Founded in 1964, it initially sought to establish an Arab state over the entire territory of the former Mandatory Palestine, advocating the elimination of Israel. However, in 1993, the PLO recognized Israeli sovereignty with the Oslo Accords, and now only seeks to establish an independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the former territory of which has been militarily occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.
^Hilal, Jamil; Hammami, Rema (13 June 2001). "An Uprising at a Crossroads". Middle East Report. Retrieved 26 July 2024. the higher and more encompassing power of the PLO, as the representative of all Palestinians, not just Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whom the institutions of the PA represent.
^Al-Madfai, Madiha Rashid (1993). Jordan, the United States and the Middle East Peace Process, 1974–1991. Cambridge Middle East Library, Cambridge University Press. p. 21. ISBN978-0-521-41523-1. On 28 October 1974, the seventh Arab summit conference held in Rabat designated the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed their right to establish an independent state of urgency.
^Geldenhuys, Deon (1990). Isolated states: a comparative analysis. Cambridge University Press. p. 155. ISBN978-0-521-40268-2. The organisation has also been recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by well over 100 states ...
^United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3210. "Invites the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, to participate in the deliberations of the General Assembly on the question of Palestine in plenary meetings."
^United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236. "Having heard the statement of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, ..."