The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics

318 Pages·1984·9.466 MB·English

by  Helena Cobban

Cambridge Middle East Library
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation
Cambridge Middle East Library
Editorial Board
EDMUND BURKE, M. D. C. GILSENAN, ALBERT HOURANI, WALID KAZZIHA,
SHERIF MARDIN, ROGER OWEN
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The Palestinian Liberation
Organisation
People, Power and Politics
HELENA COBBAN
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Victoria 3166, Australia
© Cambridge University Press 1984
First published 1984
Reprinted 1984 (twice) 1985 1987 (twice) 1988 1990 1992
Library of Congress catalogue card number: 83-18915
British Library cataloguing in publication data
Cobban, Helena
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation -
(Cambridge Middle East Library)
1. Palestine Liberation Organisation - History
I. Title
322.4'2'095694 DS 119.7
ISBN 0 521 25128 1 hardback
ISBN 0 521 27216 5 paperback
Transferred to digital printing 2003
Contents
List of illustrations page vii
Preface ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction
1 The PLO in the 1980s
Political impact of the 1982 Israeli invasion, 3; antecedents and early origins of Fateh;
early life of Yasser Arafat, 6; introducing some other Fateh leaders, 8; relationship
between Fateh and PLO; profile of PLO, 10; relations between Fateh and other PLO
groups, 15; development of Fateh/PLO leaders' ideology and political goals, 16
Part I: History of the PLO mainstream
2 The phoenix hatches 1948-67
Fateh's founders: the Cairo group, 21; Fateh's founders: the Gulf group, 22; foundation
and organisation of Fateh, 23; Fateh's early ideology, 27; impact of PLO's establishment,
1964, 28; Fateh launches its armed struggle, 1965, 31; summary: development of Fateh
and PLO down to 1967, 34
3 The joy of flying 1967-73
Arab states' defeat gives guerrilla movement new impetus, 36; Fateh's abortive attempt to
stage an uprising in the West Bank, 1967-8, 37; explosion of support for guerrillas from
Palestinian refugees; Battle of Karameh, 1968, 39; Fateh takeover of PLO, 1968-9, 42;
relations with the Arab states, 1967-70, 45; problems and accommodation in Lebanon,
1968-9, 47; problems and explosion in Jordan, 1968-70,48; lessons from Jordan events,
1970-1, 52; survival of guerrillas post-1970; activities of the Black September Organisa-
tion, 53; the PLO and the 1973 Middle East war, 55
4 Caught in the Lebanon net (1973-76)
The aftermath of the war; Kissinger's diplomacy, 58; the PLO moves towards a political
settlement; the PNC opts for a 'mini-state' (1974); formation of the Rejection Front, 60;
background to the trouble in Lebanon, 63; first stages of the Lebanese war, spring and
summer 1975,65; Kissinger sets conditions for U.S.-PLO negotiations, 66; winter 1975-6
in Lebanon: the fall of Qarantina and Dbayeh; the start of direct Fateh and Syrian
involvement; political developments, 67; Palestinian-Syrian confrontation in Lebanon,
summer 1976; the Battle of Tel al-Zaatar, 72; endgame in Lebanon: Arab leaders settle
Contents
their differences, 74; the post-war balance in Lebanon, 76; summary: the effects of the
Lebanese war on the Palestinian movement, 77
5 The net tightens (1977-80)
The balance in Lebanon, early 1977, 81; Israel's forward policy in south Lebanon,
1976-77, and its effects, 82; 13th PNC (March 1977) strengthens PLO endorsement of
political settlement, 84; shadow diplomacy with Carter administration, 1977, 87; the
Sadat initiative: effects of, and PLO reactions to, 92; the Tel Aviv bus operation (March
1978); Israel's 1978 invasion of Lebanon, 94; cease-fire in Lebanon; PLO accepts and
implements it, 95; effects of 1978 Israeli invasion weaken PLO position in Lebanon, 97;
Camp David (September 1978); Palestinian and Arab opposition to it, 99; revolution in
Iran (January 1979), but overall regional balance turning against PLO, 104; continued
Israeli pressure in Lebanon, 1979-80, 105; summary: setbacks for PLO; a few glimmers
of hope; Fateh's 4th Conference (May 1980), 106
6 The broken wing (1981-February 1983)
15th PNC, April 1981, 108; the Reagan administration, the Syrian missile crisis and the
July 1981 Habib cease-fire in Lebanon, 109; the Fahd plan, August-November 1981,
113; assassination of Sadat, 115; political war in the West Bank, autumn 1981 to spring
1982,117; 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, 119; organisation of defence of West Beirut,
June-August 1982, 124; the Reagan plan, September 1982, 126; the Beirut massacres,
128; political developments post-Beirut; the Fez plan; 16th PNC, February 1983, 130;
summary: losses in Lebanon and gains in the occupied territories, 135
Part II: Internal relations
7 Non-Fateh guerrilla groups
Introduction, 139; the PFLP: political development to 1972, 140; the PFLP: 'external
operations', 145; the PFLP: political development 1972-83; rise and fall of the Rejection
Front, 148; the DFLP, 153; Saiqa, 157; the PFLP-General Command, 161; other groups
and grouplets; dissident movements inside Fateh, 163; inter-group relations; the debates
inside Fateh, 165
8 The movement inside historic Palestine
Introduction, 168; the West Bank: sketch of political developments 1948-82, 169; the
West Bank: assessment of history; the PLO's relations with the West Bank, 178; Gaza:
sketch of political developments 1948-82, 179; 'Israeli Arabs': the growth of Palestinian
feelings, 184; 'Israeli Arabs': political complexion of the Palestinian movement inside
1948 Israel, 187; 'Israeli Arabs': the PLO's relations with this movement, 190
PART III: External relations
9 Arab relations
Historical and ideological background; Fateh's doctrine of 'non-intervention', 195; early
logistic and organising problems: front-line and rearguard states, 198; Fateh's armed
struggle and the front-line states, 199; guerrillas' new power after 1967 war; parameters
of the Palestinian-Arab interaction, 201; Arab states' interventions in PLO affairs, 204;
the PLO as meeting-point for guerrillas and Arab states; parallel strategies post-1967,
204; Arab states' role in 1970 fighting in Jordan, 206; Palestinian-Jordanian rivalry
1970-74, 208; Arab states' role in Palestinian-Syrian fighting of 1976, 209; Arab states'
vi
Contents
role in 1982 Battle of Beirut, 210; summary: developments in Palestinian-Arab relations
down to February 1983, 213
10 International relations
Introduction, 215; the People's Republic of China since 1964,216; the Soviet Union since
1968, 221; the U.N. and other international organisations since 1970, 228; Western
Europe since 1974, 231; the United States: the Kissinger era, 235; the United States: the
Carter era; assessment of 1977 and 1979 overtures, 237; the United States: Palestinian
conceptions of America, 238; the United States: conclusions and assessment of early PLO
reactions to the 1982 Reagan plan, 240
Conclusions
11 The irresistible force and the immovable object
Re-establishing the Palestinian body politic, 245; continuity in the Fateh leadership, 246;
core relations within the Fateh leadership, 250; the 'national unity' issue in the PLO, 252;
the role, effectiveness and aims of Palestinian military action, 253; political strategies,
256; the American 'immovable object', 258; conclusions and prospects, 259
Appendixes
1 The political programme of the Sixteenth PNC, Algiers,
22 February 1983 (extracts) 264
2 The Palestine National Charter as revised by the Fourth
PNC meeting, July 1968 (extracts) 267
3 Members of the PLO Executive Committee elected February
1983 269
4 List of regular sessions of the Palestinian National Council,
May 1964 to February 1983 270
5 Fateh Central Committee elected April/May 1980 271
Notes 272
References and select bibliography 299
Illustrations
Map 1 Palestine and the surrounding areas xii
Fig. 1 The organisation of the PLO 13
vn

Preface
This present book was mainly conceived in discussions I had, after leaving
Beirut in 1981, with Edward Hodgkin in Milton Abbas, and with Albert
Hourani and Roger Owen, past and present Directors of the Middle East
Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford. Between them, they convinced me I
could write it, and sharpened my ideas of what should go into it. To them
are due my first thanks.
The book would never have got any further, however, without the timely
help of two fine American universities. I would like to thank Benjamin H.
Brown of Harvard's Center for International Affairs for the support the
Center afforded me in mid-1982. The Center for Contemporary Arab
Studies at Georgetown University then provided a professional home for
me throughout the academic year 1982-83, and I am extremely grateful
both for the academic insights provided by CCAS Director Michael C.
Hudson and other members of the Georgetown faculty, and for the prac-
tical help given by Zeina Seikaly and her colleagues in the CCAS's adminis-
tration. Iman Bibars and Zaha Bustami gave valuable help with some of
the Arabic documentary sources, while Sophie Rentz in the Near East
Department of the Library of Congress, like Julie Blattner in the CFIA's
library in Harvard before her, provided an ever helpful guide to the
collections.
Many, many other people have contributed — wittingly or unwittingly,
directly or indirectly - to the present work. Two Foreign Editors at the
Christian Science Monitor were always asking the right sorts of question,
and (which is even rarer in the newspaper business) waiting till I fel tI had
the answers nearly right: they were the late Geoffrey Godsell and David
Anable.
In Beirut, far too many people even to name had helped me to look at the
Palestinian movement over the years. Souheil Rached of course played a
special role, as did many of his friends; Rashid and Muna Khalidi gave
countless hours of their time; and Bilal al-Hassan and Mostafa el-Hosseini
offered their insights both in Beirut and long after we had all left there.
In a way, I had been gathering material for a book such as this ever since
IX