Why did the Palestinian Liberation Organization set up bases in southern Lebanon?

Answer 1

The PLO set up in southern Lebanon for two reasons: the first is that none of their "brother Arab" countries wanted them--they were driven out of Syria and Kuwait, and while a large number lived in Jordan, they were considered "other" by the dominant Hashemites. Lebanon accepted some of them, although many remained in refugee camps. The other reason was that southern Lebanon is bordered by the state of Israel, (much of which until 1948 was known as Palestine; both Jews and Arabs dispute which group should own the land). The proximity of Southern Lebanon to the state of Israel enabled the PLO to launch offensives, in an effort to defeat the Israelis and recapture land they believed was theirs.

Answer 2

There were three main reasons:

1) Many of the Palestinian Refugee Camps were in southern Lebanon, which made recruiting much easier for the Palestine Liberation Organization. It also allowed for much more effective organization by word of mouth and local radio without involving national networks.

2) Southern Lebanon was the area most difficult for the Lebanese National Army to control given its distance from Beirut and the terrain. This made it easier to smuggle weapons into the area and arm the terrorist/paramilitary organization.

3) It was close to the Israeli border which meant that actions to attack Israel, such as short-distance rocket launches, could be made. Since their ultimate goal was to eradicate Israel, the ability to periodically attack Israel was very desirable.