What is the Palestinian Liberation Organization?
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is the group that seeks to establish an area of autonomy (self-rule) for Arabs (Muslims; followers of the Islamic religion) in Palestine. Formed in 1964 to oppose the domination of Palestine by Israel, the PLO is led by Yasir Arafat (1929– ). In 1974 the PLO was recognized by the United Nations (an international peacekeeping organization) and by Arab countries as the governing body of the Palestinian people. Since that time, however, Palestinians have remained without a homeland and have continued to fight for self-rule. In 1993 the PLO and Israel officially recognized each other in the Oslo Peace Agreement. Under the terms of the pact, Israel agreed to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip (a tiny piece of territory along the eastern Mediterranean Sea and adjacent to Egypt) and most cities and towns of the…
