Speech #890119771

Palestine is ours. The occasion marked the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization which is recognized by the Arab League as "the only legitimate spokesman for all matters concerning the Palestinian people." Fathered by the January 1964 Arab summit conference. it is headed by Ahmed Shukairy. an Acre lawyer. who left home during the 1948 fighting and who has made a career of vituperation at the United Nations. first as a representative from Syria. then as the Saudi Arabian delegate. and In. 1963. as chairman of the Palestine Arab Delegation. The Palestine Liberation Army. now in the process of being set up. has as its nucleus the "Palestine Brigade." a unit of 5.000 refugees which regularly parades In Nassers military demonstrations. The "brigade" is constantly being expanded by the conscription of all the residents of the Gaza Strip which was born between the years 1937 and 1944. Compulsory conscription for 1 to 3 years service has been in existence since March. according to Shukairy. and recruits are being trained by Egyptian and Algerian officers. Shukairys aims are clear. In his own words. the objectives of the Palestine Liberation Organization include "the liberation of Palestine and the return of its land. purely Arab. to its people." The tactics he intends to employ are three: First. the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization as a government in exile. with missions abroad seeking recognition and support. second. the formation of commando units which will join to create a "liberation army." similar to the Vietcong. backed by the United Arab Command. and third. intensive lobbying efforts at the United Nations to expel Israel for allegedly violating the charter. by insisting upon the appointment of a United Nations custodian for Arab property in Israel. by rejecting all resettlement projects. and by substituting the term repatriators for refugees. Shukairy summarized his position in his speech to the founding conference of the Palestine Liberation Organization: We will refuse to pursue any but the road of struggle and arms. We refuse compromises. partition. internationalization. or resettlement. Our charter is "return to Palestine." The campaign at the United Nations is underway. Attacking last years report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Commissioner General Laurence Michelmore. who had condemned the inflated refugee relief rolls. Shukairy stated that the Palestine Liberation Organization "is frankly opposed to all parts of the report that would lead to the settlement of the Palestine refugees or reduction of the number receiving rations." It is only logical. he stated. that the Palestine Liberation Organization should cooperate with "countries that are helping us. such as Russia and Communist China." And he announced that the Palestine Liberation Organization will be represented by a permanent delegation in Peiping. There is agreement between El Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization that their common goal is to destroy Israel and lead the refugees back to an Arab Palestine. However. there exists between them a rivalry of personalities. El Fatah is believed to be backed by the exMufti of Jerusalem.