Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat (full name Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, 1929–2004) was a Palestinian political leader, revolutionary, and statesman who became the most prominent figure in the Palestinian national movement during the second half of the 20th century. As the founder of Fatah and the long-time Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Arafat symbolised the Palestinian struggle for statehood and self-determination.

Early Life and Education

Yasser Arafat was born on 24 August 1929, most likely in Cairo, Egypt, though some sources claim Jerusalem as his birthplace. He came from a middle-class Palestinian family with ties to Gaza and Jerusalem. His father, Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini, was a textile merchant, and his mother died when Arafat was a young boy.
He was educated at Cairo University, where he studied civil engineering and became politically active, participating in Arab nationalist and anti-Zionist movements. During this period, he became deeply influenced by the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the subsequent displacement of Palestinians (the Nakba), which shaped his lifelong commitment to the Palestinian cause.
After graduating in 1956, Arafat briefly worked as an engineer in Kuwait, where he co-founded Fatah (Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini, or the Palestinian National Liberation Movement) with a group of Palestinian exiles.

Formation of Fatah

Founded in 1959, Fatah was a nationalist and secular movement advocating for the liberation of Palestine through armed struggle. Unlike earlier Arab-dominated initiatives, Fatah emphasised Palestinian self-reliance, marking a shift from dependence on Arab states to independent Palestinian action.
In the 1960s, Arafat and his associates organised guerrilla raids into Israeli territory from neighbouring countries, especially Jordan and Lebanon. Fatah’s activities soon brought it to the forefront of the Palestinian resistance movement.

Rise to Leadership of the PLO

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was established in 1964 by the Arab League to represent Palestinian interests. Initially under Arab government control, it became dominated by Fatah after the Arab defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War, which discredited many Arab regimes.
In 1969, Yasser Arafat became Chairman of the PLO, consolidating his leadership over various Palestinian factions. Under his command, the PLO transformed from a symbolic political entity into an independent liberation movement with diplomatic recognition and military capacity.

Armed Struggle and International Recognition

During the 1970s, the PLO carried out guerrilla operations against Israel from bases in Jordan and later Lebanon. These included cross-border attacks and hijackings carried out by militant factions associated with the organisation.
However, the PLO’s presence in Jordan led to tensions with King Hussein’s government, culminating in the Black September conflict (1970–1971), when Jordan expelled Palestinian fighters. The organisation subsequently relocated to Beirut, Lebanon.
The PLO’s activities brought both notoriety and international attention. While Israel and the West viewed it as a terrorist organisation, many developing nations and the Non-Aligned Movement recognised it as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
In 1974, the Arab League formally declared the PLO as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” The same year, Arafat addressed the United Nations General Assembly, marking a diplomatic milestone. In his speech, he famously declared:

“I come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”

Lebanon and Israeli Invasions

From its base in Lebanon, the PLO engaged in armed conflict with Israel and Lebanese militias throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. This period was marked by escalating violence, including the 1972 Munich Olympics attack, carried out by the Black September faction, which deeply damaged the PLO’s international image.
In 1982, Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Lebanon to expel the PLO following years of cross-border attacks. After intense fighting and the siege of Beirut, Arafat and thousands of PLO fighters were evacuated to Tunis, Tunisia, under international supervision.

Shift Toward Diplomacy

The First Intifada (1987–1993) — a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza — prompted a significant shift in Arafat’s strategy. The uprising demonstrated that the Palestinian struggle had deep roots within the occupied territories, not just among exiles.
In response, Arafat and the PLO sought to pursue diplomatic recognition. In 1988, the Palestinian National Council (PNC) declared the establishment of the State of Palestine, recognising United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338 and implicitly acknowledging Israel’s right to exist.
This pragmatic approach led to dialogue with the United States and paved the way for formal peace negotiations.

The Oslo Accords and Peace Process

The most significant turning point in Arafat’s career came with the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements negotiated secretly in Norway and signed in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993.
The accords established:

• Mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO.
• The creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to exercise limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza.
• A framework for future negotiations on Jerusalem, refugees, borders, and settlements.

Arafat returned to the Palestinian territories in 1994 after decades in exile and assumed leadership of the Palestinian Authority, becoming its first President. Alongside Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in the peace process.

Challenges and Controversies

Despite initial optimism, the Oslo process faltered. Settlement expansion, mutual distrust, and violent attacks by extremists on both sides undermined progress. Arafat faced growing opposition from:

• Israeli hardliners, who viewed him as insincere and responsible for violence.
• Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who accused him of compromising national principles.
• Corruption allegations within the Palestinian Authority, eroding his domestic legitimacy.

The peace process collapsed after the failure of the Camp David Summit (2000) and the eruption of the Second Intifada (2000–2005), a violent uprising that led to heavy casualties among Palestinians and Israelis alike.
Israel accused Arafat of orchestrating or condoning the violence, while he remained besieged in his Ramallah headquarters by Israeli forces from 2002 onwards.

Death and Legacy

Yasser Arafat died on 11 November 2004 at a military hospital near Paris, France, after a brief illness. The cause of his death remains controversial, with theories ranging from natural causes to poisoning. He was buried in Ramallah, where his tomb remains a site of national reverence.

Political and Historical Legacy

Yasser Arafat remains one of the most controversial and influential figures of the 20th century. To Palestinians, he is revered as the father of their national movement, who gave voice to a displaced people and placed their cause on the global stage. To his critics, both Israeli and international, he was seen as an inconsistent leader — a revolutionary who struggled to transition into a statesman.
His enduring legacy includes:

• Unifying the Palestinian identity and establishing the PLO as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
• Transforming the Palestinian struggle from a regional issue into a global diplomatic cause.
• Laying the groundwork for limited self-governance through the Palestinian Authority.
• Symbolising Palestinian resilience and nationalism, despite the absence of a final peace settlement.