PRESIDENT Yasser Arafat's triumph in amending the anti Israel clauses in the PLO charter may accelerate the peace process in the Middle East, but many Palestinians fear they have now limited their options.
Some members of the Palestine National Council (PNC), or parliament, said the vote on Wednesday night demonstrated the PLO's sincerity in pursuing peace with Israel.
"We have voted for a state. By amending the charter we have removed an obstacle from the path of peace which eventually will lead to a state," said Mr Tayeb Abdel Ra'him, general secretary of the Palestinian self rule authority.
But Mr Tayseer Quba'a, a member of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said. The vote meant the PLO has succumbed completely to Israeli dictates and we have forfeited our legitimate rights of return, of self determination with nothing in return from Israel."
The PNC voted to amend the 32 year old charter calling for Israel's destruction. Only 572 of the 669 PNC members attended. Official results showed that 504 voted in favour of the amendment, 54 voted against and 14 abstained.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, said the PNC decision was the most important ideological change in the region in 100 years.
Israel has said that without the amendments it would not begin talks on the final status of the Palestinian areas. Under the 1993 self rule deal, talks on the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Arab East Jerusalem should start next month.
Many on the recently elected 88 member Palestinian Legislative Council voted against the amendment, saying the popular mood iii the West Bank and Gaza Strip was against the change.
"Many legislative council members voted against because they are in touch with their electorate and want to represent them honestly, said Dr Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the council.
Even some members of Mr Arafat's Fatah faction who backed the change said they agonised over the vote. Although the group has suspended armed struggle since the 1992 Madrid peace conference, many felt that changing the charter meant putting their fate in Israel's hands.
Dr Haidar Abdel Shafi, a PNC member who attended the 1964 session which adopted the PLO's charter, said he voted against the amendment. "It is important for us to meet our obligations, but we are also committed to our future generations. They either inherit an independent state or we leave the door open for them to struggle to achieve this goal," he said.
The Islamic militant group, Hamas, denounced Mr Arafat. It said he had committed a crime by scrapping the clauses. It vowed to continue its struggle to liberate Palestinian lands.