For his part, Hawatmeh was the first Palestinian leader that—in an open and clear manner—called for a solution based on United Nation’s resolutions and for political solutions and negotiations with the Israelis by virtue of those resolutions and international law. In that sense, in April 1974 he raised the first call by a Palestinian leader to all Israelis from the pages of the Tel Aviv newspaper Yediot Ahronot, and other periodicals such as the US’s The Washington Post, Belgium’s Le Saur, France’s Le Monde and the Lebanese Annahar. In those newspapers he called for the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to the return to their land, self-determination and independence.

“Come to turn swords together into plowshares,” he exhorted when proclaiming a balanced global peace based on the recognition to the right of Palestinian people to have an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, self-determination and the solution of the refugee problem by virtue of UN resolution 194.

After the departure of Palestinian resistance from Beirut, in 1982, Hawatmeh played a central part in the defense of the coalition inside the PLO and in preserving its unity in the face of divisive and self-destructive interests within the two wings of Fatah and detachments the Rejection Front. The DFLP paid a high price for its position and had to withstand successive pressures from other regional forces.

The Palestinian leader did not cease his activity searching for solutions and programs that were adopted by the organs and institutions of the PLO, particularly resolutions adopted by the Palestinian National Council and the Declaration of Independence (in November 1988); decisions taken regarding the bases of the Political Arrangement in the PNC (in September 1991); alternatives to the Oslo Agreements and the step-by-step process. (See the books “Oslo and the Other Balanced Peace,” [1999]; and “Beyond Oslo: Palestine, Where To?,” [2000]).

Hawatmeh: In the Revolutionary Struggle

Nayef Hawatmeh, general secretary of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FDLP), is one of the most outstanding of the first generation of leaders of the contemporary Palestinian revolution and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Born in November of 1938, his family is dispersed throughout Palestine, Jordan and Syria. Their roots go back to the Arab ghassasinah. (See “The Five Volume Encyclopedia of the Arab Tribes,” Volume One. Writings of Omar Rida Kahaleh).

He continued his pre-university studies in Amman at the Al-Hussein secondary school. He began his university studies at the University of Cairo Faculty of Medicine, but for political reasons ceased his studies at the university for 10 years. He then resumed his studies continuing in the Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology of the Arab University of Beirut. In Moscow, he completed his doctorate with his dissertation titled “Changing Directions of the Nationalist Movement: From a General Patriotic Movement to a Left Movement.”

Hawatmeh: the Intellectual

Hawatmeh, the intellectual and man, is greatly interested in the legacy of the Arab people and Islamic and European revolutionary history in their different stages of the cultural rebirth and development. He is also intrigued by the personality and great role assumed by the leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser following the national catastrophe of 1948.

Hawatmeh considers to Nasser to be the most outstanding and influential person of his lifetime – in Egypt, the Arab nation, as well as in numerous countries of the Third World (See the book, “Hawatmeh speaks,” 1996).

He works tirelessly for long hours dedicating all his energies to following the details of the course of the Palestinian and Arabic national movement.

His books and writings:

1. – “The Palestinian Resistance and the Arab Situation.” Beirut. 1964. Dar Al-Talia Publishers.
2. – “The Crisis of the Revolution in South Yemen.” Beirut. 1968. Dar Al-Talia Publishers.
3. – “Around the Crisis of the Palestinian Resistance Movement (Analysis and Forecasts).” Beirut. November 1969. Dar Al-Talia Publishers.
4. – “Dialogue Between the Democratic Front and the Egyptian Vanguard. (Lutfi Al-Khouly Converses with Hawatmeh).” November 1969.
5. – “The September Campaign and the Palestinian Resistance, Lessons and Results of Self-Criticism.” Beirut. November 1970. Dar Al-Talia Publishers.
6. – “The Provisional Revolutionary Government.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1973.
7. – “After the October War, Working to Defeat Capitulation and the Snatching Away of the Right to Self-Determination.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut 1973.
8. – “The Current Tasks of the Revolution to Overthrow the Solution of Surrender and to Snatch the Right to Self-determination.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. December 1974.
9. – “All Revolutionary and Patriotic Forces Unite.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1974.
10. – "PLO: Between National Decision and Right-Wing Concessions". Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1977. 11. – “Palestinian and Arab Events After Camp David". Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1977.
12. – “Arabic and Palestinian Events, the Camp David Agreements: Realities and Tasks”. Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1978.
13. – “Toward a Sharp Confrontation to the Camp David Agreements. Toward a Unified Position of the PLO.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1979.
14. – “The Current Situation and the Tasks of the Movement of Arab Liberation and Progress.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. July 1979.
15. – “The Current Situation and the Tasks of the Palestinian Revolution and the Arab Liberation Movement.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. July 1980.
16. – “The Tasks of the Palestinian Revolution Following the Invasion of Lebanon and the Battle of Beirut,” Central Information of the DFLP. December 1982.
17. – “What is to Be Done. The Aftermath of the Arab Summit in Amman.” Central Information of the DFLP. Beirut. 1981.
18. – “Questions of the Palestinian Revolution and the New Stage.” Central Information of the DFLP. 1983.
19. – “Dialogue with Nayef Hawatmeh, Around Burning Palestinian and Arab Questions.” Central Information of the DFLP. February 1985.
20. – “The Crisis of the PLO: Analysis and Criticism of the Roots and Solutions.” Central Information of the DFLP. 1986.
21. – “On Palestinian National Unity and a Way Out of the PLO Crisis.” Central Information of the DFLP. 1986.
22. – “Maintaining Unity, Alliances and the Tasks of the Fight to Winning the Victory of the Intifada.” Central Information of the DFLP. March 1988.
23. – “Nayef Hawatmeh Speaks…” 1996. Dar Al-Kateb Publishing (Damascus) and Al-Manahel (Beirut). Al Jaleel Amman and Al-Massar, (Ramallah).
24. – "Oslo and the Other Balanced Peace". 1999. Dar Al-Ahali Publishing (Damascus) and Bissan (Beirut).
25. – “Beyond Oslo: Palestine, Where To?” 2000. Al-Ahali Publishing (Damascus), Bissan (Beirut), and Al-Jaleel (Ramallah).
26 – “The Intifada: The Arabic-Israeli Conflict, Where To?” 2001. Al-Dar Al-Wataniya Al-Jadidah.