Why was the Palestine Liberation Organization created in 1964?

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established in 1964 during an Arab summit meeting to centralize the leadership of various Palestinian groups. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Palestinian population had been dispersed, and their political activity was fragmented among small, diffuse resistance organizations often operating under the patronage of different Arab states.312

By creating the PLO, the Arab states aimed to bring these disparate groups under one umbrella organization. At its inception, the organization was heavily influenced by the interests of surrounding Arab nations, particularly Egypt, and initially did little to foster independent Palestinian self-determination. It was only after the Six-Day War in 1967—which discredited the leadership of the Arab states—that the PLO began to emerge as a distinct representative body seeking greater autonomy for the Palestinian cause.123