Palestinian National Covenant

The Palestinian National Charter (Arabic الميثاق الوطني الفلسطيني, DMG al - Watani al - mīṯāq al - filasṭīnī ) or PLO Charter was on the Arab League initiative by the Palestinian National Council ( PNC) adopted chaired by Ahmad Shukeiri at its first meeting, the from May 28 to June 1, 1964 in East Jerusalem, establishing the Palestine Liberation organization (PLO) took place. In July 1968, the Charter was changed on the fourth meeting of the National Council in Cairo. The main objective of the PLO Charter is the establishment of a secular nation state of Palestine on the territory of the former British mandate of Palestine.

The PLO Charter of 1968 did not recognize the UN partition plan for Palestine. She described the creation of Israel on a part of this area as illegal and called for the expulsion of immigrants since the time of the British Mandate, the Jewish population. These objectives should be achieved through armed struggle. After the PLO had accepted the UN partition plan and the legitimacy of Israel, the PLO Charter by the aligned to the destruction of Israel passages was changed after the first elections in the Palestinian territories as part of the Oslo peace process in 1996 and 1998 with the necessary two-thirds majority, were canceled by an addition.

The Charter

The Palestinian National Charter consists of 33 articles.

• According to Article 1 is Palestine, including Israel and parts of Jordan, " the homeland of the Arab, Palestinian people, it is an integral part of the Pan Arab homeland and the Palestinian people is an integral part of the Arab nation ."
• Article 2 defines Palestine " within the limits which it had at the time of the British Mandate, [ as ] an indivisible territorial unit ."
• Article 3 reaffirms the self-determination of the Palestinian people.
• Article 5 defined as Palestinians, " those Arab nationals who were regularly established by the year 1947 in Palestine. Regardless of whether they were evicted from there or stayed there Each child of a Palestinian father, was born after that date - (whether ) in Palestine or outside - is also Palestinians. "
• According to Article 6, only the " Jews who were regularly established before the beginning of the Zionist invasion of Palestine, ... considered Palestinians." With " Zionist invasion " is meant since the 1917 founding of the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate Jewish immigration.
• In Article 19, the partition of Palestine in the UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 and the creation of Israel is referred to as " totally illegal " because they are " contrary to the will of the Palestinian people and its natural right to his home country " were made.
• In Article 9 and 10 is " armed struggle ", particularly the guerrilla war, known as " the only way to liberate Palestine " by " an armed popular revolution ".

After the outbreak of the Intifada, the Palestinian state was proclaimed in 1988 in Algiers. At the same time recognized the PLO the UN partition plan of 1947 and the legitimacy of the State of Israel. The then chairman of the PLO, Yasser Arafat declared the PLO Charter it in an interview in France for " caduc " in the French language, unusual word that means something like " invalid, null and void " means. Was decided with the necessary two-thirds majority, the change in the PLO Charter and the cancellation of the aligned to the destruction of Israel passages after the first Palestinian elections in January 1996 as part of the Oslo peace process at the 21st meeting of the National Council in April 1996 in Gaza, but not published. In December 1998, reaffirmed a large majority of the delegates of the Palestinian National Council in Gaza, in the presence of the then U.S. President Bill Clinton their consent to the change in the PLO Charter and the deletion of the anti-Israel passages. In conservative American and Israeli circles, however, there are doubts that the change in the PLO charter is done legally.