Sources
- ”1974 Arab League summit.” Wikipedia. Accessed May 15th, 2024.
- Shlaim, Avi. Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace. New York: Vintage Books, a division of Random House, 2009.s
Parties
- The Arab League, with 20 Arab country leaders present, including King Hussein of Jordan and Anwar Sadat of Egypt, together with representatives of the PLO.
Location
Causes
- The Arab League regularly hosts summits almost yearly.
- King Hussein was looking to maintain his control over the West Bank in opposition to Yasser Arafat and his desire for exclusive representation of the Palestinian people.
- King Hussein would attend the conference, despite Moroccan authorities thwarting a Fatah plot to assassinate him upon his arrival.
Shlaim, Avi. Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace. (p. 532)
Shortly before the summit, the Moroccan authorities uncovered a Fatah plot to assassinate Hussein on arrival at Rabat. But this did not deter Hussein from attending the Arab League summit.
Facts
- A unanimous resolution was passed, declaring the PLO to be the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people” for the first time.
- The Arab League committed that the “oil-rich Arab States” would provide “multi-annual financial aid to the [states in confrontation with Israel] and the PLO.”
Outcome
- The future of the Palestinian conflict would change, as King Hussein would no longer be able to speak for the Palestinian people, and that any future Palestinian state would have to be independent of Jordan.
Important Notes
- For the first time the PLO was given exclusive authority to represent the Palestinian people.
- A Fatah plot to assassinate King Hussein of Jordan was uncovered and thwarted by Moroccan authorities.