When the PLO and Fatah were just founded, they were a purely terrorist organizations that didn't actively seek acceptance throughout the world. As late as 1974, Yasser Arafat appeared in the United Nations with a gun at his hip. But that doesn't mean that they didn't want public recognition in the long run from the start. In 1967, PLO leadership officially outlined a 3-phase plan. In phase one (which turned out to last from 1967 to 1974), the PLO would shock the world by means of brutal terroristism into recognizing the Palestinian issue and placing it at the front of the world concerns. In the second phase (lasted from 1975 to 1983), the PLO wanted to gain legitimacy in political world. And in the last phase (1984-now), Palestinians would maintain their simultaneous diplomatic and military offensives.
The plan worked like a charm. "Over the years Arafat has tried to serve many constituencies, often telling each what it wanted to hear, and damn the inconsistencies," says "Inside the PLO, "He has projected a face of moderation to the world and one of confrontation and struggle to the Palestinian masses that adore him."
The question is how Arafat and the PLO were able to put themselves in a favorable light, inspite of their terrorist acts. There are many answers to this question. Here's a look at some of them:
2. Foreign relations
