Palestine National Council

The Palestine National Council (PNC) is the legislative body in exile of the Palestinian people. They meet every other year, ratifying resolutions by a simple majority. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) acknowledges the PNC as the most prominent institution of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The council first met in Jerusalem in May 1964 and included 422 representatives from several Palestinian communities, including Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, Qatar, Libya, and Algeria. The Palestinian National Charter, also referred to as the Palestinian National Covenant, was accepted during this meeting, establishing a constitution for the PLO. The charter set the groundwork for the organization of an independent Palestinian state during most of the exiled time. The group also designated Ahmad Al-Shuqeiry as the first chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. Future meetings were held in Cairo, Gaza, Damascus, Algiers, and Amman. The PNC acknowledged the independence of the Arab State of Palestine during the November 1988 session in Algiers.

Once the Oslo Accords—a result of public and private negotiations discussed between Israeli and Palestinian authorities—were signed, the PNC gathered in 1998 to void portions of the charter that reject Israel's right to exist. Edward Said, prominent activist at the forefront of the Palestinian struggle, departed from the group, citing the infringement of the Oslo Accords on the Palestinian refugees' right of return.