Islamic Rhetoric of the Palestine Liberation Organization

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) functioned according to secular rules; perceived Israel, Palestine and the Israeli-Palestinian question on Palestinian nationalist and Third worldist grounds. However, it referred to Islamic rhetoric on its political discourse of Palestine’s liberation. With every crisis it intensified reference to Islamic rhetoric. The PLO was semi-secular actor who had pragmatist and instrumental usage in referring to Islamic rhetoric used primarily to mobilize the Palestinians for national goals and to legitimize the PLO against political Islam headed by Hamas. Also its Islamic rhetoric was affected by Palestinian society’s shift along the Islamic lines and Islamic component of Palestinian nationalism and culture. Content of this rhetoric was never related with making Islam as normative and legal basis of Palestinian society rather was related with mobilization and legitimating. This rhetoric was centered on conflict categories that were related with battle, victory and sovereignty. The PLO’s Islamic rhetoric did not affect its Israeli policies, its recognition of Israel, Palestine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on secular-nationalist grounds.