Shafiq Al-Hout was one of the leading figures of the PLO, from its foundation through to the Oslo Agreement. His autobiography is called My Life in the PLO: The Inside Story of the Palestinian Struggle (Pluto, 2010). He has written numerous articles, essays and books, including The Left and Arab Nationalism (1959), The Palestinian between Diaspora and State (1977) and Moments of History (1986). He lived in Beirut until his death in 2009.