Why was the Palestine Liberation Organization expelled from Jordan in 1970–71?

The expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan in 1970–71 was the result of escalating tensions between the organization and the government of King Hussein, who viewed the growing power of Palestinian guerrilla factions as a direct challenge to his authority.12

The crisis reached a breaking point in September 1970, an event known as Black September, after the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked and destroyed several international airliners on a Jordanian airstrip. This act of defiance, combined with the PLO's frequent guerrilla attacks against Israel from Jordanian soil—which triggered damaging Israeli reprisals—led King Hussein to declare martial law and mobilize the Jordanian army against the guerrillas.132

Although a temporary peace agreement was signed in late September 1970, fighting resumed in 1971. The Jordanian army ultimately crushed the Palestinian military presence, forcing the PLO to relocate its bases to Lebanon.132