What is the PLO?

IN the past year, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has moved to the forefront of the international scene. The attention that it has attracted has, however, been highly selective. Although its armed activities and increasing international and Arab status have featured prominently in the world media, less attention has been devoted to the internal structure of the PLO and its relationship to the Palestinian community as a whole -political, social and cultural as well as military. It is perhaps surprising that the subject has been so neglected, since one of the related issues the extent to which the PLO is representative of the Palestinian people has sometimes been subject to controversy in the Western world. The Palestine Liberation Organization is the general organizational framework within which all Palestinian organizations commando groups, trade unions, professional associations, as well as prominent national figures meet to work for the achievement of Palestinian national goals. Established in 1964, the PLO has experienced various organizational developments and change during a long period of transformation. It will be the purpose of this article to outline the history of this institutional development and to provide some insights into the PLO's present organizational structure.