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The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic: ????? ???????
??????????; Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah (help·info) or Munazzamat al-Tahrir
al-Filastiniyyah) is a multi-party confederation and is the organization
regarded since 1974 as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian
people."
Founded by the Arab League in June 26, 1964,[citation needed], it was initially
controlled for the most part by the Egyptian government. The original PLO
Charter outlined goals that included the destruction of the State of Israel via
armed struggle and a right of return and self-determination for Palestinian
Arabs, during Jordan's and Egypt's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
respectively two areas of three under foreign occupation of the Arab State of
Palestine, as established by UNGA 181 Partition of the, now, UN Trust Territory
of Palestine,(former League of Nations Mandate of Palestine, Same Trust
Territory) equally partitioned the soveriegnty into two states as defined of
territory in UNGA 181,Part II Boundaries. The third area being those areas
occupied by the State of Israel.
Palestinian statehood was not mentioned, although in 1974 the PLO adopted the
idea of an independent state between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.
More recently, the PLO officially adopted a two-state solution, with Israel and
Palestine living side by side contingent on specific terms such as making East
Jerusalem capital of the Palestinian state and giving Palestinians right of
return. although many Palestinian leaders, including Yasser Arafat and Faisal
Husseini have declared their goal is still "liberation" of all of Palestine.
In 1993, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat recognized the State of Israel in an
official letter to its prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin. In response to Arafat's
letter, Israel recognized the PLO as the legitimate representative of the
Palestinian people. Arafat was the Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee from
1969 until his death in 2004. He was succeeded by Mahmoud Abbas (also known as
Abu Mazen).
The PLO was considered "the richest of all terrorist organizations" with $8-$10
billion in assets and an annual income of $1.5-$2 billion from "donations,
extortion, payoffs, illegal arms dealing, drug trafficking, money laundering,
fraud, etc.", according to a 1993 National Criminal Intelligence Service report.
The Daily Telegraph reported in 1999 that the PLO had $50 billion in secret
investments around the world including Zimbabwe and Somalia.
Overview
The PLO emblem shows the Flag of Palestine above a map of State of Palestine
(present-day Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.)The PLO has a nominal
legislative body, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), but most actual
political power and decisions are controlled by the PLO Executive Committee,
made up of 15 people elected by the PNC. 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. The Palestine Liberation Organization is considered by the Arab
League and by the United Nations to be the legitimate representative of the
Palestinian people and holds a permanent observer seat in the United Nations
General Assembly.
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