ABSTRACT
The disagreement between external and internal Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on the matter of Jerusalem was, of course, not the only one in Palestinian politics. An issue that cut much deeper was over the legitimacy of negotiating a peace agreement with Israel. On this matter there had been internal Palestinian discussion since the mid-1970s, at which time two camps squared off against each other: one, beginning as a clear minority, believed that one should not ignore that Israel in fact existed, and therefore, it was necessary to try to reach some arrangement with her in order to gain sovereignty over at least part of historical Palestine (i.e., the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including East Jerusalem) without giving up the right of return. The opposing camp held that any relinquishing of parts of the homeland was unacceptable and that, therefore, no legitimacy could be accorded to the existence of the state of Israel.
