PLO marks 49 years since creation

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), an umbrella group for 13 Palestinian factions, marked Tuesday 49 years since its establishment. The PLO was created by a decision from an Arab summit held in Cairo on May 28, 1964 as a liberation movement and to represent the Palestinian people, who have become stateless and dispersed all over the world following the creation of Israel in 1948 on their land. Ahmad Shuqairi was named as chairman of the PLO’s 15-person Executive Committee. However, he was replaced in December 1967 by Yehya Hammoude. Hammoude served as acting chairman of the PLO Executive Committee until the election of Yasser Arafat, head of Fatah, as chairman on February 1, 1969 after it became an umbrella organization for the Palestinian resistance groups. Arafat remained as chairman of the PLO until his death in November 2004 after which President Mahmoud Abbas was elected as chairman on November 11, 2004, according to a report of the State of Palestine News Agency "WAFA."