General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS)
GENERAL UNION OF PALESTINE STUDENTS (GUPS)
Palestinian association created in November 1959 in Cairo to promote the political program of Fatah among Palestinian youth. It is headquartered in Ramallah. Like the other Palestinian General Unions, it is part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and is represented on its governing body, the Palestine National Council. Its main focus is on the Palestinian national struggle. The GUPS is a member of the International Union of Students. It has more than a hundred branches around the world and a membership that GUPS estimates at 100,000. Many leaders of the PLO have belonged to the GUPS, including Yasir Arafat, Hani al-Hasan, Faysal al-Husseini, Salah Khalaf, Leila Shahid, and Ibrahim Souss.
SEE ALSO Arafat, Yasir Muhammad;Fatah, al-;Hasan, Hani al-;Husayni, Faysal al-;Khalaf, Salah;Shahid, Leila Mounib;Palestine Liberation Organization;Palestine National Council.