Palestine Liberation Organization: Palestinian militant and political organization

The group was created in 1964. It represents Palestinians in diplomatic relations to other countries. It has held observer status at the United Nations since 1974. Since the First Intifada, it has ran the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Palestine Liberation Organization منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية‎
Abbreviation	PLO
Chairperson	Mahmoud Abbas
Founder	Ahmad Shukeiri
Founded	May 28, 1964; 59 years ago (1964-05-28)
Headquarters	Al-Bireh, West Bank, State of Palestine
Ideology	Palestinian nationalism Anti-Zionism Factions: Social democracy Marxism-Leninism Left-wing nationalism Arab nationalism Ba'athism
National affiliation	Palestinian National Authority (from 1994)
International affiliation	United Nations (from 1974)

Founded as a result of the Israel–Palestine conflict, the PLO originally used violence and terrorism to try and defeat Israel and liberate the Palestinian territories. It was initially founded by Ahmad Shukeiri in 1964, but thrived under the leadership of Yasser Arafat from 1969 to 2004. Under Arafat, Fatah became the largest faction of the PLO. The group became involved in Black September, the Lebanese Civil War, the First Intifada, and the Second Intifada during the Arafat years. After the First Intifada, the PLO and Israel signed the Oslo Accords, creating the PNA and transitioning the PLO into a political party. Arafat died during the Second Intifada, causing Mahmoud Abbas to become the current leader.

Since the Second Intifada, Fatah has maintained control over the PLO and the group has largely avoided violent combat. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sometimes clash with the PLO during incursions into the West Bank, although no official war has been declared. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), minor factions of the PLO, went to war with Israel in 2023, but it does not represent the majority consensus of the group.