, since then, has undergone
significant changes in its composition, leading bodies, political
orientation, and even the locales of its headquarters. The leading bodies
of the PLO are the Palestine National Council (PNC), the Central Council,
and the Executive Committee. Political pluralism has remained a defining
feature of the organization, as have democratic internal dialogue and
attempts to reach decisions by consensus in its bodies, recognizing the
presence of many differing views and competing alliances throughout
different periods. In 1968, the organization witnessed the beginning of the
engagement of the Feda’iyeen organizations (armed struggle organizations),
particularly Fateh. In 1969, Yasser Arafat, leader of Fateh, became the
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO and, in 1971, he became the
General Commander of the Palestine Forces. His name has been synonymous
with the PLO and with the Palestinian national movement.
Since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and
the convening of general elections in January 1996 in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, which were preceded by the
return of most Palestinian leaders to their homeland, the Authority’s role
and responsibilities continue to increase, in some ways at the expense of
the PLO. In the Palestinian territory, as well as outside, Islamic groups
remain outside the PLO, which traditionally has not mixed religion and
politics.
In general, the current Palestinian situation is constantly changing
and progressing towards the establishment of a state and the building of a
Palestinian democracy. These changes will affect the PLO, but there is no
doubt that, at least for some time, the PLO will continue its role as a
very important Palestinian structure for the Palestinian people in the
Occupied Territories, in the refugee camps, and throughout the world.
Structure:
I. Palestine National Council
The PNC, which is the highest decision-making body of the PLO, is
considered to be the parliament of all Palestinians inside and outside of
the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. The PNC normally
sets PLO policies, elects the Executive Committee and makes the necessary
changes in its own membership, as well as changes to the Palestine National
Charter (a special meeting is required) and to the Fundamental Law of the
organization. The PNC also elects a speaker, two deputies and a secretary,
who make up the Bureau of the Council. The Council has its own standing
committees for various aspects of its work, such as its legal and political
committees. The composition of the PNC represents all sectors of the
Palestinian community worldwide and includes numerous organizations of the
resistance movement, political parties, popular organizations (each of the
above is represented by specific quotas) and independent personalities and
figures from all sectors of life, including intellectuals, religious
leaders and businessmen. The current membership of the PNC stands at X,
including all of the 88 elected members of the Palestine Legislative
Council (PLC).
II. Central Council
The Central Council, which was established by the PNC in 1973, is the
second leading body of the PLO. The Council functions as an intermediary
body between the PNC and the Executive Committee. At present, the
membership stands at 124, including 15 representatives of the PLC. The last
meeting of the Central Council took place in Gaza on 10 December 1998.
III. Executive Committee
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.
IV. Palestine National Fund
The Fund is managed by a board of directors and by a chairman who is
elected by the PNC and who automatically serves on the Executive Committee.
The other members of the board are appointed by the Executive Committee,
with a maximum of 11 members. Revenues for the fund come from two sources —
a fixed tax on the wages earned by all Palestinians living in Arab
countries and collected by those respective governments and from financial
contributions by Arab governments and peoples, an amount that in the past
was substantial.
V. Palestine Liberation Army
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
Hiteen 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 Kuwat al-Tahrir Al-Sha’biya (Popular
Liberation Troops). Recently, with the establishment of the Palestine
National Authority (PNA), important parts of those brigades in Egypt and
Jordan were absorbed into the PNA security forces.
VI. Departments
The Organization has established departments that are responsible for
several important spheres of work, each headed by a member of the Executive
Committee. The departments include the Political Department, the Department
of Returnees, the Department of Culture and Information, and the Department
of Popular Organizations. Of these, the Political Department is the
largest. It directs and supervises the work of Palestinian representation
abroad, including Palestinian embassies, missions and offices. The
Political Department also represents the PLO and the State of Palestine at
international conferences, such as those of the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries (NAM) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). (For
the addresses of all embassies look under the Directory of Palestinian
Embassies & Missions for the addresses of all embassies).
VII. Palestinian Institutions
The institutions of the PLO have achieved significant accomplishments
through the myriad of social, economic and health services that they
provide to Palestinian communities. Among the most important of these
institutions are the following:
• Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS): Established in 1968 in Jordan,
the PRCS provides medical and health care to the Palestinian people. The
PRCS started out with only several small clinics and grew into a
substantial medical network with hospitals and medical centers throughout
the region.
• Palestinian Martyrs Works Society (SAMED): SAMED provided, throughout
an important period, the economic infrastructure of the Palestinian
community. It had been established in 1970 originally to provide vocational
training to the children of Palestinian martyrs.
• Sons of Martyrs: This organization owns several important facilities
in the region that take care of the children of Palestinian martyrs.