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'''Yasser Arafat''' ([[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]]: ياسر عرفات) ([[August]], [[1929]] – [[November 11]], [[2004]]), also known as '''Abu Ammar''', was the President of the [[Palestinian Authority]] (leader since [[1993]], elected in [[1996]]); leader of [[Fatah]] and Chairman of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) since [[1969]], and co-winner of the [[1994]] [[Nobel Peace Prize]].
Arafat expressed and symbolized the national aspirations of the Palestinian people for forty years.
[[Image:Yasser-arafat-1999.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|Yasser Arafat in 1999]]
[[Image:Yasser-arafat-1999.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|Yasser Arafat in 1999]]
== Biography ==
'''Yasser Arafat''' ([[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]]: ياسر عرفات Yāsir `Arafāt) ([[August 4]] or [[August 24]], [[1929]] – [[November 11]], [[2004]]), born '''Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ar-Rauf al-Qudwah al-Husayni''' or '''Mohammed Abdel-Rawf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Hussaini''' and also known as '''Abu Ammar''', was co-founder and Chairman of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) (since [[1969]]) and President of the [[Palestinian National Authority]] (PNA) (since [[1993]]); and a co-winner of the [[1994]] [[Nobel Peace Prize]]. As a [[guerrilla]] and a [[Fatah]] leader, he was regarded as a [[freedom fighter]] by supporters, but a [[terrorist]] or [[collaborator]] by opponents.


==Biography==
=== Early life ===
Arafat was born as "Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ar-Rauf al-Qudwah al-Husayni" or "Mohammed Abdel-Rawf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Hussaini" to a [[Palestinian]] family. His father was a textile merchant from a family that had some [[Egypt|Egyptian]] ancestry. His mother was from a prominent Palestinian family in [[Jerusalem]]. According to Arafat and his death certificate, he was born in Jerusalem on [[August 4]], [[1929]] [http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/a/arafaty1.asp]. Some contend that he was born in [[Cairo]] on [[August 24]], [[1929]]; according to one Arafat biography the differing birth certificate was filed by his father so Arafat could attend school in Cairo. [http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html].
===Early life===
Arafat was the fifth of seven children. His father was a Palestinian textile merchant and his mother came from a prominent Palestinian family. Arafat's claim to have been born in [[Jerusalem]] on [[August 4]], 1929 is supported by his death certificate. However, a birth certificate, registered in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]], gives [[August 24]], [[1929]] as his date of birth, as confirmed by Arafat's biographer Alan Hart and Palestinian biographer, Said K. Aburish. Arafat maintained his father forged the birth certificate for him in Egypt so he could attend school for free. Other sources have given [[Gaza]], [[Palestine]], as his birthplace. [http://www.britannica.com/nobel/micro/30_1.html] [http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html]
When Arafat was four his mother died, and he and his father moved to Jerusalem. He lived in a house close to the [[Western Wall]] and the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]], which is within the [[Temple Mount]]/[[Haram al-Sharif]], a holy site to Jews, Christians and Muslims. At the age of eight his father married again and they moved back to Cairo. The marriage did not work and his father married again shortly thereafter. When this happened Arafat's sister Inam was left in charge of the upbringing of her siblings. She once noted that Arafat was "not like other children in playing or in his feelings... He gathered the Arab kids of the district, formed them into groups and made them march and drill. He carried a stick and he used to beat those who did not obey his commands."[http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348450,00.html]


Arafat attended the University of King Fuad I (later renamed [[Cairo University]]). He sought to better understand [[Judaism]] and [[Zionism]] by engaging in discussions with Jews and reading publications by [[Theodor Herzl]] and other Zionists. But by [[1946]] he had become a Palestinian nationalist and was procuring weapons in Egypt to be smuggled into Palestine in the Arab cause. [http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/school.tools/profiles/Yasser.Arafat/student.storypage.html]. During the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]], Arafat left the university and, along with other Palestinians, sought to enter Palestine to fight for Palestinian independence. He was disarmed and turned back by Egyptian military forces that refused to allow the poorly trained partisans to enter the war zone. Arafat felt that he had been "betrayed by these [Arab] regimes". After returning to the university, Arafat joined the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] and served as president of the Union of Palestinian Students from [[1952]] to [[1956]]. By 1956, Arafat graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and served as a second lieutenant in the Egyptian Army during the [[Suez Crisis]]. [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560094/Arafat_Yasir.html]. Later in 1956 at a conference in [[Prague]] he donned the [[keffiyeh]], the traditional chequered head-dress which was to become his emblem.
Arafat’s childhood was divided between Cairo and Jerusalem. Arafat attended the University of King Faud I (later renamed [[Cairo University]]) and sought to understand [[Judaism]] and [[Zionism]] by engaging in discussions with Jews and reading publications by [[Theodor Herzl]] and other Zionists [http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/school.tools/profiles/Yasser.Arafat/student.storypage.html].


During the [[1948]] Israel-Arab war, Arafat left the university and, along with other Palestinians, sought to enter Palestine to fight for Palestinian independence. He was disarmed and turned back by the Egyptian army which did not allow poorly trained partisans to enter the war zone.
=== Fatah and the PLO ===
After [[Suez]], Arafat moved to [[Kuwait]], where he found work as a civil engineer and eventually set up his own contracting firm. Arafat had decided that the best way for [[Palestinian|Palestinians]] to gain control of [[Palestine]] was for them to fight and not rely on support from Arab governments.


After returning to the university, Arafat joined the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] and served as president of the Union of Palestinian Students from [[1952]] to [[1956]]. In 1956, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
In Kuwait in 1959, with the help of friends Yahia Ghavani and Khalil al-Wazir ([[Abu Jihad]]) [http://www.palestineremembered.com/al-Ramla/al-Ramla/Story175.html], together with a group of refugees from Gaza, Arafat founded a local section of al-Fatah. The name means "victory" and is also an [[acrostic]] taken from the initials, read backwards, of ''Harahkat al-Tahrir al Filistini'' (FTH), meaning the Palestine Liberation Movement (''Black September Green March'' by John K. Cooley, London 1973, p. 90) The PLO dedicated itself to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the destruction of the state of Israel.
Arafat served as a second lieutenant in the Egyptian army during the [[Suez Crisis]]. [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560094/Arafat_Yasir.html]


After Suez, Arafat moved to [[Kuwait]], where he worked as a civil engineer and later set up his own contracting firm.
Arafat worked hard in Kuwait to establish the groundwork for Fatah's future financial support by enlisting contributions from the many Palestinians working there, who gave generously from their high salaries in the oil industry (''ibid.'', p.91).


=== Fatah and the PLO ===
Fatah's first operation was an unsuccessful attempt to blow up an Israeli water pump station in [[1965]].
In [[1957]] in Kuwait, Arafat with a group of refugees from Gaza helped found [[Fatah]], an organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent [[Palestinian]] state.
Fatah's first commando operation was an unsuccessful attempt to blow up an Israeli water pump station in [[1964]].


The [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) was formed in [[1964]] as a political organization unifying all resistance groups with the common goal of liberation of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
After the [[Six-Day War]], [[Israel]] started an offensive against what it viewed as Palestinian terrorist organizations. Arafat is said to have escaped the Israeli attacks by crossing the [[River Jordan]] dressed as a woman carrying a baby, a story that enhanced his image as a man who could always manage a narrow escape.


After the [[Six-Day War]], [[Israel]] started attacking Palestinian resistance organizations.
In [[1968]] Fatah was the target of an [[Israeli Defense Force]] operation on the Jordanian village of Al-Karameh ("honor" in Arabic language), in which 150 Palestinians and 29 Israeli soldiers were killed. Despite the high Palestinian death toll, the battle was considered a victory for Fatah because the Israeli army ultimately withdrew. Amid the post-war environment, the profiles of Arafat and Fatah were raised by this important turning point, as he came to be regarded as a national hero who dared confront Israel, and many young Palestinians joined the ranks of Fatah. By the late [[1960s]], Fatah had come to dominate the PLO, and at the Palestinian National Congress in [[Cairo]] on [[February 3]], [[1969]] Arafat was appointed [[Palestinian Liberation Organization]] leader, replacing [[Ahmad Shukeiri]]. Arafat became commander-in-chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces two years later and, in [[1973]], the head of the PLO's political department.
In [[1968]], Israeli army attacked Fatah in the Jordanian village of Al-Karameh; 150 Palestinians and 29 Israeli soldiers were killed. Despite losses, Palestinians considered this battle a victory because the Israeli army ultimately withdrew.
This was a turning point for the resistance movement because it showed that Israel is not invincible and that resistance can effect changes. Many Palestinians regarded Fatah and Arafat as heroes for daring to confront the much more powerful Israeli army, and many young Palestinians began joining the ranks of Fatah.
Fatah soon became dominant faction within the PLO and in [[1969]] Arafat was named chairman of the PLO. Arafat became commander in chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces in [[1971]] and the head of the PLO's political department in [[1973]].


=== Jordan ===
=== Jordan ===
In the [[1960]]s tensions between Palestinians and the [[Jordan]]ian government had greatly increased; heavily armed Palestinian resistance elements (''[[fedayeen]]'') had created a virtual "state within a state" in Jordan, eventually controlling several strategic positions in Jordan, including the oil refinery near Az Zarq. Jordan considered this a growing threat to its sovereignty and security and attempted to disarm the Palestinian militias. Open fighting erupted in [[June]] of [[1970]].
In late 1960s, tensions rose between Palestinian resistance groups and the [[Jordan]]ian government. Palestinian groups had managed to control several strategic positions in Jordan, including the oil refinery near Az Zarq.
Jordan considered this a growing threat to its sovereignty and security and attempted to disarm the Palestinian militias. Open fighting between Jordan and Palestinian resistance groups erupted in [[June]] of [[1970]].


Other [[Arab]] governments attempted to negotiate a peaceful resolution, but continuing ''fedayeen'' actions in Jordan (such as the destruction by the [[PFLP]], on September 12, of three international airliners hijacked and held in Dawson's Field in [[Zarqa]]) prompted the Jordanian government to take action to regain control over its territory.
Arab governments attempted to negotiate a peaceful solution, but the Jordan government responded to continued militant activites with escalation in repressive measures; on [[September 16]] Jordanian King Hussein declared martial law.
On that same day Arafat became supreme commander of the [[Palestine Liberation Army]] (PLA), the regular military force of the PLO.

In the ensuing civil war the PLO had the active support of [[Syria]], which sent around 200 tanks into Jordan to aid the PLO.
On [[September 16]], [[King Hussein]] declared martial law. On that same day, Arafat became supreme commander of the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA), the regular military force of the PLO. In the ensuing civil war, the PLO had the active support of [[Syria]], which sent a force of around 200 tanks into Jordan to aid them. The fighting was mainly between the Jordanian army and the PLA; the [[US]] Navy dispatched the Sixth Fleet to the eastern Mediterranean and it is rumored that Israel deployed troops to aid Hussein, if necessary. By [[September 24]], the Jordanian army achieved dominance and the PLA agreed to a series of ceasefires [http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/blacksept1970.htm]. See also [[History of Jordan]] and [[Black September]].
The [[U.S]] and [[Israel]] also got involved: U.S. Navy dispatched its [[Sixth Fleet]] to the eastern Mediterranean, and Israel deployed its troops to aid King Hussein if necessary.
By [[September 24]] the Jordanian army achieved dominance, and the PLA agreed to a series of ceasefires [http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/blacksept1970.htm]. See also [[History of Jordan]] and [[Black September]].


=== Lebanon ===
=== Lebanon ===
From [[Jordan]], Arafat and the [[PLO]] relocated to [[Lebanon]]. Because of Lebanon's weak central government, the PLO was able to operate independently of Lebanese authorities. During the [[Israel]]i attacks on Lebanon the PLO began launching artillery strikes and guerilla attacks on Israel from Lebanon.


In [[September]] of [[1972]] the Palestinian group [[Black September]] kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes at the [[Munich massacre|Munich Olympic Games]] demanding release of 232 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Israel refused the demand and hostages were killed during the police assault on kidnappers.
Following the expulsion from [[Jordan]], Arafat relocated the PLO to [[Lebanon]]. Because of Lebanon's weak central government, the PLO was able to operate virtually as an independent state. Palestinian fighters mounted intermittent cross-border attacks against civilian and military targets in Israel from there; Israel responded with military offensives into Lebanon.
Arafat publicly disassociated himself from such attacks and in [[1974]] he ordered the PLO to stop acts of violence outside Israel and Israel [[occupied]] [[territories]].


Arafat addressed a plenary session of the [[UN General Assembly]] in [[1974]], proposing a peaceful solution.
In [[September]] [[1972]], [[Black September (group)|Black September]] kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes, held them hostage at the [[Munich massacre|Munich Olympic Games]] and eventually killed them all. The killings were internationally condemned and Arafat publicly disassociated himself and the PLO from such attacks.
He condemned the Zionist project, but said: "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." Arafat's speech was well received and it increased the international support for the Palestinian cause.
Even the U.S., which regularly sided with Israel, acknowledged that "the legitimate interests of the Palestinian Arabs must be taken into account in the negotiating of an Arab-Israeli peace".


In [[1974]], [[Arab]] states declared the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of all [[Palestinians]]. The PLO was admitted to full membership in the [[Arab League]] in [[1976]].
However, according to a 1972 article in the Jordanian newspaper ''Al-Dustur'', Mohammed Daoud, who said he was the commander of the Munich operation, told Jordanian police: "There is no such organization as Black September. Fatah announces its own operations under this name so that Fatah will not appear as the direct executor of the operation." In 1999, Abu Daoud launched his French-language autobiography ''Palestine: From Jerusalem to Munich'' (later published in English as ''Memoirs of a Palestinian Terrorist'') [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1559704292/102-5475444-5782553?v=glance], in which he wrote that Arafat was briefed about Munich before it happened, and that Arafat saw Daoud off on the mission with the words "Allah protect you."


In the late [[1970s]] several new Palestinian resistance organizations appeared and carried out attacks on Israel and the increasing number of Israeli [[occupation]] [[colonies]] (for which Israel uses the term "settlements") built among Palestinian-populated areas. Israel claimed that Arafat was in ultimate control over these organizations, but Arafat denied responsibility for acts of other groups.
Fatah needed Black September, according to [[Benny Morris]], Professor of History at [[Ben-Gurion University of the Negev|Ben-Gurion University]]. He writes that there was a "problem of internal PLO or Fatah cohesion, with extremists constantly demanding greater militancy. The moderates apparently acquiesced in the creation of Black September in order to survive," (''Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001'', Vintage Books edition (2001), p 379). Morris says that, as a result of the pressure from militants, a Fatah congress in [[Damascus]] in August-September 1971 agreed to establish Black September. The new organization was based, writes Morris, on Fatah's existing special intelligence and security apparatus, and on the PLO offices and representatives in various European capitals; and from very early on, there was cooperation between Black September and the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP).


The Israeli government, now led by the right-wing leader [[Menachem Begin]], intensified building of colonies in the West Bank and Gaza hoping to create "facts on the ground" which would prevent any future compromise over the areas occupied in [[1967]].
However, according to Morris, the PLO closed Black September down in the fall of 1973, prompted, he says, by the "political calculation that no more good would come of terrorism abroad," (''ibid,'' p 383). In [[1974]] Arafat ordered the PLO to withdraw from acts of violence outside Israel, the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]. The Fatah movement continued to launch attacks against Israeli civilians and the security forces within the occupied territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip; moreover, in the late [[1970s]] numerous leftist Palestinian organizations appeared which carried out attacks against civilian targets both within Israel and outside of it. Israel claimed that Arafat was in ultimate control over these organizations and hence had not abandoned terrorism. Arafat denied responsibility for terrorist acts committed by these groups. In the same year, Arafat became the first representative of a nongovernmental organization to address a plenary session of the [[UN General Assembly]], and Arab heads of state recognised the PLO as "''the sole legitimate spokesman of the Palestinian people''". In his UN address, Arafat condemned Zionism, but said, "''Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.''" His speech increased international support of the Palestinian cause. The PLO was admitted to full membership in the [[Arab League]] in [[1976]].
[[Ariel Sharon]], the current Prime Minister, led this movement as "chairman of the ministerial committee for settlements" until [[1981]].


In the [[1970s]] Israel armed and equipped the Lebanese Christians to counter the PLO's influence in Lebanon. Israel conducted two major [[invasion]]s of [[Lebanon]]. In the [[1978 Invasion of Lebanon|First invasion of Lebanon]] in [[1978]], the Israeli military and South Lebanon Army (SLA) killed several thousand Lebanese and Palestinians and occupied a narrow strip of land. In the [[1982 Invasion of Lebanon|Second invasion of Lebanon]] in [[1982]], Israel expanded its occupation to most of South Lebanon, but was eventually forced to retreat back to the previously occupied area.
The PLO played an important part in the [[Lebanese Civil War]]; some [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] [[Christians]] allege that Arafat and the PLO were responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens.
During this invasion Israeli army killed about 18,000 Lebanese and Palestinians and helped the [[Christian]] [[Phalangist]] militia [[Sabra and Shatila Massacre|massacre in Sabra and Shatila]] refugee camps about 2,750 Palestinian civilians. [[Ariel Sharon]], Israeli Minister of Defense at the time, was found by the Israeli [[Kahan Commission]] "personally responsible" for the massacre and was dismissed from his post; he is now Prime Minister of Israel.


=== Tunisia ===
During the Civil War, Arafat allied the PLO with Lebanese Muslim groups, however, fearing a loss of power Syria's President Assad switched sides, and sent in his army to help the right-wing Christian Phalangists. The Civil War's first phase ended for Arafat with the siege and fall of the Palestinian refugee camp of Tal al-Zaatar. Arafat himself narrowly escaped with assistance from the Saudis and [[Kuwait]]is.
In September [[1982]], during the [[Israel]]i invasion of Lebanon, the [[U.S.]] had brokered a cease-fire deal in which Arafat and the [[PLO]] were allowed to leave [[Lebanon]]. Arafat and his leadership moved to [[Tunisia]], which remained his center of operations up until [[1993]].


=== First uprising and peace talks ===
Israel, allying itself with the Lebanese Christians conducted two major offensives into Lebanon. In the first ([[Operation Litani]] in [[1978]]), the [[Israel Defense Forces]] and [[South Lebanon Army]] occupied a narrow strip of land, described as "the Security Zone". In the second, ([[Operation Peace for Galilee]] in [[1982]]), Israel expanded its occupation to most of South Lebanon, but eventually retreated back to the Security Zone in [[1985]].
It was during this Israeli invasion that Ariel Sharon began his personal war with Arafat. Sharon later said he had Arafat in his sights in Beiruit but chose not to kill him. Arafat himself narrowly escaped death on another occasion when, with a laser-guided [[vacuum bomb]], the Israelis flattened an apartment block he had left moments before.


The [[First Intifada|First Palestinian uprising]] was started spontaneously by the Palestinian population in [[December]] of [[1987]]. It included acts of mass civil disobedience, work strikes, boycotts of Israeli products, and stone-throwing demonstrations against the heavily-armed occupation troops. This spontaneous uprising, backed by the entire Palestinian population living under Israeli occupation, caught both Israel and the PLO by surprise and received international attention.
The [[Sabra and Shatila Massacre]] occurred during the second Israeli offensive into Lebanon. Between 460 and 3,500 Palestinian refugees were killed by Lebanese [[Maronite]] Christian [[Phalangist]] militias (which were allowed into the refugee camps by Israeli forces following the assassination of Lebanon's Christian president [[Bachir Gemayel]]). The Israeli offensive into Lebanon and the Phalangist massacre of Palestinian civilians amplified the deep bitterness and mistrust between Palestinians and the then-Minister of Defense, [[Ariel Sharon]].


The [[Israel]]i army responded with heavy force and killed more than 1,000 Palestinian civilians. Despite its military might, Israel was unable to quell the uprising and clashes lasted until [[1993]].
During the Israeli siege of Beirut, the U.S. and European powers brokered a deal guaranteeing safe passage for Arafat and the PLO to exile in [[Tunis]].


Because this uprising shifted focus from the Palestinian diaspora and the international scene, dominated by Arafat and the PLO, to the occupied territories it challenged Arafat's role as the leader of all Palestinian resistance.
=== Tunisia ===
[[Image:Nobel_prize_arafat.gif|frame|Arafat won the [[1994]] [[Nobel Peace Prize]]]]In September [[1982]], during the [[Israel]]i offensive into [[Lebanon]], the [[United States|Americans]] and [[Europe]]ans brokered a cease-fire deal in which Arafat and the [[PLO]] were allowed to leave Lebanon; Arafat and his leadership eventually arrived in [[Tunisia]], which remained his center of operations up until [[1993]].


In [[November]] [[1988]], the Palestinian National Council voted to accept a "two-state" solution based on the 1947 U.N. Partition resolution, and negotiate a settlement based on the [[UN Security Council Resolution 242]], which called for Israel to withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 war, and Resolution 338.
Arafat again narrowly survived an Israeli attack in 1985, as [[IDF]] [[F-15]]s bombed his headquarters in Tunis leaving 73 people dead; Arafat had gone out jogging that morning.
On [[December 13]], [[1988]], Arafat declared acceptance of Resolution 242, promised future recognition of Israel and renounced "terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism" [http://mondediplo.com/focus/mideast/arafat88-en].


The Arafat's recognition of Israel was dictated by the [[U.S.]] administration, which had insisted on the recognition as a necessary starting point for peace negotiations.
During the [[1980s]], Arafat received assistance from [[Iraq]] and [[Saudi Arabia]], which allowed him to reconstruct the badly-battered PLO. This was particularly useful during the [[First Intifada]] in [[December]], [[1987]]. Although the Intifada was a spontaneous uprising against Israeli occupation, within weeks Arafat was attempting to direct the revolt, and Israelis believe that it was mainly because of [[Fatah]] forces in the [[West Bank]] that the civil unrest was able to continue for the duration.
The U.S. then began talks with the PLO.
But Israel refused to negotiate with the PLO, proclaiming it a "terrorist organization".
Israeli Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Shamir]] conditioned negotiations on elections in the occupied territories.


On [[April 2]], [[1989]], Arafat was elected president of the proclaimed State of Palestine by the governing body of the PLO.
On [[November 15]], [[1988]], the PLO proclaimed the independent [[State of Palestine]], a government-in-exile for the [[Palestinian]]s which laid claim to the whole of Palestine as defined by the [[British Mandate of Palestine]], rejecting the idea of partition. In a [[December 13]], [[1988]] address, Arafat accepted [[UN Security Council Resolution 242]], promised future recognition of Israel, and renounced "terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism" [http://mondediplo.com/focus/mideast/arafat88-en]. Arafat's [[December 13]] statement was encouraged by the [[U.S.]] administration, which insisted on the recognition of Israel as a necessary starting point in the [[Camp David]] peace negotiations. Arafat's statement indicated a shift from one of the PLO's primary aims — the destruction of Israel (as in the [[Palestinian National Covenant]]) — towards the establishment of two separate entities, an Israeli state within the 1949 armistice lines and a Palestinian state in the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]]. However, on [[April 2]], [[1989]], Arafat was elected by the Central Council of the Palestine National Council (the governing body of the PLO) to be the president of the proclaimed [[State of Palestine]], an entity which laid claim to the whole of Palestine as defined by the [[British Mandate of Palestine]], rejecting the idea of partition.
During the [[1991]] Madrid Conference Israel began direct negotiations with the PLO for the first time.


In [[1991]] Arafat opposed the [[U.S.]]-led attack on [[Iraq]] ([[1991 Gulf War]]), alienating the U.S. and some Gulf states, such as [[Kuwait]].
In [[1990]] Arafat married [[Suha Arafat|Suha Tawil]], a [[Palestinian]] [[Orthodox]] [[Christian]] working for the PLO in Tunis, who converted to [[Islam]] before marrying him. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3965541.stm]


=== The Palestinian Authority ===
During the [[1991]] Madrid Conference, Israel conducted open negotiations with the PLO for the first time. Prior to the [[Gulf War]] of [[1991]], Arafat opposed the U.N. attack on [[Iraq]], alienating many of the Arab states, and leading to the U.S. disregarding his claims of being a partner for peace.
[[Image:Rabin at peace talks.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Yitzhak Rabin]], [[Bill Clinton]], and Arafat during the [[Oslo Accords]] on [[September 13]], [[1993]]]]


The election of the left-wing Labour government in [[Israel]] and the continued [[U.S.]] pressure lead to the [[1993]] [[Oslo Accords]]. The main points of this agreement were mutual recognition of [[Israel]] and the [[PLO]], [[Israel]]'s withdrawal from the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] and implementation of [[Palestinian]] self rule. For this peace initiative Arafat was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in [[1994]], along with Israeli leaders [[Shimon Peres]] and [[Yitzhak Rabin]].
Arafat narrowly escaped death again in 1992 as his aircraft crash-landed in the Libyan desert during a sandstorm. The pilot and several passengers were killed and Arafat received several broken bones and other injuries.


Israel's religious right was unhappy with what they called the "surrender of Jewish land" and a Jewish religious extremist assassinated Yitzhak Rabin on [[November 4]], [[1995]]. This event eroded the momentum towards peace.
=== Palestinian authority ===
[[Image:Rabin at peace talks.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Yitzhak Rabin]], [[Bill Clinton]], and Arafat during the [[Oslo Accords]] on [[September 13]], [[1993]]]]


On [[January 20]], [[1996]], Arafat was elected president of the [[Palestinian Authority]] (PA), receiving an overwhelming 87% majority of vote in an election with two candidates. Independent international observers reported the elections to have been free and fair.
In the early 1990s Arafat engaged the Israelis in a series of secret talks and negotiations which would enevitably lead to the [[1993]] [[Oslo Accords]], which called for the implementation of [[Palestinian]] self rule in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] over a five year period. The following year he was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] along with [[Shimon Peres]] and [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. Arafat returned back to Palestine a hero to some but a traitor and collaborator to others.
Further elections were announced for [[January]] [[2002]], but were later postponed, reportedly because of inability to campaign due to Israeli military attacks and restrictions on freedom of movement in the Palestinian territories occupied by [[Israel]].


=== Peace initiatives and Second uprising ===
In [[1994]], Arafat moved to the Palestinian Authority (PA) — the provisional entity created by the Oslo Accords. In [[July]] [[1995]] he had a daughter, [[Zahwa Arafat|Zahwa]], named after his deceased mother.


In [[1996]] fighting intensified with a series of suicide bombings in [[Israel]] by [[Hamas]], and a three-week bombardment of [[Lebanon]] by [[Israel]].
On [[January 20]], [[1996]], Arafat was elected president of the PA, with an overwhelming 88.2 percent majority (the only other candidate was Samiha Khalil) [http://www.pna.gov.ps/Government/gov/Elections_in_Palestine.asp]. Independent international observers reported the elections to have been free and fair. However, some critics allege that because most of the opposition movements chose not to participate in the elections the elections were not truly democratic. Further elections were announced for January 2002, but were later postponed, purportedly because of inability to campaign due to [[Israel Defense Force]] incursions and restrictions on freedom of movement in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]].


[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], who campaigned against the [[Oslo Accords]], was elected Prime Minister of Israel in [[1996]]. Netanyahu lifted a freeze on building in the occupied territories and actively obstructed the transition to [[Palestinian]] statehood. The Palestinian-Israeli relations grew even more hostile and attacks and counter-attacks continued.
After [[1996]], Arafat's title as Palestinian Authority leader was "head" (Arabic ''ra'is''). [[Israel]] translates the title as "chairman" and the [[U.S.]] uses this term, while [[Palestinian]]s translate it as "president" and the [[U.N]] uses this term.


In mid-1996, following multiple suicide bus bombings, in which scores of Israeli civilians were killed, [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] was elected Prime Minister of Israel. Palestinian-Israeli relations grew even more hostile as a consequence of continued incidents. Netanyahu tried to obstruct the transition to Palestinian statehood outlined in the Israel-PLO accord. In 1998 U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] intervened, arranging meetings with the two leaders. The resulting [[Wye River Memorandum]] of [[23 October]] [[1998]] detailed the steps to be taken by the Israeli government and PA to complete the peace process.
The U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] intervened and in [[1998]] arranged a meeting with the two leaders. The resulting [[Wye River Memorandum]] of [[October 23]], [[1998]] specified steps to be taken by the Israeli government and the [[Palestinian Auhtority]] (PA) to implement the Oslo accords.
However, Israel made no visible attempts to live up to either the Oslo or the Wye River agreements; to the contrary, Israel steadily expanded its occupation, doubled the population in [[colonies]] and kept obstructing the transition to Palestinian self-rule.


Arafat continued negotiations with the next Israeli Prime Minister [[Ehud Barak]]. Clinton pressed both parties for a compromise and arranged the [[Camp David]] negotiations. In his final offer, Barak offered a Palestinian state in parts of the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]], with East Jerusalem as its capital, a return of an unspecified "limited" number of refugees and some unspecified compensation for the rest. However, the proposed Palestinian areas did not include all occupied territories and were not contiguous but fragmented and surrounded by Israeli colonies, and criss-crossed by numerous checkpoints and Jewish-only roads. The resolution of the important issue of refugees was unclear and various other issues, such as water rights were unresolved. Despites Clinton's pressure, Arafat rejected the offer. Several months later, in the new round of talks at [[Taba]], [[Egypt]], Barak made a more favorable offer which was received positively by Palestinians. However, Barak in the meantime lost his re-election bid and the incoming Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] blocked further negotiations.
Arafat continued negotiations with Netanyahu's successor, [[Ehud Barak]], at the [[Camp David 2000 Summit]]. Due partly to his own politics (Barak was from the leftist Labor Party, whereas Netanyahu was from the rightist Likud Party) and partly due to immense pressure placed by American President Bill Clinton, Barak offered Arafat a Palestinian state in parts of the [[West Bank]] and all of the [[Gaza Strip]] with an outlying suburb of [[East Jerusalem]] as its capital. The final proposal proffered by Barak would have meant Israeli annexation of 10% of the West Bank (largely encompassing current settlement blocs) in exchange for a much smaller swath of land in the [[Negev]] desert. Many Palestinians claim that accepting the offer would have the effect of reducing the Palestinian state to what they characterized as "[[Bantustans]]:" scattered pieces of territory separated by highways for Israelis, security checkpoints and [[Israeli settlements]]. In addition, under the Israeli proposal, Israel would control the Palestinian state's water resources, borders, customs, and defense and a further 10% of the West Bank under nominal Palestinian sovereignty (chiefly along the [[Jordan]]ian border). Also included in the offer was a return of a limited number of [[Palestinian refugees|refugees]] and a compensation for the rest. In a move widely criticized abroad and even by a member of his negotiating team and Cabinet, Nabil Amr, Arafat rejected Barak's offer and refused to make a counter-offer. When the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada]], or Second Palestinian Intifada, was launched (2000-present) the day after a visit by [[Ariel Sharon]] to the [[Temple Mount]], the peace process completely collapsed. After the start of the Second Intifada, Arafat's wife moved to live with her mother and daughter in [[Paris]].


On [[September 28]], [[2000]], Ariel Sharon made a controversial visit to the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]/[[Temple Mount]] compound considered sacred by both Muslims and Jews. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/28/newsid_3687000/3687762.stm] Palestinians considered this visit provocative; Arafat described it as a "dangerous step", but Sharon insisted that he had come with a "message of peace".
== Recent news and commentary ==
Soon after Sharon left, Palestinian demonstrations turned into violence. This event marked the beginning of the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada|Second Palestinian uprising]], which has claimed thousands of victims and continues to this day.
Arafat's long personal and political survival was taken by most Western commentators as a sign of his mastery of [[asymmetric warfare]] and his skill as a tactician, given the extremely dangerous nature of politics of the [[Middle East]] and the frequency of [[assassination]]s. Some commentators believe his personal survival was largely due to [[Israel]]'s fear that he could become a [[martyr]] for the [[Palestinian]] cause if he were to be assassinated or even arrested by Israel. Others believe that Israel kept Arafat alive because they feared Arafat less than [[Hamas]] and the other [[Islamist]] movements gaining support over Arafat's secular organization.


In [[March 2002]], the Arab League made an offer to recognize Israel in exchange for Israeli retreat from all territories captured in the Six-Day War and statehood for Palestine. Many saw this offer, which included recognition of Israel by the Arab states, as a historic opportunity for comprehensive peace in the region. However, the Israeli government of [[Ariel Sharon]] ignored this offer and made visible efforts to neutralize and sidetrack this proposal, with some Israeli officials claiming that it would constitute a blow to Israel's security while not guaranteeing the cessation of suicide bombing attacks.
Arafat's ability to adapt to new tactical and political situations was perhaps exemplified by the rise of the Hamas and [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] organizations, Islamist groups espousing rejectionist opposition to [[Israel]], employing new tactics such as "martyrdom operations", known as [[suicide bombing]]s. In the [[1990s]], these groups seemed to threaten Arafat's capacity to hold together a unified secular nationalist organization with a goal of statehood. They appeared to be out of Arafat's influence and control, and were actively fighting with Arafat's [[Fatah]] group. Some allege that activities of these groups were tolerated by Arafat as a means of applying pressure on Israel (see [[PLO and Hamas]].) Some Israeli government officials opined in [[2002]] that the [[Fatah]]'s faction [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] began attacks on Israel to compete with [[Hamas]]. Some sources claim that frequent Israeli military strikes against the Palestinian Authority have made it difficult for Arafat's security infrastructure to effectively counter the increasing influence of groups like [[Hamas]]. Spokesmen for [[Hamas]] and [[Islamic Jihad]] have at times publicly supported Arafat, suggesting that the common goals supersede infighting between these factions.


Israel's refusal of the Arab offer was followed by a Palestinian attack on Israel that led to more than 135 Israelis dead. Ariel Sharon subsequently stated that Arafat "assisted the terrorists and made himself an enemy of Israel and irrelevant to any peace negotiations". This was followed by the major Israeli invasion of the West Bank, during which Israel killed hundreds of Palestinians and razed entire city blocks in [[Jenin]] (see "[[Operation Defensive Shield]]".)
On [[May 6]], [[2002]], the [[Israel]]i government released a report, based in part on documents allegedly captured during the [[Israel]]i occupation of Arafat's [[Ramallah]] headquarters, with copies of papers apparently signed by Arafat authorizing funding for the [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]]' activities. These documents, however, drew skepticism from various quarters because the [[Israeli]] military had forcefully prevented any independent observers or reporters from observing the operation. [http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0lom0]


== Financial dealings ==
Others point to the constraints of the political situation, and argue that Arafat could neither condemn nor constrain the tactics employed; and that any attempt to do so would endanger his rule or his life, and possibly initiate a disastrous civil war. Furthermore, ending violent resistance activities would amount to a de facto surrender to [[Israel]], which has access to weapons that Palestinians lack. The use of suicide bombers appears to be a permanent feature of this conflict. The number and intensity of attacks rose sharply in the first months of [[2002]].
As the leader of [[Palestinian]] resistance Arafat was the subject of [[Israel]]i campaigns to discredit him.
The [[U.S.]] business magazine "Forbes", which frequently publishes [http://www.forbes.com/global/2001/1001/015.html pro-Israel opinions], placed Arafat as sixth on its [[2003]] list "Kings, Queens and Despots" [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0317/134.html], estimating his personal wealth to "at least $300 million", but did not indicate its source for this claim. There were also claims of corruption of Arafat and the PA by others, including Arab media.


However, as Arafat lived frugally and had no known major possessions, these claims appear to be based solely on Arafat's control over Palestinian public funds. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/07/60minutes/main582487.shtml] For example, Israel regularly deposited Palestinian tax monies into Arafat's personal account, these funds were then disbursed for Palestinian needs or invested. In [[2003]] the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) conducted an audit of the PA finances and stated that Arafat diverted $900 million in public funds to a bank account controlled by himself and the PA Chief Economic Financial Advisor. The IMF did not claim any improprieties and it stated that most of the funds were invested in Palestinian assets, both internally and abroad. [http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1958.shtml] An audit of PA finances by [[European Union]] also found no improprieties.
In [[March 2002]], the Arab League made an offer to recognize Israel in exchange for Israeli retreat from all territories captured in the Six-Day War and statehood for Palestine and Arafat's Palestinian Authority. Supporters of this declaration saw this offer, which included recognition of Israel by the Arab states, as a historic opportunity for comprehensive peace in the region, while critics of this offer say that it would constitute a heavy blow to Israel's security, while not even guaranteeing Israel the cessation of suicide bombing attacks. Israel ignored what it deemed a facetious offer.
[http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/mepp/faq/index.htm#Allegations%20of%20misuse%20of%20EU%20funds]


== Last three years ==
This was followed by attacks carried out by [[Palestinian]] militants which killed more than 135 Israelis. [[Ariel Sharon]], who previously demanded that Arafat speak strongly in Arabic against suicide bombings, then declared that Arafat "assisted the terrorists and made himself an enemy of Israel and irrelevant to any peace negotiations". This was followed by a major Israeli offensive into the West Bank, during which [[Israel]] razed entire city blocks (see "[[Operation Defensive Shield]]".)


Persistent attempts by the Israeli government to identify another Palestinian leader to represent the Palestinian people failed; and Arafat was enjoying the support of groups that, given his own history, would normally have been quite wary of dealing with him or of supporting him. [[Marwan Barghouti]] emerged as a leader during the Al-Aqsa intifada but Israel had him arrested and sentenced to 4 life terms.
Attempts by Israel to find another Palestinian leader more suitable to Israel failed because Arafat enjoyed the support of the majority of Palestinians, including groups that disagreed with him on politics and tactics of resistance.
So, Israel set out to isolate him, quite literally, by surrounding Arafat's headquarters and effectively imprisoning him there in [[December]] of [[2001]].
Arafat was finally allowed to leave his compound on [[May 3]], [[2002]] after intensive negotiations led to a settlement[http://english.people.com.cn/200205/03/eng20020503_95112.shtml]; six militants wanted by Israel, which considers them terrorists, who had been holed up with Arafat in his compound, would not be turned over to Israel, but neither would they be held in custody by the Palestinian Authority. Rather, a combination of British and American security personnel would ensure that the wanted men remained imprisoned in [[Jericho]]. With that, and a promise that he would issue a call in Arabic to the Palestinians to halt attacks on Israelis, Arafat was released. He issued such a call on [[May 8]], [[2002]], but, as was the case before, his public call to halt attacks was ignored.


Israel held Arafat in virtual arrest in his [[Ramallah]] headquarters for his last three years of life, by announcing that if he left the compound he would be barred from returning. Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hinted on several occassions that Arafat could be assassinated by Israel. In [[2003]] Israel offically declared a decision to "in principle, remove Arafat"; because of Israel's refusal to state what "remove" meant this was taken by some as a veiled assassination threat.
On [[July 18]] [[2004]], [[U.S.]] President [[George W Bush]] stated regarding Yasser Arafat: "The real problem is that there is no leadership that is able to say 'help us establish a state and we will fight terror and answer the needs of the Palestinians'". [http://www.lefigaro.fr/magazine/20040716.MAG0008.html (Le Figaro)].


On [[October 25]], [[2004]], Arafat became ill. His condition gradually worsened and on [[October 29]], with agreement by [[Israel]] not to block his return, Arafat was taken to the military hospital Percy de Clamart near [[Paris]], [[France]].
==Illness and death==
''Main article: [[Death of Yasser Arafat]]''


On [[November 3]] Arafat lapsed into a gradually deepening [[coma]] and, after suffering progressive organ failure, he was placed on life-support. He died at the hospital on [[November 11]], [[2004]], at 2:30am [[UTC]]. The cause of his illness and death has not been made public. Arafat was 75 years old.
First reports of Arafat's treatment by his doctors, for what his spokesman said was '[[flu]]' came on [[October 25]], [[2004]]. His condition deteriorated in the following days and he became unconscious for a short period. Following visits by other doctors, and agreement by [[Israel]] not to block his return, Arafat was taken on [[October 29]] to the [[Percy training hospital of the Armies]] near [[Paris]]. On [[November 3]] he lapsed into a gradually deepening coma. Arafat was pronounced dead at 02:30 [[UTC]] on [[November 11]] at age 75. The cause of his illness has been listed as [[Cirrhosis]] of the liver. [http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1268&storyid=2252003]
Israel refused Arafat's wish to be buried in or near [[East Jerusalem]]. Following a state funeral in [[Cairo]], attended by many Arab leaders, Arafat was laid to rest on [[November 12]] within his former headquarters in [[Ramallah]] in the [[West Bank]].
[[Israel]] refused Arafat's wish to be buried in or near [[East Jerusalem]]. Following a state funeral in [[Cairo]], attended by many [[Arab]] leaders, Arafat was laid to rest on [[November 12]] within his former headquarters in [[Ramallah]] in the [[West Bank]].
On [[November 11]], Arafat's official functions were transferred. Pending elections, Speaker [[Rawhi Fattuh]] succeeded Arafat as President of the Palestinian Authority. Former PM [[Mahmoud Abbas]] became leader of the PLO and Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi became head of [[Fatah]]. [[Ahmed Qurei]] remained as Prime Minster and took additional security responsibilities.
On [[November 11]], Arafat's official functions were transferred. Pending elections, Speaker [[Rawhi Fattuh]] succeeded Arafat as President of the Palestinian Authority. Former Prime Minister [[Mahmoud Abbas]] became leader of the PLO and Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi became head of [[Fatah]]. [[Ahmed Qurei]] remained as Prime Minister and took additional security responsibilities.


== Opinions about Arafat ==
==Relations with the Arab world==
Arafat enjoyed generally strong support throughout the world, and especially among [[Arab]] and [[Third world]] nations, as a symbol of [[Palestinian]] resistance against the [[Israel]]i [[occupation]].
Many in Europe and the United States assume that all Arab governments supported Yasser Arafat, or assume the Arab nations have united policies and views. In contrast, Arafat had a mixed relationship at best with the leaders of other Arab nations. At various times he has come under withering criticism from Arab leaders and press. In the last few years growing disenchantment with Arafat and his peers has surfaced within the general Arab press. However, he remains by far the most popular Arab leader amoung the general populace.
Arafat was by far the most popular Arab leader among the general populace of Arab nations.


The [[U.S]] government, which regularly aligns itself with [[Israel]], hesitantly supported Arafat largely for strategic and diplomatic reasons. After [[George W. Bush]] became [[U.S.]] president and [[September 11 attacks]] occured the minimal U.S. support declined precipitiously and in [[June]] [[2002]] Bush called for replacement of Arafat. The U.S., however, repeatedly warned Israel not to harm Arafat.
:Arab Times (Kuwait): 'Mr Arafat should quit his position because he is the head of a corrupt authority. There is no point for him to remain in politics... He has destroyed Palestine. He has led it to terrorism, death and a hopeless situation... All Arab leaders know this fact. It won't be possible for us to gain from the Middle East road map for peace if this man remains in power.'


=== Statements by world leaders ===
:BBC quoted a Jenin Martyrs' Brigade spokesman: 'With all due respect to President Arafat, the Palestinian Authority cannot continue being monopolised by [Arafat] and his relatives...we have our own ways to show our rejection.'
A number of world leaders made statements summarizing Arafat's life and legacy:


[[UN Secretary General]] [[Kofi Annan]] said: "For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people".
:Al-Quds Al-Araby (London): 'What is happening in Gaza is a healthy phenomenon because it is a revolution against corruption and the corrupt... This is a warning not only to Mr Arafat... but to all Arab regimes which subjugate their people by turning a deaf ear to their calls for comprehensive change.'


The [[U.S.]] President [[George W. Bush]] said: "My first reaction is: God bless his soul. My second reacton is that we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel."
Earlier, [[Muammar al-Qaddafi]] had deemed him a betrayer of the Palestinian cause and had given his support to Arafat's biggest Palestinian enemy, Sabri Al-Banna ([[Abu Nidal]]), whose Fatah-Revolutionary Council split from the PLO in 1974.
[http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041104/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_arafat&e=1&ncid=]


[[Russia]]n President [[Vladimir Putin]] said: [Arafat was] "A great political leader of international significance".
Arafat's support from Arab leaders tended to increase whenever he was pressured by [[Israel]]; for example, in [[2003]] when Israel declared it had taken the decision, in principle, to remove him from the Israeli-controlled [[West Bank]].


[[China|Chinese]] President [[Hu Jintao]] said: "An outstanding leader of the Palestinian cause and... an outstanding politician.".
==Financial dealings==
In [[August]] of [[2002]], the [[Israel]]i Military Intelligence Chief claimed that Arafat's personal wealth was USD $1.3 billion [http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=197188&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0], though he provided no substantiation for this claim.
The [[U.S.]] business magazine "Forbes" [http://www.forbes.com/global/2001/1001/015.html] ranked Arafat as sixth on its [[2003]] list "Kings, Queens and Despots" [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0317/134.html], estimating his personal wealth to "at least $300 million", without indicating its source for this claim.


[[Great Britain|British]] Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] said: "President Arafat came to symbolise the Palestinian national movement. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 jointly with Yitzhak Rabin in recognition of their efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. He led his people to a historic acceptance and the need for a two-state solution.
In [[2003]] a team of [[US|American]] accountants — hired by Arafat's own finance ministry — began examining Arafat's finances. The team determined that part of the Palestinian leader's wealth was in a secret portfolio worth close to $1 billion — with investments in companies like a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, a Tunisian cell phone company and venture capital funds in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands. The head of the investigation stated that "although the money for the portfolio came from public funds like Palestinian taxes, virtually none of it was used for the Palestinian people; it was all controlled by Arafat. And none of these dealings were made public". Arafat appeared to use his wealth to improve his standing and influence; his own lifestyle remained quite frugal.[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/07/60minutes/main582487.shtml]
That goal - of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel - is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve." [http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6562.asp]


[[France|French]] President [[Jacques Chirac]] said: "With him disappears a man of courage and conviction who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights."
In 2003 the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) conducted an audit of the Palestinian Authority and stated that Arafat diverted $900 million in public funds to a special bank account controlled by Arafat and the PA Chief Economic Financial Advisor. The IMF did not claim that there were any improprieties and it specifically stated that most of the funds have been used to invest in Palestinian assets, both internally and abroad. [http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1958.shtml]
[http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6786208&pageNumber=2]


=== Statements by Palestinian leaders ===
An investigation by the [[European Union]] into claims that EU funds were misused by the Palestinian Authority has found no evidence that funds were diverted to finance terrorist activities. However, the EU has insisted on "deepening reform in the PA and improving its financial management and audit capacities" as "the best preventive strategy against the misuse of funds and corruption in the PA", and has made further funding contingent on these reforms.
[http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/mepp/faq/index.htm#Allegations%20of%20misuse%20of%20EU%20funds]


Palestinian cabinet minister [[Saeb Erekat]] said: "Arafat's legacy will be the one, the leader, the president who united the Palestinian people, the leader who kept the Palestinian national identity from extinction, the man who initiated the peace of the brave, the man who united the Palestinian people and it's his legacy of peace. It's the determination today that we continue the path of freedom and independence and peace, the path of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital." [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4001697.stm]
Claims by unnamed sources in the PA Finance Ministry stated that Arafat's wife, Suha, receives a stipend of $100,000 each month from the PA budget. In an interview with the London-based newspaper Al Hayat, Mrs. Arafat accused [[Israel|Israeli]] Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] of spreading rumors about money-laundering to distract media attention away from corruption allegations against himself.
In October [[2003]], French government prosecutors opened a [[money-laundering]] probe of Suha Arafat after [[Tracfin]] alerted the prosecutors to transfers of nearly $1.27 million each with some regularity from [[Switzerland]] to Mrs. Arafat's accounts in [[Paris]].


[[Maher A-Taher]], spokeperson for the [[Popular Front for Palestine Liberation]] said: "The history will register his historic stance in Camp David when he rejected the huge Israeli and American pressures exercised on him and kept clinging to the goal of independent state, Jerusalem and the right to return. The march of president Arafat has some major achievements and some other failures."
==Bibliography==
*Aburish, Said K., ''Arafat: From Defender to Dictator'', Bloomsbury Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1582340005
*Bukay, David, ''Arafat, the Palestinians and Israel'', Sussex Academic Press, 2004. ISBN 1845190106
*Downing, David, ''Arafat (Leading Lives Series)'', Heinemann Library, 2002. ISBN 0431138656 children's book
*Ferber, Elizabeth, ''Yasir Arafat: A Life of War and Peace'', Millbrook Press, 1995. ISBN 1562945858
*Gowers, Andrew and Tony Walker, ''Arafat: The Biography'', Virgin Books, 2003. ISBN 1852279249
*Gowers, Andrew and Tony Walker, ''Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution'', W.H. Allen, 1990. ISBN 1852272856
*Hart, Alan, ''Arafat'', Sidgwick & Jackson, 1994. ISBN 0283062207
*Hart, Alan, ''Arafat: A Political Biography'', Indiana University, 1989. ISBN 0253205166
*Hart, Alan, ''Arafat: Terrorist or Peacemaker?'', Sidgwick & Jackson, 1984. ISBN 0283990082
*Headlam, George, ''Yasser Arafat'', Lerner Publications, 2003. ISBN 0822550040
*Karsh, Efraim Karsh, ''Arafat's War: The Man and His Battle for Israeli Conquest'', Grove Press, 2003. ISBN 0802117589
*Kiernan, Thomas, ''Arafat, the Man and the Myth'', Norton, 1976. ISBN 0393075036
*Mishal, Shaul, ''Palestine Liberation Organization Under Arafat: Between the Gun and the Olive Branch'', Yale University Press, 1986. ISBN 0300037090
*Rubin, Barry M. and Judith Colp Rubin, ''Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0195166892
*Rubinstein, Danny and Dan Leon ''The Mystery of Arafat'', Steerforth Press, 1995. ISBN 1883642108
*Swisher, Clayton E., ''The Truth about Camp David: The Untold Story about Arafat, Barak, Clinton, and the Collapse of the Middle East Peace Process'', Nation Books, 2004. ISBN 1560256230
*Wallach, Janet and John Wallach, ''Arafat: In the Eyes of the Beholder'', Carol Pub Group, 1990. ISBN 9993251305
*Williams, Colleen Madonna Flood, ''Yasir Arafat (Major World Leaders)'', Chelsea House Publications, 2002. ISBN 0791069419 children's book


[[Khaled Mesha'al]], [[Hamas]] leader said: "I do not hesitate accusing Israel of killing Yasser Arafat and I call on my brothers in Fatah and in the PNA not to keep silent in this regard. I call on my brothers at Fatah movement to reinforce the unity of the movement since it is the interest of Hamas and the entire Palestinian people that Fatah be united and strong. I call them also to avoid any dispute and in return we in Hamas and the entire Palestinian people will reinforce our national unity."
== See also ==

* [[Death of Yasser Arafat]]''
Arafat's personal adviser, Jebril Rjoub, said: "The term of President Arafat has ended, however, the commitments and loyalty to his march concerned with the establishment of the state and the reinforcement of our identity are now the responsibility of the entire Palestinian people."

=== Statements by Israeli leaders ===

Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] said: "The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East. Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay."

Israeli Labor Party leader [[Shimon Peres]] said: "There is no doubt that with the death of Yasser Arafat an era has ended... for good or bad. The biggest mistake of Arafat was when he turned to terror. His greatest achievements were when he tried to build peace."

Israeli right-wing groups were uniform in welcoming Arafat's death. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=Eitam&itemNo=500841]
Israeli Justice Minister [[Yossef Lapid]] said: "(It is) good that the world is rid of him... The sun is shining in the Middle East." [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4001697.stm]

==Quotes==
These are some of the notable statements Yasser Arafat made over the years:

[[1968]]: "Zionism is an embodiment of neo-Nazism ..., intellectual terrorism and racial exploitation."

[[November 13]], [[1974]]: "I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." - [http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cahier/proche-orient/arafat74-en Speech to the UN General Assembly].

[[November 13]], [[1974]]: "Those who call us terrorists wish to prevent world public opinion from discovering the truth about us and from seeing the justice on our faces. They seek to bide the terrorism and tyranny of their acts, and our own posture of self-defence."
[http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cahier/proche-orient/arafat74-en Speech to the UN General Assembly].

[[1988]]: "Neither (I) nor anyone for that matter can stop the Intifada (Palestinian uprising) ... The intifada will come to an end only when practical and tangible steps have been taken towards the achievement of our national aims."

[[January 15]], [[2002]]: "This child, who is grasping the stone, facing the tank, is it not the greatest message to the world when that hero becomes a martyr? We are proud of them" (Palestinian Authority Television)

[[January 21]], [[2002]]: "I swear to God, I will see [the Palestinian state], whether as a martyr or alive. Please, God, give me the honor of becoming a martyr in the fight for Jerusalem." [http://onejerusalem.org/itemDetail.asp?Language=English&ItemID=1110]

[[September 11]], [[2003]]: "This is my homeland; no one can kick me out." Yasser Arafat's reply to [[Ariel Sharon]]'s threat to expel him from the occupied territories. [http://www.dailyiowan.com/news/2003/09/12/Nation/Israel.Threatens.To.Depose.Arafat-463963.shtml]

==See Also==
*[[Death of Yasser Arafat]]
*[[Occupation of Palestine]]
*[[Palestinian Authority]]
*[[Palestine Liberation Organization]]
*[[Fatah]]


==External links==
==External links==
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=== Biographies and profiles ===
=== Biographies and profiles ===
*[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,781566-1,00.html A Life in Retrospect: Yasser Arafat] Time magazine retrospective
* [http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html The Nobel e-Museum - Biography of Yasser Arafat]
*[http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html The Nobel e-Museum - Biography of Yasser Arafat]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1333366,00.html Life and times of Yassir Arafat], Times Online, UK
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1333352,00.html Profile: Yassir Arafat] from Times Online, UK
*[http://www.honestreporting.com/relentless/new_version/content-pages/view-trailer.asp Trailer of a documentary with video clips of Arafat's speeches, mostly towards the end of the trailer]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3102112.stm Recent BBC profile of Arafat]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348450,00.html Obituary, The Guardian]
* [http://www.honestreporting.com/relentless/new_version/content-pages/view-trailer.asp Trailer of a documentary with clips of Arafat's speeches towards the end]
*[http://www.ict.org.il/articles/yasir_arafat.htm ICT - Yasir Arafat: Psychological Profile and Strategic Analysis]
* [http://www.ict.org.il/articles/yasir_arafat.htm Yasir Arafat: Psychological Profile and Strategic Analysis]
*[http://customwire.ap.org/specials/interactives/arafat_flash/arafat.swf Interactive biography of Arafat] from the Associated Press
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Middle_East/Palestinian_Territory/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Politicians/Yasser_Arafat/ Yasser Arafat] from the [[Open Directory Project]]
*[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/11/11/arafat_the_monster/ Arafat the monster] - Boston Globe Op-ed
* [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Regions/Middle_East/Countries_and_Regions/Palestinian_Authority/Community/Government/Arafat__Yasser/ Yasser Arafat] -- [[Yahoo!]]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1333366,00.html Life and times of Yassir Arafat], [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1333352,00.html Profile: Yassir Arafat] from Times Online, UK
* [http://www.israel.org The Israeli Reference Site on Arafat]
*[http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story179.php Think Again: Yasser Arafat] from [http://www.foreignpolicy.com Foreign Policy Magazine]
*[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5197317/site/newsweek/ ''Someone Was Going to Kill]'' [[Newsweek]] Interview of Mahmoud Abbas ([[June 21]] Issue)
*''[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5197317/site/newsweek/ Someone Was Going to Kill]'' [[Newsweek]] Interview of Mahmoud Abbas ([[June 21]] Issue)
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348450,00.html Obituary, The Guardian]
*[http://www.paulreveresociety.com/ArafatTrailOfBlood.html
Arafats Trail Of Blood] - Paul Revere Society
*[http://www.arutzsheva.com/article.php3?id=4421 "Quintessential Arafat"] (Includes statements by world leaders on Arafat's death)
*[http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/Yassir_Arafat_1929-2004.asp Yassir Arafat: 1929-2004]


=== Directories ===
*[http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us552286/us53358/us220517/us263943/us10006906/ LookSmart - ''Yasser Arafat''] directory category
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Middle_East/Palestinian_Territory/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Politicians/Yasser_Arafat/ Open Directory Project - ''Yasser Arafat''] directory category
* [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Regions/Middle_East/Countries_and_Regions/Palestinian_Authority/Community/Government/Arafat__Yasser/ Yahoo! - ''Yasser Arafat''] directory category
*[http://zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=10006906 Zeal - ''Yasser Arafat''] directory category
[[Category:1929 births|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:2004 deaths|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Nobel Peace Prize winners|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Nobel Peace Prize winners|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Palestinian people|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Occupation of Palestine|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:Palestinian people|Arafat, Yasser]]
[[Category:1929 births|Arafat, Yasser]]

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Revision as of 16:44, 7 December 2004

Yasser Arafat (Arabic: ياسر عرفات) (August, 1929 – November 11, 2004), also known as Abu Ammar, was the President of the Palestinian Authority (leader since 1993, elected in 1996); leader of Fatah and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) since 1969, and co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. Arafat expressed and symbolized the national aspirations of the Palestinian people for forty years.

Yasser Arafat in 1999

Biography

Early life

Arafat was born as "Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ar-Rauf al-Qudwah al-Husayni" or "Mohammed Abdel-Rawf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Hussaini" to a Palestinian family. His father was a textile merchant from a family that had some Egyptian ancestry. His mother was from a prominent Palestinian family in Jerusalem. According to Arafat and his death certificate, he was born in Jerusalem on August 4, 1929 [1]. Some contend that he was born in Cairo on August 24, 1929; according to one Arafat biography the differing birth certificate was filed by his father so Arafat could attend school in Cairo. [2].

Arafat’s childhood was divided between Cairo and Jerusalem. Arafat attended the University of King Faud I (later renamed Cairo University) and sought to understand Judaism and Zionism by engaging in discussions with Jews and reading publications by Theodor Herzl and other Zionists [3].

During the 1948 Israel-Arab war, Arafat left the university and, along with other Palestinians, sought to enter Palestine to fight for Palestinian independence. He was disarmed and turned back by the Egyptian army which did not allow poorly trained partisans to enter the war zone.

After returning to the university, Arafat joined the Muslim Brotherhood and served as president of the Union of Palestinian Students from 1952 to 1956. In 1956, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Arafat served as a second lieutenant in the Egyptian army during the Suez Crisis. [4]

After Suez, Arafat moved to Kuwait, where he worked as a civil engineer and later set up his own contracting firm.

Fatah and the PLO

In 1957 in Kuwait, Arafat with a group of refugees from Gaza helped found Fatah, an organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Fatah's first commando operation was an unsuccessful attempt to blow up an Israeli water pump station in 1964.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed in 1964 as a political organization unifying all resistance groups with the common goal of liberation of Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

After the Six-Day War, Israel started attacking Palestinian resistance organizations. In 1968, Israeli army attacked Fatah in the Jordanian village of Al-Karameh; 150 Palestinians and 29 Israeli soldiers were killed. Despite losses, Palestinians considered this battle a victory because the Israeli army ultimately withdrew. This was a turning point for the resistance movement because it showed that Israel is not invincible and that resistance can effect changes. Many Palestinians regarded Fatah and Arafat as heroes for daring to confront the much more powerful Israeli army, and many young Palestinians began joining the ranks of Fatah. Fatah soon became dominant faction within the PLO and in 1969 Arafat was named chairman of the PLO. Arafat became commander in chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces in 1971 and the head of the PLO's political department in 1973.

Jordan

In late 1960s, tensions rose between Palestinian resistance groups and the Jordanian government. Palestinian groups had managed to control several strategic positions in Jordan, including the oil refinery near Az Zarq. Jordan considered this a growing threat to its sovereignty and security and attempted to disarm the Palestinian militias. Open fighting between Jordan and Palestinian resistance groups erupted in June of 1970.

Arab governments attempted to negotiate a peaceful solution, but the Jordan government responded to continued militant activites with escalation in repressive measures; on September 16 Jordanian King Hussein declared martial law. On that same day Arafat became supreme commander of the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA), the regular military force of the PLO. In the ensuing civil war the PLO had the active support of Syria, which sent around 200 tanks into Jordan to aid the PLO. The U.S and Israel also got involved: U.S. Navy dispatched its Sixth Fleet to the eastern Mediterranean, and Israel deployed its troops to aid King Hussein if necessary. By September 24 the Jordanian army achieved dominance, and the PLA agreed to a series of ceasefires [5]. See also History of Jordan and Black September.

Lebanon

From Jordan, Arafat and the PLO relocated to Lebanon. Because of Lebanon's weak central government, the PLO was able to operate independently of Lebanese authorities. During the Israeli attacks on Lebanon the PLO began launching artillery strikes and guerilla attacks on Israel from Lebanon.

In September of 1972 the Palestinian group Black September kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games demanding release of 232 Palestinians from Israeli jails. Israel refused the demand and hostages were killed during the police assault on kidnappers. Arafat publicly disassociated himself from such attacks and in 1974 he ordered the PLO to stop acts of violence outside Israel and Israel occupied territories.

Arafat addressed a plenary session of the UN General Assembly in 1974, proposing a peaceful solution. He condemned the Zionist project, but said: "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." Arafat's speech was well received and it increased the international support for the Palestinian cause. Even the U.S., which regularly sided with Israel, acknowledged that "the legitimate interests of the Palestinian Arabs must be taken into account in the negotiating of an Arab-Israeli peace".

In 1974, Arab states declared the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinians. The PLO was admitted to full membership in the Arab League in 1976.

In the late 1970s several new Palestinian resistance organizations appeared and carried out attacks on Israel and the increasing number of Israeli occupation colonies (for which Israel uses the term "settlements") built among Palestinian-populated areas. Israel claimed that Arafat was in ultimate control over these organizations, but Arafat denied responsibility for acts of other groups.

The Israeli government, now led by the right-wing leader Menachem Begin, intensified building of colonies in the West Bank and Gaza hoping to create "facts on the ground" which would prevent any future compromise over the areas occupied in 1967. Ariel Sharon, the current Prime Minister, led this movement as "chairman of the ministerial committee for settlements" until 1981.

In the 1970s Israel armed and equipped the Lebanese Christians to counter the PLO's influence in Lebanon. Israel conducted two major invasions of Lebanon. In the First invasion of Lebanon in 1978, the Israeli military and South Lebanon Army (SLA) killed several thousand Lebanese and Palestinians and occupied a narrow strip of land. In the Second invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israel expanded its occupation to most of South Lebanon, but was eventually forced to retreat back to the previously occupied area. During this invasion Israeli army killed about 18,000 Lebanese and Palestinians and helped the Christian Phalangist militia massacre in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps about 2,750 Palestinian civilians. Ariel Sharon, Israeli Minister of Defense at the time, was found by the Israeli Kahan Commission "personally responsible" for the massacre and was dismissed from his post; he is now Prime Minister of Israel.

Tunisia

In September 1982, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the U.S. had brokered a cease-fire deal in which Arafat and the PLO were allowed to leave Lebanon. Arafat and his leadership moved to Tunisia, which remained his center of operations up until 1993.

First uprising and peace talks

The First Palestinian uprising was started spontaneously by the Palestinian population in December of 1987. It included acts of mass civil disobedience, work strikes, boycotts of Israeli products, and stone-throwing demonstrations against the heavily-armed occupation troops. This spontaneous uprising, backed by the entire Palestinian population living under Israeli occupation, caught both Israel and the PLO by surprise and received international attention.

The Israeli army responded with heavy force and killed more than 1,000 Palestinian civilians. Despite its military might, Israel was unable to quell the uprising and clashes lasted until 1993.

Because this uprising shifted focus from the Palestinian diaspora and the international scene, dominated by Arafat and the PLO, to the occupied territories it challenged Arafat's role as the leader of all Palestinian resistance.

In November 1988, the Palestinian National Council voted to accept a "two-state" solution based on the 1947 U.N. Partition resolution, and negotiate a settlement based on the UN Security Council Resolution 242, which called for Israel to withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 war, and Resolution 338. On December 13, 1988, Arafat declared acceptance of Resolution 242, promised future recognition of Israel and renounced "terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism" [6].

The Arafat's recognition of Israel was dictated by the U.S. administration, which had insisted on the recognition as a necessary starting point for peace negotiations. The U.S. then began talks with the PLO. But Israel refused to negotiate with the PLO, proclaiming it a "terrorist organization". Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir conditioned negotiations on elections in the occupied territories.

On April 2, 1989, Arafat was elected president of the proclaimed State of Palestine by the governing body of the PLO. During the 1991 Madrid Conference Israel began direct negotiations with the PLO for the first time.

In 1991 Arafat opposed the U.S.-led attack on Iraq (1991 Gulf War), alienating the U.S. and some Gulf states, such as Kuwait.

The Palestinian Authority

Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, and Arafat during the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993

The election of the left-wing Labour government in Israel and the continued U.S. pressure lead to the 1993 Oslo Accords. The main points of this agreement were mutual recognition of Israel and the PLO, Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip and implementation of Palestinian self rule. For this peace initiative Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, along with Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

Israel's religious right was unhappy with what they called the "surrender of Jewish land" and a Jewish religious extremist assassinated Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. This event eroded the momentum towards peace.

On January 20, 1996, Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), receiving an overwhelming 87% majority of vote in an election with two candidates. Independent international observers reported the elections to have been free and fair. Further elections were announced for January 2002, but were later postponed, reportedly because of inability to campaign due to Israeli military attacks and restrictions on freedom of movement in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.

Peace initiatives and Second uprising

In 1996 fighting intensified with a series of suicide bombings in Israel by Hamas, and a three-week bombardment of Lebanon by Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who campaigned against the Oslo Accords, was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1996. Netanyahu lifted a freeze on building in the occupied territories and actively obstructed the transition to Palestinian statehood. The Palestinian-Israeli relations grew even more hostile and attacks and counter-attacks continued.

The U.S. President Bill Clinton intervened and in 1998 arranged a meeting with the two leaders. The resulting Wye River Memorandum of October 23, 1998 specified steps to be taken by the Israeli government and the Palestinian Auhtority (PA) to implement the Oslo accords. However, Israel made no visible attempts to live up to either the Oslo or the Wye River agreements; to the contrary, Israel steadily expanded its occupation, doubled the population in colonies and kept obstructing the transition to Palestinian self-rule.

Arafat continued negotiations with the next Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Clinton pressed both parties for a compromise and arranged the Camp David negotiations. In his final offer, Barak offered a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, a return of an unspecified "limited" number of refugees and some unspecified compensation for the rest. However, the proposed Palestinian areas did not include all occupied territories and were not contiguous but fragmented and surrounded by Israeli colonies, and criss-crossed by numerous checkpoints and Jewish-only roads. The resolution of the important issue of refugees was unclear and various other issues, such as water rights were unresolved. Despites Clinton's pressure, Arafat rejected the offer. Several months later, in the new round of talks at Taba, Egypt, Barak made a more favorable offer which was received positively by Palestinians. However, Barak in the meantime lost his re-election bid and the incoming Prime Minister Ariel Sharon blocked further negotiations.

On September 28, 2000, Ariel Sharon made a controversial visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound considered sacred by both Muslims and Jews. [7] Palestinians considered this visit provocative; Arafat described it as a "dangerous step", but Sharon insisted that he had come with a "message of peace". Soon after Sharon left, Palestinian demonstrations turned into violence. This event marked the beginning of the Second Palestinian uprising, which has claimed thousands of victims and continues to this day.

In March 2002, the Arab League made an offer to recognize Israel in exchange for Israeli retreat from all territories captured in the Six-Day War and statehood for Palestine. Many saw this offer, which included recognition of Israel by the Arab states, as a historic opportunity for comprehensive peace in the region. However, the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon ignored this offer and made visible efforts to neutralize and sidetrack this proposal, with some Israeli officials claiming that it would constitute a blow to Israel's security while not guaranteeing the cessation of suicide bombing attacks.

Israel's refusal of the Arab offer was followed by a Palestinian attack on Israel that led to more than 135 Israelis dead. Ariel Sharon subsequently stated that Arafat "assisted the terrorists and made himself an enemy of Israel and irrelevant to any peace negotiations". This was followed by the major Israeli invasion of the West Bank, during which Israel killed hundreds of Palestinians and razed entire city blocks in Jenin (see "Operation Defensive Shield".)

Financial dealings

As the leader of Palestinian resistance Arafat was the subject of Israeli campaigns to discredit him. The U.S. business magazine "Forbes", which frequently publishes pro-Israel opinions, placed Arafat as sixth on its 2003 list "Kings, Queens and Despots" [8], estimating his personal wealth to "at least $300 million", but did not indicate its source for this claim. There were also claims of corruption of Arafat and the PA by others, including Arab media.

However, as Arafat lived frugally and had no known major possessions, these claims appear to be based solely on Arafat's control over Palestinian public funds. [9] For example, Israel regularly deposited Palestinian tax monies into Arafat's personal account, these funds were then disbursed for Palestinian needs or invested. In 2003 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conducted an audit of the PA finances and stated that Arafat diverted $900 million in public funds to a bank account controlled by himself and the PA Chief Economic Financial Advisor. The IMF did not claim any improprieties and it stated that most of the funds were invested in Palestinian assets, both internally and abroad. [10] An audit of PA finances by European Union also found no improprieties. [11]

Last three years

Attempts by Israel to find another Palestinian leader more suitable to Israel failed because Arafat enjoyed the support of the majority of Palestinians, including groups that disagreed with him on politics and tactics of resistance. So, Israel set out to isolate him, quite literally, by surrounding Arafat's headquarters and effectively imprisoning him there in December of 2001.

Israel held Arafat in virtual arrest in his Ramallah headquarters for his last three years of life, by announcing that if he left the compound he would be barred from returning. Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hinted on several occassions that Arafat could be assassinated by Israel. In 2003 Israel offically declared a decision to "in principle, remove Arafat"; because of Israel's refusal to state what "remove" meant this was taken by some as a veiled assassination threat.

On October 25, 2004, Arafat became ill. His condition gradually worsened and on October 29, with agreement by Israel not to block his return, Arafat was taken to the military hospital Percy de Clamart near Paris, France.

On November 3 Arafat lapsed into a gradually deepening coma and, after suffering progressive organ failure, he was placed on life-support. He died at the hospital on November 11, 2004, at 2:30am UTC. The cause of his illness and death has not been made public. Arafat was 75 years old.

Israel refused Arafat's wish to be buried in or near East Jerusalem. Following a state funeral in Cairo, attended by many Arab leaders, Arafat was laid to rest on November 12 within his former headquarters in Ramallah in the West Bank.

On November 11, Arafat's official functions were transferred. Pending elections, Speaker Rawhi Fattuh succeeded Arafat as President of the Palestinian Authority. Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas became leader of the PLO and Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi became head of Fatah. Ahmed Qurei remained as Prime Minister and took additional security responsibilities.

Opinions about Arafat

Arafat enjoyed generally strong support throughout the world, and especially among Arab and Third world nations, as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation. Arafat was by far the most popular Arab leader among the general populace of Arab nations.

The U.S government, which regularly aligns itself with Israel, hesitantly supported Arafat largely for strategic and diplomatic reasons. After George W. Bush became U.S. president and September 11 attacks occured the minimal U.S. support declined precipitiously and in June 2002 Bush called for replacement of Arafat. The U.S., however, repeatedly warned Israel not to harm Arafat.

Statements by world leaders

A number of world leaders made statements summarizing Arafat's life and legacy:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: "For nearly four decades, he expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people".

The U.S. President George W. Bush said: "My first reaction is: God bless his soul. My second reacton is that we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel." [12]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said: [Arafat was] "A great political leader of international significance".

Chinese President Hu Jintao said: "An outstanding leader of the Palestinian cause and... an outstanding politician.".

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "President Arafat came to symbolise the Palestinian national movement. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 jointly with Yitzhak Rabin in recognition of their efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. He led his people to a historic acceptance and the need for a two-state solution. That goal - of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel - is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve." [13]

French President Jacques Chirac said: "With him disappears a man of courage and conviction who for 40 years incarnated the Palestinians' fight for recognition of their national rights." [14]

Statements by Palestinian leaders

Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said: "Arafat's legacy will be the one, the leader, the president who united the Palestinian people, the leader who kept the Palestinian national identity from extinction, the man who initiated the peace of the brave, the man who united the Palestinian people and it's his legacy of peace. It's the determination today that we continue the path of freedom and independence and peace, the path of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital." [15]

Maher A-Taher, spokeperson for the Popular Front for Palestine Liberation said: "The history will register his historic stance in Camp David when he rejected the huge Israeli and American pressures exercised on him and kept clinging to the goal of independent state, Jerusalem and the right to return. The march of president Arafat has some major achievements and some other failures."

Khaled Mesha'al, Hamas leader said: "I do not hesitate accusing Israel of killing Yasser Arafat and I call on my brothers in Fatah and in the PNA not to keep silent in this regard. I call on my brothers at Fatah movement to reinforce the unity of the movement since it is the interest of Hamas and the entire Palestinian people that Fatah be united and strong. I call them also to avoid any dispute and in return we in Hamas and the entire Palestinian people will reinforce our national unity."

Arafat's personal adviser, Jebril Rjoub, said: "The term of President Arafat has ended, however, the commitments and loyalty to his march concerned with the establishment of the state and the reinforcement of our identity are now the responsibility of the entire Palestinian people."

Statements by Israeli leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East. Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay."

Israeli Labor Party leader Shimon Peres said: "There is no doubt that with the death of Yasser Arafat an era has ended... for good or bad. The biggest mistake of Arafat was when he turned to terror. His greatest achievements were when he tried to build peace."

Israeli right-wing groups were uniform in welcoming Arafat's death. [16] Israeli Justice Minister Yossef Lapid said: "(It is) good that the world is rid of him... The sun is shining in the Middle East." [17]

Quotes

These are some of the notable statements Yasser Arafat made over the years:

1968: "Zionism is an embodiment of neo-Nazism ..., intellectual terrorism and racial exploitation."

November 13, 1974: "I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand." - Speech to the UN General Assembly.

November 13, 1974: "Those who call us terrorists wish to prevent world public opinion from discovering the truth about us and from seeing the justice on our faces. They seek to bide the terrorism and tyranny of their acts, and our own posture of self-defence." Speech to the UN General Assembly.

1988: "Neither (I) nor anyone for that matter can stop the Intifada (Palestinian uprising) ... The intifada will come to an end only when practical and tangible steps have been taken towards the achievement of our national aims."

January 15, 2002: "This child, who is grasping the stone, facing the tank, is it not the greatest message to the world when that hero becomes a martyr? We are proud of them" (Palestinian Authority Television)

January 21, 2002: "I swear to God, I will see [the Palestinian state], whether as a martyr or alive. Please, God, give me the honor of becoming a martyr in the fight for Jerusalem." [18]

September 11, 2003: "This is my homeland; no one can kick me out." Yasser Arafat's reply to Ariel Sharon's threat to expel him from the occupied territories. [19]

See Also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Yasser Arafat.

Biographies and profiles

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