Arafat, Yasir, << AHR uh `fat,` YAHS uhr >> (1929-2004), was head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 1996 to 2004. His first name was also spelled Yasser. The PLO is a political body that represents the Palestinian people. Its goal is to establish an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories fully or partly occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank make up the historic region of Palestine in southwest Asia. The PA was created in 1994 to govern Palestinian-controlled parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Arafat probably was born on Aug. 24, 1929, in Cairo, Egypt, to Palestinian parents. He claimed that he was born in Jerusalem. His full name was Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini. He acquired the nickname Yasir, which means easygoing, as a teen-ager. In 1956, he earned a degree in civil engineering at King Fuad I University (later Cairo University). In the 1950’s, Arafat helped organize Fatah, a guerrilla group that opposed Israeli control of territory in Palestine. In 1964, Arab leaders established the PLO to represent the Palestinians. In 1967, Israel defeated Arab countries in a war and began occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip. After the war, Palestinian guerrilla groups gained control of the PLO. The largest was Fatah, led by Arafat. In 1969, Arafat was elected chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, the highest PLO post. Fatah and other PLO groups repeatedly raided and attacked Israeli targets and, in turn, Israel attacked PLO and guerrilla bases.
In 1974, Arafat became the first person to address the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as a leader of a liberation movement rather than a UN member state. That year, the UN recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinians.
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, where the PLO was based. Arafat and his supporters were forced to leave their bases in Lebanon. They then moved to Tunisia.
In 1993, the PLO and Israel agreed to the creation of a Palestinian Authority to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the 1990’s, Israeli-PLO agreements led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of the Gaza Strip and many cities and towns of the West Bank. As the Israelis withdrew, the PA took control of these areas. In 1994, Arafat moved to the Gaza Strip, marking the end of a 27-year exile from Palestine. That year, Arafat and the Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their peace efforts. In 1996, Arafat was elected president of the PA.
In 2000, peace talks between Israel and the PLO broke down, and a period of violence began between Israelis and Palestinians. Arafat’s position was weakened. In 2003, he agreed to appoint a prime minister to assume some of his PA executive duties. In late 2004, Arafat became seriously ill. He died on Nov. 11, 2004.
See also Fatah; Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
