<Never mind the public announcements of the PLO

Why never mind? This was VERY important! Arafat recognized the existence of Israel.
The problem with the PLO is they don't have the means to prevent other factions from killing Israelis. They don't have the means (money) to watch everybody.
And the intifada restarted just a year ago, right after Sharon made his provocative declarations at Al Aksa, the third Muslim temple in the world.
Before that, there had been relative peace and certainly no kamikazes. Palestinians were going to work in Israel and there were no killings. But then came Sharon. And now, he's at the head and even provoking the US.

Raoul