The Covenant, in which critics say 30 of 33 provisions in one way or another call for the eradication of the Zionist state, is as much symbolic as substantive. Arafat contends the offensive passages were canceled by the Palestinian National Council in its April 24, 1996, meeting, and the American and Israeli governments agreed at that time. But Netanyahu and his supporters reject that.
Arafat is a liar - the PNC only passed a resolution to set up a committee to recommend changes. That's as far as it got. Certainly the special meeting, as stipulated in the Charter itself, called specifically to make any changes has NEVER been held.
The Charter as currently published at the PLO website and that of the PA is UNCHANGED.
I fear we're beating this to death. The Charter itself is clear:
Article 33: This Charter shall not be amended save by [vote of] a majority of two-thirds of the total membership of the National Congress of the Palestine Liberation Organization [taken] at a special session convened for that purpose.
This special session has never been called, much less a vote taken. It doesn't matter what Peres, Arafat, or Clinton say. It's never been amended and stands as written. It’s as though the mayors of Chicago, LA, New York, and DC got together and repealed the 2nd amendment. Then Clinton, Reno and a dozen assorted governors accepted it. It didn’t happen, nothing was amended.
As to why the session hasn't been convened, many think it's to give the PLO's future actions deniability. And a 2/3 vote to accept Israel wasn't achievable in 93 or in 95, certainly not now.