'The PLO: The Struggle Within' is a comprehensive and up-to-date history of the PLO and the development of Palestinian political thinking. Based on access to the PLO's own documents and numerous interviews with the readers of its various groups and factions, the author recounts the major debates that have taken place within the movement over the past two decades. Alain Gresh illustrates how the PLO has made the difficult transition from the original idea of the destruction of the state of Israel to the current notion of recovering at least some part of occupied Palestine and creating there a separate and independent Palestinian State alongside Israel. The breakdown of Palestinian power in Lebanon following the Israeli invasion, Arafat's clash with Syria, the siege of the refugee camps and the attempt to create a new united Palestinian strategy for the next decade are crucial elements in the evolution of the Middle East conflict. In this updated and revised second edition, Gresh covers the impact of these changes and draws out their implications for the final decade of this century.