On Sunday, 5/28/2023, Al-Muntada Hall at the Yasser Arafat Museum hosted the commemoration of the 59th anniversary of the Palestine Liberation Organization formation, and the birth anniversary of Ahmed Asaad Al-Shugairi, as part of the program "In National Memory - Companions of the Path."

The event began with the Palestinian national anthem, and then Dr. Ahmed Sobh, Director General of the Yasser Arafat Foundation, addressed the audience and observed a minute of silence, and recited Al-Fatiha for the soul of the martyr President Yasser Arafat, national leader Ahmed Al-Shugairi, and all the martyrs of Palestine.

The Foundation then screened a film titled "The Palestine Liberation Organization (Ahmed Al-Shugairi)," which explores the late Al-Shugairi's biography and career, his contributions to the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and his contributions to Palestinian and Arab national action.

Dr. Ahmed Soboh, Director General of the Yasser Arafat Foundation, stated that this event is part of the Foundation's "In National Memory" program, which is being implemented for the second year in a row, and sheds light on the symbols and companions of the late President Yasser Arafat.

Dr. Soboh explained that the program's goal is to send a message to the younger generations, urging them to be proud of the revolution and the sacrifices made by its leaders, as well as to instill hope in their hearts and continue on the path of resistance until Palestine is free.

As stated by Dr. Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, this anniversary serves as a reminder to keep the Palestine Liberation Organization as a political framework and the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinians in their various places of residence, indicating that without the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian cause would have been destroyed and rights would have been lost.

Majdalani went on to say that the organization had several crossroads, but it was not neutralized away from emancipation, and it achieved national independence inside a united Arab framework, without compromising the fundamentals. The organization also fought political fights in advocating the Palestinian cause in many international forums.

Majdalani emphasized that Al-Shugairi was a model Arab unionist who strived to build an atmosphere conducive to the development of an entity that represents the Palestinian people in Arab and international forums to achieve the free Palestinian state.

Majdalani continued, "The late President Yasser Arafat developed the PLO's institutions and bodies, and they are no longer traditional, and he created new content that helped in its steadfastness in the face of all the obstacles, to always come out with Palestinian, Arab, and international victory."

Majdalani added that President Mahmoud Abbas took the Palestinian cause in a new direction in 2012 when he designated Palestine as a non-observing member state in international forums and organizations.
Majdalani praised the Yasser Arafat Foundation for this preparation and political work in honoring the PLO's inception and the birth anniversary of its founder, leader Ahmed Al Shugairi.

At the end of his statement, Ahmed Majdalani, called on all Palestinian parties to join the PLO, believing in the national partnership based on legitimacy, and to activate the role of its institutions.

Ahmed Jamil Azm, a writer and political researcher, stated that Ahmed Al-Shugairi has been an essential element of Palestinian leadership from the early twentieth century, following the Nakba in 1948. Azm stated that, unlike his father, who was an Ottoman Empire judge, Al-Shugairi was a cornerstone of the Arab National Unity Movement.

And he continued, during the 1936 revolution, he was part of the national action's leadership and an eloquent orator and an outstanding lawyer working for the Palestinian cause, who called for organizing Palestinian action to confront Zionist action at the time, and in 1945 Shugairi's first visit to the United States of America, to establish an Arab office that is considered a nucleus for the defense of unitary Arab thought.

Azm pointed out that the turning point for Al-Shugairi occurred in 1946 when he traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a Palestinian Arab delegation and visited King Abdulaziz Al Saud, who told them, "You have nothing but to strive for the sake of your homeland, and we are with you." Those statements subsequently coalesced into the formation of an organization to safeguard the Palestinian entity.

He further explained that Al-Shugairi remained active in Arab politics and the Arab League, played a key role in the Egyptian revolution, the "Free Officers Revolution" of 1952, established a good relationship with President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and worked with the Arab League to bring Abdel Khalek Hassouna to the position of Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. According to Azm, Al-Shugairi became the representative of Palestine in the League of Arab States in 1963, and at the same time, he prepared a delegation of 18 individuals to travel to the United Nations, give a speech, and then return to Palestine.

In May 1964, Shugairi was successful in forming the Liberation Organization, which he saw as the sole and legal representation of the Palestinian people, with all of its financial, economic, cultural, and educational institutions, research and study centers, and the National Fund.

Azm ascribed Al-Shugairi's resignation as PLO leader in 1967 to the Arab views established at the Arab League conference in Khartoum. Also, underlined that Al-Shugairi's resignation, resulted in the preservation of his history and positive reputation in all forms, making him a one-of-a-kind founder, leader, and teacher.
Azm emphasized at the end of his speech that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the daughter of the Palestinian entity and existence, that it is still the sole representation of the Palestinian people today, and that it must be protected.

He expressed his gratitude to  The Yasser Arafat Foundation to host this event because of its significance in preserving and commemorating Palestinian historical figures and events.

Several members of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee,  the FATH  Central Committee, the Revolutionary Council, leaders of the National Action groups, and a big crowd attended the commemoration.

There was also a photo exhibition depicting the most significant historical events in the late Ahmed Asaad Al-Shugairi's life.