PLO Institutions: The Challenge Ahead

Since its inception nearly three decades ago, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has faced many difficult situations. Never, before, however, have the challenges been as formidable as they are today, particularly following the signing of the "Declaration of Principles" agreement with Israel; the agreement's open-ended nature-and especially its deferment to the "final status" negotiations of core issues such as Jerusalem, refugees, sovereignty, and settlements-makes the challenge facing the PLO all the more daunting.

Jamil Hilal, director of the PLO Information Department in Tunis and a member of the PNC since 1983, is a sociologist by training and the author of The West Bank Economic and Social Structure, 1948-74, and numerous articles on Palestinian-related issues. The views expressed are his alone.