ABCs of the PLO

Our friend who visits our office from time to time came in again, and this time he wanted to talk about the PLO:

Q I think Ineed a refresher on just where the PLO is coming from

A Gladly.

Q Isn't it basically just a terrorist organization?

A You certainly do need a refresher. Let's start with the ABC's:

The PLO, which started up in 1964, is a political organization representing the Palestinians. In fact, it's similar in its function to the old Jewish Agency, which represented the Zionists prior to the establishment of Israel as a state in 1948.

Q Hmm.

A In other words, the PLO is the vehicle through which the Palestinians under occupation, and those in the diaspora, are asserting their claim to have a state of their own, just as the Jews have.

Q Do you mean to say that the PLO has never been connected with terrorism?

A I didn't say that. Some of the guerrilla groups who are under the PLO umbrella practiced it, and so have some free-lance clandestine forces. But the PLO, as an organization, does not carry out terrorism. In fact, for the last several years it has been trying actively to discourage it. It's not easy, because many of the guerrilla groups believe that they themselves are the victims of Israeli terrorism. They also consider themselves at war with Israel. The Israelis, of course, have had their own terrorist groups, since the days when their present prime minister headed one. They also frequently carry out acts of terrorism today, such as their air-raid on a crowded residential neighborhood of Beirut, for the alleged purpose of eliminating a few PLO officials there. They ended up killing more than 300 civilians, and terrifying thousands more. But the Israelis call acts like this one "reprisals," or "pre-emptive strikes."

Q So what does the PLO do?

A It is trying, through diplomacy, public relations and the encouragement of resistance in the occupied territories, to convince the world that the Arab-Israeli problem will never be solved until there is a comprehensive settlement that takes into account Palestinian self -determination.

While waiting for the world to be convinced. it tries to take care of the Palestinians who need its help-running hospitals and schools, establishing small factories to provide employment, and setting up pension funds for the elderly, among other things.

Q Does anybody take the PLO seriously'?

A You'd better believe it. To begin with, the Arabs certainly do. Not only is the PLO regarded officially by all Arab countries as the only legal representative of the Palestinians, but this is also the opinion of the Palestinian "man -in -the -street." Just about anyone who has spent much time talking to Palestinians living abroad or within the occupied territories can tell you this. It's also a matter of common sense: what other Palestinian body is there to represent their rights? Incidentally, it has now become the Israeli government line to say that the West Bank Palestinians were intimidated into voting for pro-PLO. candidates during the 1976 municipal elections which brought these candidates into office. But at the time, the Israelis were boasting that the elections were the freest the West Bank has ever had. You could look it up.

Q How about the rest of the world?

A It's safe to say that just about everyone takes the PLO seriously—even Israel. Most of the world also accepts it as the legitimate representative of the Palestine people. That's why the PLO has been allowed to have an official observer at the United Nations.

Q Humph.

A You can humph as much as you like about the United Nations, but for better or for worse practically all of the world's governments are represented there. And among the countries which have no hang-ups about talking with the PLO are many of the U.S.'s best friends. Even the Pope has had frequent contacts with it, and lie includes the PLO's leader, Yassir Arafat, among the notables to whom he cables greetings on Muslim holidays. By the way, the PLO is a strictly non-sectarian body. About a third of the members of its National Congress are Christians, and the rest Muslim. I'll bet you never knew that.

Q I never really thought about it before. Now tell me why the U.S. Administration doesn't want to have anything to do with the PLO.

A Officially, it's because Secretary of State Henry Kissinger signed a document in 1975 promising Israel that the U.S. would neither recognize nor negotiate with the PLO as long as the PLO did not accept U.N. Resolution 242—the one suggesting that Israel should trade captured territory in exchange for peace—and as long as the PLO did not accept Israel's right to exist.

Q Why do you say "officially?"

A Well, the U.S. could talk with the PLO if it wanted to. The Kissinger document used the words 11 recognize" and "negotiate," but didn't say there couldn't be contact or even dialogue-which would be useful as a way of understanding each one's point of view, even if no negotiating went on. The U.S., in fact, has been willing to have discussions with the PLO when it has been in urgent U.S. interest to do so-such as in Beirut, where the PLO provides protection to the American Embassy and helped evacuate hundreds of Americans during the 1975-76 war.

Q So if the Administration could carry out a dialogue, why doesn't it do it?

A Because it's a very hot issue in domestic politics. The Israelis are probably more hyper-sensitive about the U.S. stance towards the PLO than Just about anything else, and so are their influential and vociferous supporters. As a result, this Administration can't get up the courage to do something that is in its own foreign policy interest. It's not the first Administration to have this problem-or to take the same way out. Surely it cannot be just a coincidence that both Ford and Carter refused to deal with the PLO during their presidencies, but are now calling on President Reagan for him to do it. The reasons for dealing with the PLO when they were in off ice were just as compelling.

Q But it's true, isn't it, that the PLO has refused to acknowledge the existence of Israel?

A Officially, they have not done so, but

Q There you go with "officially" again

A Shhh. This is important: for the past eight years, the PLO has made it as clear as it possibly could that it is ready to settle for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. This implies acceptance of the existence of Israel in what was once the Mandate of Palestine.

Q I don't get it. Isn't this what they've always been asking for?

A Of course not. From the time the PLO first came into existence, until 1974, it was calling for Palestine to become a single, secular state where .Jews, Muslims and Christians would live together. This would have left no mom for a Jewish state.

Q You mean that since 1974 they have been ready to compromise

A That's a loaded word. The Palestinians prefer to call it a "voluntary relinquishment of rights."

But it's true that most people seem to think, likeyourself, that the Palestinians haven't budged an inch in their position since the state of Israel was founded.

Q Okay, I see that. But the point is, why won't the PLO say this officially?

A Mainly for tactical reasons. Despite the PLO's unofficial but clearly expressed readiness to drop its claim for a single secular state and to settle for a truncated Palestinian state side by side with Israel, what do they hear the Israelis say? Firstly that Israel will never recognize the PLO, and secondly that Israel will never accept an independent Palestine state in the West Bank and Gaza. In fact, some top Israeli officials have said openly that Israel would accept neither of these even if Israel is officially recognized by the PLO. So the PLO asks itself: what if those officials aren't kidding? What if we play the "recognition" card and then Israel gives us absolutely nothing for it? Maybe if we hold onto the card, it will gain in value, as we build up our military and political strength.

Q It almost looks as though the Israelis don't wantthe PLO to moderate its views

A They certainly haven't been encouraging it to do so. There are, of course, many people in Israel who prefer the PLO and other Arab groups to have an image of the monster who wants to "drive the Israelis into the sea." That gives the Israelis a good excuse to take whatever they want.

Q Such as what?

A Well, there's Golan and

Q Wait a minute. Hasn't the Israeli government already

A You're catching on fine.