Historical Organization
PLO
PLO
Details
Organization Timeline
The General Union of Palestinian Women is formed in Jerusalem
📅 15 July 1965Organizations/movement: General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW); PLO. Action: Women established a national union linked to the PLO framework. Result: An organized platform connected women’s social...
The third Palestine National Council meets in Gaza
📅 20 May 1966Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO. Action: The PNC held its third session in Gaza from 20 to 24 May. Result: The PLO continued developing its representative and policy-making...
The fourth PNC consolidates guerrilla influence
📅 10 July 1968Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO; guerrilla factions. Action: The fourth PNC convened in Cairo and adopted a revised National Charter. Result: Armed organizations gained control...
The fifth PNC articulates a democratic political programme
📅 1 February 1969Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO. Action: The Cairo session adopted a political statement proposing a democratic society for Palestinians of different religions. Result: The...
The Cairo Agreement regulates the Palestinian presence in Lebanon
📅 3 November 1969Organizations/movement: PLO; Lebanese authorities. Action: The delegations agreed on camp committees, civil rights and regulation of armed activity. Result: An arrangement acknowledged Palestinian...
Cairo Agreement regulates Palestinian presence and armed activity in Lebanon
📅 3 November 1969Lebanese army commander Emile Bustani and PLO leader Yasser Arafat reached the Cairo Agreement under Egyptian auspices. The text provided for local Palestinian camp committees, certain rights to work,...
Jordanian army attacks Palestinian bases; Lebanon becomes a central PLO base
📅 17 September 1970Jordanian forces attacked Palestinian armed organisations in September 1970. After their defeat and expulsion from Jordan, PLO networks consolidated operations and institutions in Lebanon. Result:...
Israeli commandos kill senior Palestinian leaders in Beirut
📅 10 April 1973During the night of 9–10 April Israeli forces raided PLO sites in Beirut and Sidon and killed senior Fatah figures. Palestinian organisations regarded the raid as an attack on their leadership and...
The Palestine National Front organizes inside the occupied territory
📅 August 1973Organizations/movement: Palestine National Front; PLO. Action: The front called for coordinated defence of land, economy, culture, prisoners and mass organizations. Result: Its programme linked...
The PNC adopts the Ten-Point Programme
📅 8 June 1974Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO. Action: The PNC proposed establishing national authority on any liberated part of Palestinian territory. Result: The interim programme...
The Rabat summit recognizes the PLO’s representative status
📅 October 1974Organizations/movement: PLO; Arab League summit. Action: Arab leaders recognized the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Result: The movement gained regional backing...
Arafat addresses the UN General Assembly
📅 13 November 1974Organizations/movement: PLO; UN General Assembly. Action: Arafat presented the Palestinian national case in a General Assembly address. Result: The PLO gained a major international platform. Impact...
The UN reaffirms Palestinian national rights
📅 22 November 1974Organizations/movement: UN General Assembly; PLO. Action: Resolution 3236 reaffirmed self-determination, national independence, sovereignty and return. Result: Palestinian rights were expressly framed...
The PLO receives UN observer status
📅 22 November 1974Organizations/movement: PLO; UN General Assembly. Action: Resolution 3237 invited the PLO to participate as an observer. Result: The organization acquired an ongoing place in UN deliberations....
The thirteenth PNC connects political and mass struggle
📅 20 March 1977Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO. Action: The political declaration stressed military, political and popular forms of struggle and activity inside occupied territory. Result:...
Municipalities affirm support for the PLO programme
📅 8 August 1977Organizations/movement: West Bank and Gaza municipalities; PLO. Action: Municipal representatives sent a message to the United States and Soviet Union affirming the PLO programme. Result: Local...
Fatah militants attack civilians on Israel’s coastal road
📅 11 March 1978An armed Fatah group entering from Lebanon hijacked buses on Israel’s coastal road. Dozens of Israeli civilians, including children, were killed. The attack was presented by its perpetrators as part...
Israel launches Operation Litani in southern Lebanon
📅 14 March 1978Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon with the stated objective of pushing Palestinian armed groups north of the Litani River. The invasion displaced civilians and intensified conflict in the south....
First UNIFIL troops deploy in southern Lebanon
📅 23 March 1978Following the March Israeli invasion, the first UNIFIL troops arrived. Lebanese communities and Palestinian factions faced a new international security presence. The deployment was intended to...
Israeli air raids strike PLO sites in Beirut
📅 17 July 1981During a sharp escalation involving PLO attacks and Israeli responses, Israeli aircraft bombed PLO-associated targets in Beirut, causing civilian casualties and intensifying pressure for a...
Israel–PLO ceasefire enters into effect
📅 24 July 1981US mediation by Philip Habib produced a ceasefire between Israel and the PLO, largely reducing cross-border hostilities for several months. The agreement did not resolve Palestinian dispossession,...
Serious breach of the 1981 ceasefire
📅 21 April 1982United Nations reporting identified 21 April 1982 as a serious breach of the July 1981 ceasefire in the Israel–Lebanon sector. The incident exposed the fragility of the arrangement, while Lebanese...
Further ceasefire breach increases tensions
📅 9 May 1982UN reporting identified another serious breach on 9 May 1982. The renewed violence occurred amid unresolved disputes over the PLO presence in Lebanon and Israeli military actions. The escalation...
Attempted assassination of Israeli ambassador in London
📅 3 June 1982Members of the Abu Nidal Organisation, a Palestinian group opposed to the PLO, attempted to assassinate Israeli ambassador Shlomo Argov in London. Israel invoked the attack in the crisis preceding its...
Israeli aircraft attack Beirut area
📅 4 June 1982Israeli air strikes in the Beirut area were followed by intensive exchanges of fire involving PLO and Lebanese National Movement forces and Israeli forces and their local allies. The UN appealed for a...
UN Security Council calls for immediate ceasefire
📅 5 June 1982Security Council Resolution 508 called for all military activities in Lebanon and across the border to cease by 06:00 local time on 6 June. The PLO affirmed a commitment to halt cross-border...
Palestinian forces resist Israel’s invasion of Lebanon
📅 6 June 1982Organizations/movement: PLO; Lebanese allies; Israeli army. Action: PLO forces and allies confronted the Israeli invasion, followed by the siege of Beirut. Result: The war inflicted widespread...
Israeli forces invade Lebanon
📅 6 June 1982Israel launched a major ground invasion of Lebanon after aerial bombardment and cross-border fighting. PLO and Lebanese National Movement forces resisted Israeli advances; UNIFIL attempted to obstruct...
Israeli forces encircle Beirut
📅 13 June 1982By mid-June Israeli forces had surrounded Beirut after advancing through Lebanon. PLO and allied Lebanese fighters defended positions; residents endured shelling, displacement and shortages. The siege...
Arab League reports PLO decision to leave Beirut
📅 29 July 1982The Arab League announced that the PLO had decided to remove its armed forces from Beirut subject to arrangements and safeguards for departure and civilian protection. The decision followed a...
Ceasefire takes effect during Beirut siege
📅 12 August 1982A ceasefire came into effect on 12 August after intense fighting and bombardment. The agreement helped set the stage for negotiated departure of Palestinian armed personnel, but did not settle...
PLO evacuation from Beirut begins
📅 21 August 1982The withdrawal of Palestinian fighters from Beirut began under a negotiated arrangement overseen by a multinational force. From the perspective of the PLO, the evacuation preserved its leadership...
Arafat leaves Beirut after the negotiated evacuation
📅 30 August 1982Organizations/movement: PLO; evacuation mediators. Action: Arafat departed aboard a ship after a US-mediated evacuation agreement. Result: The leadership relocated to Tunis as forces dispersed. Impact...
PLO evacuation from Beirut completed
📅 1 September 1982The evacuation of Palestinian armed personnel from the Beirut area was completed by 1 September. PLO leadership and fighters were dispersed to other countries; Palestinian civilians remaining in...
The seventeenth PNC issues its Amman statement
📅 29 November 1984Organizations/movement: Palestine National Council; PLO. Action: The council’s final statement reaffirmed independent Palestinian decision-making and the PLO’s institutions. Result: It set out...
The PLO and Jordan agree on joint diplomatic action
📅 11 February 1985Organizations/movement: PLO; Jordanian government. Action: The parties agreed on a joint approach involving withdrawal, self-determination, refugee rights and a proposed confederation. Result: A...
The UN condemns Israel’s attack on the PLO base in Tunisia
📅 4 October 1985Organizations/movement: UN Security Council; PLO; Tunisian government. Action: After Israel’s 1 October air raid, Tunisia brought the attack before the Security Council. Result: Resolution 573...
Israel and PLO exchange recognition letters
📅 9 September 1993Israel and the PLO exchange letters of mutual recognition. The PLO recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism; Israel recognizes the PLO as representative of the Palestinian people, without recognizing...
Oslo Declaration of Principles signed
📅 13 September 1993The PLO and Israel sign the Declaration of Principles in Washington. The interim framework defers Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders and security to later negotiations.
Gaza-Jericho negotiations begin in Taba
📅 13 October 1993Israeli and Palestinian negotiators begin talks on arrangements for limited Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho; disputes over jurisdiction and security remain central.
US Middle East Peace Facilitation Act signed
📅 28 October 1993US legislation eases certain restrictions on contacts with the PLO in support of the negotiations, illustrating Washington’s role in shaping the diplomatic process.
Further Gaza-Jericho talks begin
📅 12 December 1993Another round of negotiations begins, continuing into February 1994; control over territory and security arrangements are contested.
Paris Protocol on Economic Relations signed
📅 29 April 1994The economic protocol creates a framework governing Israeli-Palestinian trade, customs, taxation and other economic relations; critics argue that it entrenches structural Palestinian economic...
Gaza-Jericho Agreement signed in Cairo
📅 4 May 1994Israel and the PLO agree on initial Palestinian self-government in Gaza and the Jericho area. Israeli control over key external and security functions remains a central limitation.
Arafat returns to Gaza
📅 1 July 1994Yasir Arafat arrives in Gaza after years in exile, a major symbolic event for Palestinian national politics, while sovereignty and refugee return remain unresolved.
Early Empowerment Agreement signed
📅 29 August 1994Israel and the PLO agree to transfer selected civil responsibilities in the West Bank to Palestinian administration; territorial and security powers remain fragmented.
Oslo II Interim Agreement signed
📅 28 September 1995The interim agreement divides the West Bank into Areas A, B and C with differing powers. Palestinian authorities gain limited administrative jurisdiction while Israel retains extensive security and...
Yasser Arafat dies
📅 11 November 2004Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dies in France, opening a transition in the leadership of the PLO and Palestinian Authority.
Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement announced
📅 23 April 2014The PLO and Hamas reached a reconciliation understanding to form a national consensus government and pursue elections. Implementation and lasting unity remained contested.