Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal

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On The Origin Of The Idea Of A Palestinian State

Via Grok AI

The concept of a distinct Palestinian “personality” or “entity”—interpreted as a formalized political representation or national framework for Palestinians—was advanced as a strategic decision by Arab leaders at an Arab League meeting in Shtaura (also spelled Chtaura or Shtoura), Lebanon, in August 1960 (U.S. Department of State, 1961).

A declassified U.S. State Department circular telegram from April 15, 1961, describes this development as follows: “At Arab League meeting at Shtaura last August, decision was made to establish Palestine ‘personality’ or ‘entity’ with implication of Algerian-type movement designed ultimately to eliminate Israel. While longer range plans include military organization and Palestine government, Arabs apparently plan take steps gradually” (U.S. Department of State, 1961). The document frames this as a political tactic by Arab states to leverage the Palestinian refugee issue against Israel, amid discussions on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and criticisms of U.S. support for Israel. It portrays the move as provocative, with initial steps including promoting a UN custodian for Arab properties left in Israel.

This 1960 decision built on earlier Arab League efforts to organize Palestinians politically. For instance, as early as March 1959, the Arab League Council recommended reorganizing the Palestinian people as a united entity with a voice in Arab and international arenas (Palquest, n.d.). However, intra-Arab divisions persisted; Jordan’s King Hussein opposed a separate Palestinian entity in early 1960, seeking to integrate Palestinians into Jordan’s framework following the 1950 annexation of the West Bank (various historical accounts).

The idea gained further momentum under Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. At the first Arab League summit in Cairo (January 13–17, 1964), leaders entrusted Ahmad al-Shuqairi (Palestine’s representative to the Arab League) with organizing the Palestinian people to play a role in liberating their homeland (Palquest, n.d.; Britannica, n.d.). This led to the formal establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) at the First Palestinian National Congress in Jerusalem (May–June 1964), where the PLO was created as the representative of the Palestinian people, with a National Charter and plans for a Palestinian Liberation Army (Britannica, n.d.; Wikipedia, Palestine Liberation Organization, n.d.). The second Arab summit in Alexandria (September 1964) approved the PLO and its structures (Economic Cooperation Foundation, n.d.).

While some pro-Israel commentaries cite the 1960 Shtaura decision as evidence that Palestinian national identity was a constructed political tool primarily for anti-Israel purposes (e.g., social media references to the State Department document), broader historical views note that Palestinian identity had roots in the late Ottoman period, the British Mandate era, and earlier nationalist expressions, with the PLO formalizing an existing movement amid displacement from 1948 (various sources including Palquest and academic histories).

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