Editing Palestine Liberation Organization (section)

==History and armed actions==
===Early actions===
At its [[1964 Arab League summit (Cairo)|first summit meeting]] in [[Cairo]] in 1964, the [[Arab League]] initiated the creation of an organization representing the Palestinian people.<ref name="masri">[http://muftah.org/the-plo-and-the-crisis-of-representation-by-mazen-masri/#.Vef84LNnor4 ''The PLO and the crisis of representation''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322193612/http://muftah.org/the-plo-and-the-crisis-of-representation-by-mazen-masri/#.Vef84LNnor4|date=22 March 2016}}.  Mazen Masri, Muftah, 15 October 2010</ref> The [[Palestinian National Council]] convened in [[Jerusalem]] on 28 May 1964. After concluding the meeting, the PLO was founded on 2 June 1964. Its stated "complementary goals" were Arab unity and the liberation of [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].<ref name="1964_charter"/>

The PLO began their militancy campaign from its inception with an attack on [[National Water Carrier of Israel|Israel's National Water Carrier]] in January 1965.<ref name="fundingevil"/> The group used [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] tactics to attack Israel from their bases in [[Jordan]] (which then included the [[West Bank]]), [[Lebanon]], Egypt ([[Gaza Strip]]), and [[Syria]].<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/arab-israeli_conflict.html Arab-Israeli Conflict], [[Encarta]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028083130/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588322_2/arab-israeli_conflict.html|date=28 October 2009}}</ref>

The most notable of what were considered terrorist acts committed by member organizations of the PLO were in the 1970s. The 1970 [[Avivim school bus bombing|Avivim school bus massacre]] by the [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP), killed nine children, three adults and crippled 19. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]], the second-largest PLO faction after [[Fatah|al-Fatah]], carried out [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine#Armed attacks of the PFLP|a number of attacks and plane hijackings]] mostly directed at Israel, most infamously the [[Dawson's Field hijackings]], which precipitated the [[Black September]] crisis.

In 1972, the [[Black September Organization]] carried out the [[Munich massacre]] of Israeli Olympic athletes. In 1974, members of the DFLP seized a school in Israel and killed a total of 26 students and adults and wounded over 70 in the [[Ma'alot massacre]]. The 1975, [[Savoy Hotel attack|Savoy Hotel hostage situation]] killing 8 hostages and 3 soldiers, carried out by Fatah. The 1978, [[Coastal road massacre]] killing 37 Israelis and wounding 76, also carried out by Fatah.

===PLO operations in Jordan: 1967–1971===
{{main|War of Attrition|Black September}}
From 1967 to September 1970 the PLO, with passive support from Jordan, fought a [[War of Attrition|war of attrition]] with Israel. During this time, the PLO launched artillery attacks on the [[moshav]]im and [[kibbutz]]im of [[Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council|Bet Shean Valley Regional Council]], while [[Palestinian fedayeen|fedayeen]] launched numerous attacks on Israeli forces. Israel raided the PLO camps in Jordan, including [[Battle of Karameh|Karameh]], withdrawing only under Jordanian military pressure.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ben-Tzedef|first=Eviatar|title=Inferno at Karameh|work=nfc|access-date=3 September 2008|date=24 March 2008|url=http://www.nfc.co.il/Archive/003-D-28622-00.html?tag=10-27-34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921135837/http://www.nfc.co.il/Archive/003-D-28622-00.html?tag=10-27-34|archive-date=21 September 2008|url-status=dead|language=he}}</ref>

This conflict culminated in [[Black September|Jordan's expulsion of the PLO]] to Lebanon in July 1971.

The PLO suffered a major reversal with the Jordanian assault on its armed groups, in the events known as [[Black September]] in 1970. The Palestinian groups were expelled from Jordan, and during the 1970s, the PLO was effectively an [[Umbrella organization|umbrella group]] of eight organizations headquartered in [[Damascus]] and [[Beirut]], all devoted to armed struggle against [[Zionism]] or Israeli occupation, using methods which included direct clashing and [[guerrilla warfare]] against Israel. After Black September, the [[Cairo Agreement (1969)|Cairo Agreement]] led the PLO to establish itself in Lebanon.

===Lebanese Civil War: 1971–1982===
{{Main|Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon|Lebanese Civil War}}
In the late 1960s, and especially after the expulsion of the Palestinian militants from Jordan in [[Black September|Black September events in 1970–1971]], Lebanon had become the base for PLO operations. Palestinian militant organizations relocated their headquarters to South Lebanon, and relying on the support in Palestinian refugee camps, waged a campaign of attacks on the Galilee and on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. Increasing penetration of Palestinians into Lebanese politics and Israeli retaliations gradually deteriorated the situation.

By the mid-1970s, Arafat and his Fatah movement found themselves in a tenuous position.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Arafat increasingly called for diplomacy, perhaps best symbolized by his [[PLO's Ten Point Program|Ten Point Program]] and his support for a UN Security Council resolution proposed in 1976 calling for a [[two-state solution|two-state settlement]] on the pre-1967 borders.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} But the [[Rejectionist Front]] denounced the calls for diplomacy, and a diplomatic solution was vetoed by the United States.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} In 1975, the increasing tensions between Palestinian militants and Christian militias exploded into the [[Lebanese Civil War]], involving all factions. On 20 January 1976, the PLO took part in the [[Damour massacre]] in retaliation to the [[Karantina massacre]]. The PLO and [[Lebanese National Movement]] attacked the Christian town of [[Damour]], killing 684 civilians and forcing the remainder of the town's population to flee. In 1976 Syria joined the war by invading Lebanon, beginning the 29‑year [[Syrian occupation of Lebanon]], and in 1978 Israel [[1978 South Lebanon conflict|invaded South Lebanon]] in response to the [[Coastal road massacre]], executed by Palestinian militants based in Lebanon.

The population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip saw Arafat as their best hope for a resolution to the conflict.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} This was especially so in the aftermath of the [[Camp David Accords]] of 1978 between Israel and Egypt, which the Palestinians saw as a blow to their aspirations to self-determination.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} [[Abu Nidal]], a sworn enemy of the PLO since 1974,<ref>Seale 1992, 98.</ref> assassinated the PLO's diplomatic envoy to the [[European Economic Community]], which in the [[Venice Declaration]] of 1980 had called for the Palestinian right of self-determination to be recognized by Israel.

Opposition to Arafat was fierce not only among radical Arab groups, but also among many on the Israeli right.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} This included [[Menachem Begin]], who had stated on more than one occasion that even if the PLO accepted [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|UN Security Council Resolution 242]] and recognized Israel's right to exist, he would never negotiate with the organization.<ref>Smith, op. cit., p. 357</ref>{{verify source|date=April 2012}} This contradicted the official United States position that it would negotiate with the PLO if the PLO accepted Resolution 242 and recognized Israel, which the PLO had thus far been unwilling to do. Other Arab voices had recently called for a diplomatic resolution to the hostilities in accord with the international consensus, including Egyptian leader [[Anwar Sadat]] on his visit to Washington, DC in August 1981, and Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia in his 7 August peace proposal; together with Arafat's diplomatic maneuver, these developments made Israel's argument that it had "no partner for peace" seem increasingly problematic. Thus, in the eyes of Israeli hard-liners, "the Palestinians posed a greater challenge to Israel as a peacemaking organization than as a military one".<ref>Smith, op. cit., 376</ref>

After the appointment of Ariel Sharon to the post of [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Minister of Defense]] in 1981, the Israeli government policy of allowing political growth to occur in the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip changed. The Israeli government tried, unsuccessfully, to dictate terms of political growth by replacing local pro-PLO leaders with an Israeli civil administration.<ref>Shaul Mishal, Ranan D. Kuperman, David Boas (2001). ''Investment in Peace: Politics of Economic Cooperation Between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority''. Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-902210-88-9}} p 64</ref>

In 1982, after an attack on a senior Israeli diplomat by Lebanon-based Palestinian militants in Lebanon, Israel [[1982 Lebanon War|invaded Lebanon]] in a much larger scale in coordination with the Lebanese Christian militias, reaching Beirut and eventually resulting in ousting of the PLO headquarters in June that year. Low-level Palestinian insurgency in Lebanon continued in parallel with the consolidation of Shia militant organizations, but became a secondary concern to Israeli military and other Lebanese factions. With ousting of the PLO, the Lebanese Civil War gradually turned into a prolonged conflict, shifting from mainly PLO-Christian conflict into involvement of all Lebanese factions – whether [[Lebanese Sunni Muslims|Sunni]], [[Lebanese Shia Muslims|Shia]], [[Lebanese Druze|Druze]], and [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christians]].

===Headquarters in Tunis: 1982–1991===
In 1982, the PLO relocated to [[Tunis]], Tunisia after it was driven out of Lebanon by Israel during the [[1982 Lebanon War]]. Following massive raids by Israeli forces in Beirut, it is estimated that 8,000 PLO fighters evacuated the city and dispersed.<ref>[[Helena Cobban]] (1984), ''The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics'', [[Cambridge University Press]], p. 3.</ref>

On 1 October 1985, in [[Operation Wooden Leg]], [[Israeli Air Force]] [[McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle|F-15s]] bombed the PLO's Tunis headquarters, killing more than 60 people.

It is suggested that the Tunis period (1982–1991) was a negative point in the PLO's history, leading up to the Oslo negotiations and formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PLO in exile was distant from a concentrated number of Palestinians and became far less effective.<ref>[[Rashid Khalidi]] (2006), ''The Iron Cage: The Story of the Struffle for Palestinian Statehood'', [[Beacon Press]] ({{ISBN|978-0-8070-0308-4}}), p. 180.</ref> There was a significant reduction in centers of research, political debates or journalistic endeavors that had encouraged an energized public presence of the PLO in Beirut. More and more Palestinians were abandoned, and many felt that this was the beginning of the end.<ref>Khalidi (2006), ''The Iron Cage'', p. 164.</ref>

===Oslo I Accord (1993)===
Mediated talks between the Israeli government and the PLO in 1993 (the [[Oslo I Accord]]) resulted in the PLO recognizing [[Legitimacy of the State of Israel|Israel's right to exist in peace]] and accepting [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242]] ("inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East in which every State in the area can live in security"), while Israel recognized the PLO as a legitimate authority representing the Palestinian people.<ref name="Murphy"/> Despite the [[Israel–Palestine Liberation Organization letters of recognition|Israel–PLO Letters of Mutual Recognition]] (1993), in which PLO leader [[Yasser Arafat]] renounced "terrorism and other acts of violence" against Israel, the PLO continued to engage in militant activities, particularly during the [[Second Intifada]] (see next subsection).

===Second Intifada: 2000–2004===
{{Main|Second Intifada}}
The Second or Al-Aqsa Intifada started concurrently with the breakdown of July 2000 [[2000 Camp David Summit|Camp David talks]] between Palestinian Authority Chairman [[Yasser Arafat]] and Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Barak]]. The Intifada never ended officially, but violence hit relatively low levels during 2005. The death toll, including both military personnel and civilians, of the entire conflict in 2000–2004 is estimated to be 3,223 Palestinians and 950 Israelis, although this number is criticized for not differentiating between combatants and civilians.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Members of the PLO have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
The PLO has been sued in the United States by families of those killed or injured in attacks by Palestinians. [[Leon Klinghoffer|One lawsuit]] was settled prior to going to trial.<ref name=NYT1997>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/world/a-settlement-with-plo-over-terror-on-a-cruise.html|title=A Settlement With P.L.O. Over Terror On a Cruise|first=Benjamin|last=Weiser|newspaper=The New York Times|date=12 August 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB871320035744096000|title=PLO Settles Klinghoffer Suit Over Achille Lauro Murder|first=Michael|last=Rapoport|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=12 August 1997|via=www.wsj.com}}</ref> [[Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization|The other]] went to trial. The PLO was found liable for the death and injuries of US citizens in a number of terrorist attacks in Israel from 2001 to 2004 and ordered to pay a judgment of $655.5 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/nyregion/damages-awarded-in-terror-case-against-palestinian-groups.html?emc=edit_na_20150223&nlid=31298867&_r=0|title=Palestinian Groups Are Found Liable at Manhattan Terror Trial|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 February 2015|access-date=8 March 2017|last1=Weiser|first1=Benjamin}}</ref> The verdict was overturned on appeal for a lack of US federal jurisdiction over actions committed overseas.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/nyregion/appeals-court-terror-verdict-plo-palestinian-authority.html?_r=0 Court Throws Out $655.5 Million Terrorism Verdict Against Palestinian Groups], B. Weiser, 31 August 2016, The New York Times</ref>