The development of the strategy of the Palestine Liberation Organization

This dissertation is a study of the development of PLO strategy from the time of its inception until the year 1993. It explores the evolution of PLO political thinking and practices with the object of understanding its present policies.;The study begins with an introductory chapter which explains how the 1948 Arab-lsraeli War caused the Palestinian national movement to disintegrate and how later it was revived but with a different form and style of politics. Until 1967, this movement was highly susceptible to external Arab intervention and sometimes outright control. However, after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, it re-emerged as a significant, independent, political and military force in the region.;Generally, PLO strategy alternated between militant and moderate positions. Early PLO strategy was based on a type of guerrilla warfare that sought to achieve the total liberation of Palestine. The emergence of the commando organizations and the election of Arafat in 1969 to head the PLO strengthened the organization's commitment to an all-or-nothing strategy. Following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, however, the PLO became once again susceptible to diverse external political influences and threats. In order to meet the new challenges, the PLO had to undergo a number of important political changes. Indeed, from the 12th Palestine National Congress (PNC) of 1974 to the 18th 1987 PNC the PLO was busy formulating a more moderate strategy that would ultimately overshadow its older more militant strategy. In 1988, during the 19th PNC meeting, the moderate strategy became dominant. The new strategy was motivated by the Palestinian uprising, or Intifada, which erupted in December 1987.;Contributing to the final and most radical changes in PLO strategy i.e. entering into formal, peaceful relations with Israel, were the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Communist system, the Persian Gulf War which had demolished the anti-Israeli-Arab front, or what remained of it, and the coming to power of Israel's Labor party as a result of the 1992 elections.;The last chapter deals with the recent peace conditions. Opposition to peace and serious threats to peace have come mainly from the Islamic groups.