Is the legislative body and the most important institution of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and elects the Executive Committee of the PLO, which assumes leadership between its sessions. The Council normally meets every two years. Resolutions are passed by a simple majority with a quorum of two-thirds.

The first PNC, composed of 422 representatives, met in Jerusalem in May 1964 and adopted the Palestinian National Covenant (also called Palestinian National Charter). It also established the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the political expression of the Palestinian people and elected Ahmad Al-Shuqeiry as the first chairman of the PLO Executive Committee.

Later sessions were held in Cairo (1965), Gaza (1966), Cairo (1968 – 1977), Damascus (1979 – 1981), Algiers (1983), Amman (1984), and Gaza (1996 and 1998). At the February 1969 meeting in Cairo, Yasser Arafat was appointed leader of the PLO.

In a November 1988 meeting in Algiers, the PNC unilaterally declared the independence of the Arab State of Palestine.

After the signing of the Oslo Agreements, the PNC conveyed in Gaza in April 1996 and voted 504 to 54 to void parts of the Palestinian National Charter that denied Israel's right to exist.

In December 1998, the PNC met in Gaza at the insistence of the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called it a condition on the continuation of the peace process. In the presence of the US President Clinton, it reaffirmed again the deletion of the parts of the Charter which denied Israel's right to exist.

As of 2003, the PNC is chaired by Salim Zanoun and has 669 members; 88 are from the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), 98 represent the Palestinian population living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and 483 represent the Palestinian Diaspora.

At present time there are 669 members. The members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) (88 directly elected in January 1996) are automatically members of the PNC, and together with 98 other remembers from inside the Palestinian territories represent the Palestinian population living in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 while the other 483 members of the PNC represent the Palestinian Diaspora.

At present the PNC is chaired by Salim Zanoun.