This is the inside story of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), from its beginnings in 1964 to the signing of the Oslo agreement in 1993. "For over three decades, the main goal of the PLO was to achieve a just peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and to build a democratic state in Palestine for all its citizens. Shafiq Al-Hout, a high ranking PLO official until his resignation in 1993, provides previously unavailable details on the key events in its history such as its recognition by the UN and the Oslo peace negotiations. Taking us right to the heart of the decision making processes, this book explains the personalities and internal politics that shaped the PLO's actions and the Palestinian experience of the twentieth century." -- Provided by the publisher.

Includes index.

List of photographs(starting p. vi) -- List of acronyms (starting p. vii) -- Glossary (starting p. ix) -- Foreword (starting p. xi) -- 1. Jaffa, my city (starting p. 1) -- 2. From homeland to exile (starting p. 19) -- 3. From journalism to politics (starting p. 38) -- 4. The birth of the Palestine Liberation Organization (starting p. 49) -- 5. The factions gain control of the PLO (starting p. 67) -- 6. Jordanian-Palestinian relations (starting p. 78) -- 7. Nasser as I knew him (starting p. 90) -- 8. Fratricidal wars (starting p. 103) -- 9. The PLO at the United Nations (starting p. 119) -- 10. Palestine, around the globe (starting p. 131) -- 11. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon (starting p. 148) -- 12. The Sabra and Shatila massacre (starting p. 158) -- 13. After the departure (starting p. 172) -- 14. The mysterious triangle (starting p. 182) -- 15. The second exodus from Lebanon (starting p. 202) -- 16. The session that changed the path (starting p. 217) -- 17. The Intifada of Stones (starting p. 229) -- 18. Return to the Executive Committee (starting p. 241) -- 19. No final solution without a single democratic Palestine (starting p. 252) -- 20. The night of Abu Ammar's plane crash (starting p. 262) -- 21. Resigning in protest over the Oslo Agreement (starting p. 270) -- 22. After the resignation (starting p. 282) -- 23. My heart rebels (starting p. 293) -- 24. Coming out of a dark abyss (starting p. 299) -- Index (starting p. 305)