Yasser Arafat: Difference between revisions
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A PIECE OF WORTHLESS SHIT THAT GOT AIDS FROM HAVING SEX WITH LITTLE 10 YEAR OLD PALESTINIAN BOYS, AS WELL AS DISEASED MONKEYS! |
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{{for3|Yasir Arafat|cricketer}} |
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{{Infobox President |
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| name = {{rtl-lang|ar|ياسر عرفات}}<br />Yasser Arafat<br /><span style = "font-size:60%">({{transl|ar|Yāsir `Arafāt}})</span><br /><span style = "font-size:70%"> [[Kunya (Arabic)|Kunya]]: {{transl|ar|Abu `Ammar}} ({{rtl-lang|ar| }}; {{transl|ar|'Abū `Ammār}})</span> |
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| image = Yasser-arafat-1999.jpg |
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| imagesize = 200px |
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| caption = Portrait of Arafat |
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| nationality = [[Palestinian]] |
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| order = 1st [[President of the Palestinian National Authority]] |
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| term_start = January 20, 1996 |
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| term_end = November 11, 2004 |
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| primeminister=[[Mahmoud Abbas]]<br>[[Ahmed Qurei]] |
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| successor = [[Rawhi Fattuh]] (interim) <br /> [[Mahmoud Abbas]] |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|08|24}} |
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| birth_place = [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]<ref name = Birth>Not certain; Disputed; Most sources including [[Tony Walker]], [[Andrew Gowers]], [[Alan Hart (writer)|Alan Hart]] and [[Said K. Aburish]] indicate Cairo as Arafat's place of birth, but others list his birthplace as Jerusalem as well as Gaza. See [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html here] and [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/890161.stm here] for more information. Some believe also that the Jerusalem birthplace might have been a little known rumor created by the KGB [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/arafat.html].</ref> |
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| dead = dead |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|11|11|1929|8|24|mf=y}} |
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| death_place = [[Paris]], [[France]] |
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| spouse = [[Suha Arafat]] |
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| children = Zahwa Arafat |
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| party = [[Fatah]] |
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| religion = [[Islam]]<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/403/000022337/ Yasser Arafat - NNDB]</ref> |
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}} |
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'''Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini''' ({{lang-ar|<big>محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني</big>}}) (August 24, 1929–November 11, 2004), popularly known as '''Yasser Arafat''' ({{lang|ar|<big>ياسر عرفات</big>}}) or by his [[Kunya (Arabic)|kunya]] '''Abu Ammar''' ({{lang|ar|<big>أبو عمار</big>}}), was a [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] leader. He was [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|Chairman]] of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], [[President of the Palestinian Authority|President]] of the [[Palestinian National Authority]],<ref>Some sources use the term ''Chairman'' rather than ''President''; the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word for both titles is the same. See [[President of the Palestinian National Authority]] for further information.</ref> and leader of the secular [[Fatah]] political party, which he founded in 1959.<ref name="FatahF">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.33–67 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }} Aburish says the date of Fatah's founding is unclear but claims in 1959 it was exposed by its magazine.</br> Zeev Schiff, Raphael Rothstein (1972). ''Fedayeen; Guerillas Against Israel''. McKay, p.58; Schiff and Rothstein claim Fatah was founded in 1959.</br> [[Salah Khalaf]] and [[Khalil al-Wazir]] state Fatah’s first formal meeting was in October 1959. See Anat N.Kurz (2005) ''Fatah and the Politics of Violence: The Institutionalization of a Popular Struggle''. Brighton, Portland: Sussex Academic Press (Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies), pp.29-30</ref> Arafat spent much of his life fighting against [[Israel]] in the name of Palestinian [[self-determination]]. Originally opposed to Israel's existence, he modified his position in 1988 when he accepted [[UN Security Council Resolution 242]]. |
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Arafat and his movement operated from several Arab countries. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fatah faced off with [[Jordan]] in a brief civil war. Forced out of Jordan and into [[Lebanon]], Arafat and Fatah were major targets of Israel's 1978 and 1982 invasions of that country. While the majority of the Palestinian people, regardless of [[Ideologies of parties|political ideology]] or faction, viewed him as a [[freedom fighter]] and [[martyr]] who symbolized their national aspirations, some Israelis described him as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] for the attacks his faction led against civilians.<ref name="Washington">{{cite news |title=A Dreamer Who Forced His Cause Onto World Stage |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41509-2004Nov10.html |first=Lee |last=Hockstader |work=Washington Post Foreign Service |publisher=The Washington Post Company |date=[[2004-11-11]] |accessdate=2007-10-31 }}</ref> |
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Later in his career, Arafat engaged in a series of negotiations with the government of Israel to end the decades-long conflict between that country and the PLO. These included the [[Madrid Conference of 1991]], the 1993 [[Oslo Accords]] and the [[2000 Camp David Summit]]. His political rivals, including [[Islamism|Islamists]] and several PLO [[Rejectionist Front|leftists]], often denounced him for being [[political corruption|corrupt]] or too submissive in his concessions to the Israeli government. In 1994, Arafat received the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], together with [[Yitzhak Rabin]] and [[Shimon Peres]], for the negotiations at Oslo. During this time, [[Hamas]] and other militant organizations rose to power and shook the foundations of the authority Fatah under Arafat had established in the [[Palestinian territories]]. |
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In late 2004, after effectively being confined within [[Mukataa#Arafat's compound|his Ramallah compound]] for over two years by the Israeli army, Arafat became ill and fell into a coma. While the precise cause of death remains unknown, doctors spoke of [[idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura]] and [[cirrhosis]], but no autopsy was performed. Arafat died on November 11, 2004 at the age of 75. |
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== Early life == |
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=== Birth and childhood === |
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[[Image:Arafat-young.jpg|thumb|left|A portrait of young Arafat, 1940s]] Yasser Arafat was born in [[Cairo]] to [[Palestinian]] parents.<ref name="Birth"/> His father, Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini, was a [[Gaza]]n; whose mother, Yasser's paternal grandmother, was [[Egypt]]ian. Arafat's father worked as a textile merchant in Cairo's religiously mixed [[El-Sakakini|Sakakini District]]. Arafat was the second-youngest of seven children and was, along with his younger brother [[Fathi Arafat|Fathi]], the only offspring born in Cairo. His mother, Zahwa Abul Saud, was from a [[Jerusalem]] family. She died from a kidney ailment in 1933, when Arafat was four years of age.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.7–32 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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Arafat's first visit to Jerusalem came when his father, unable to raise seven children alone, sent him and his brother Fathi to their mother's family in the [[Moroccan Quarter]] of the [[Old City of Jerusalem|Old City]]. They lived there with their uncle Salim Abul Saud for four years. In 1937, their father recalled them to be taken care of by their older sister, Inam. Arafat had a deteriorating relationship with his father; when he died in 1952, Arafat did not attend the funeral, nor did he visit his father's grave upon his return to Gaza.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian"/> |
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=== Education and 1948 Arab–Israeli War === |
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[[Image:Arafat studies in engineering.jpg|thumb|right|Arafat (second from right) with other civil engineering students in [[Cairo University]], September 1951]] |
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In 1944, Arafat enrolled in the [[Cairo University|University of King Fuad I]] and graduated in 1950.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian"/> He later claimed to have sought a better understanding of [[Judaism]] and [[Zionism]] by engaging in discussions with [[Jew]]s and reading publications by [[Theodor Herzl]] and other prominent Zionists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yasser Arafat: Homeland a dream for Palestinian Authority Chief |url=http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/school.tools/profiles/Yasser.Arafat/student.storypage.html |work=[[CNN News]] |publisher=Cable News Network |accessdate=2007-09-15 }}</ref> At the same time, he became an [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] and began procuring weapons to be smuggled into the former [[British Mandate of Palestine]], for use by [[Irregular military|irregulars]] in the [[Arab Higher Committee]] and the [[Army of the Holy War]] militias.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rubenstein |first=Dany |authorlink=Danny Rubenstein |title=The Mystery of Arafat |year=1995 |publisher=Steerforth Press |pages=pp.38 |location=New York |isbn=1883642108 }}</ref> During the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War|1948 Arab–Israeli War]], Arafat left the University and, along with other Arabs, sought to enter [[Palestine]] to join Arab forces fighting against [[Haganah|Israeli troops]]. However, instead of joining the ranks of the [[Palestinian fedayeen]], Arafat fought alongside the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], although he did not join the organization. He took part in combat in the Gaza area (which was the main battleground of [[Military of Egypt|Egyptian forces]] during the conflict). In early 1949, the war was winding down in Israel's favor, and Arafat returned to Cairo from a lack of logistical support.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian"/> |
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After returning to the University, Arafat studied [[civil engineering]] and served as president of the [[General Union of Palestinian Students]] (GUPS) from 1952 to 1956. During his first year as president of the union, the University was renamed Cairo University after a [[coup d'etat|coup]] was carried out by the [[Free Officers Movement]] overthrowing [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk I]]. By that time, Arafat had graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and was called to duty to fight with Egyptian forces during the [[Suez Crisis]]; however, he never actually fought on the battlefield.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian"/> Later that year, at a conference in [[Prague]], he donned a solid white [[keffiyeh]]–different from the checkered one he adopted later in [[Kuwait]], which was to become his emblem.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.46 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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===Name=== |
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Arafat's original full name was Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini. Mohammed Abdel Rahman was his first name; Abdel Raouf was his father's name and Arafat his grandfather's. [[Qudwa|Al-Qudwa]] was the name of his tribe and al-Husseini was that of the clan to which the al-Qudwas belonged. It should be noted that Arafat's clan, al-Husseini was based in Gaza and should not be confused with the well-known, but unrelated, [[al-Husayni]] clan of Jerusalem. |
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Since Arafat was raised in Cairo, the tradition of dropping the Mohammed or Ahmad portion of one's first name was common; notable Egyptians such as [[Anwar Sadat]] and [[Hosni Mubarak]] did so. However, Arafat dropped also the Abdel Rahman and Abdel Raouf parts of his name as well. During the early 1950s, Arafat adopted the name Yasser, and in the early years of Arafat's guerrilla career, he assumed the ''nom de guerre'' of Abu Ammar. Both names are related to [[Ammar ibn Yasir]], one of [[Muhammad]]'s early [[Sahaba|companion]]s. Although he dropped most of his inherited names, he retained Arafat due to its [[Mount Arafat|significance in Islam]].<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian"/> |
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== Rise of Fatah == |
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=== Founding of Fatah === |
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Following the [[Suez Crisis]] in 1956, Egyptian president [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], a leader of the Free Officers Movement, agreed to allow the [[United Nations Emergency Force]] to establish itself in the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and [[Gaza Strip]], causing the expulsion of all [[guerrilla]] or "[[Palestinian Fedayeen|fedayeen]]" forces there–including Arafat. Arafat originally struggled to obtain a visa to [[Canada]] and later [[Saudi Arabia]], but was unsuccessful in both attempts.<ref name="The Making of a Palestinian">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.31–32 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hart |first=Alan |authorlink=Alan Hart |title=Arafat |year=1994 |publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson |pages=pp.99 |isbn=978-0-283-06220-9 }}</ref> In 1957, he applied for a visa to [[Kuwait]] (at the time a [[United Kingdom|British]] protectorate) and was approved, based on his work in civil engineering. There he encountered two Palestinian friends: [[Salah Khalaf]] (''Abu Iyad'') and [[Khalil al-Wazir]] (''Abu Jihad''), both official members of the [[Muslim Brotherhood#Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt|Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood]]. Arafat had met Abu Iyad while attending Cairo University and Abu Jihad in Gaza. Both became Arafat's right-hand men in future politics. Abu Iyad traveled with Arafat to Kuwait in late in 1960; Abu Jihad, working as also a teacher, had been living there since 1959.<ref>{{cite web |first=Phillip |last=Mattar |title=Biography of Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) |url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/al-Ramla/al-Ramla/Story175.html |work=Encyclopedia of the Palestinians |publisher=Facts on File; 1st edition |date=[[2000-11-12]] |accessdate=2007-07-17 }}</ref> After settling in Kuwait, Abu Iyad helped Arafat obtain a temporary job as a schoolteacher.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.33–67 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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[[Image:Flag of Palestine.svg|thumb|right|The [[Palestinian flag]], adopted by the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] upon its founding in 1964]] |
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As Arafat began to develop friendships with other Palestinian refugees (some of whom he knew also from his Cairo days), he and the others gradually founded the group that became known as [[Fatah]]. The exact date for the establishment of Fatah is unknown. However, in 1959, the group's existence was attested in the pages of a Palestinian nationalist magazine, ''Filastununa Nida al-Hayat'' (Our Palestine, The Call of Life), which was written and edited by Abu Jihad.<ref name="FatahF"/> FaTaH is a [[Fatah#Meaning of name|reverse acronym]] of the Arabic name ''Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini'' which translates into "The Palestinian National Liberation Movement".<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Hussein |first=Hassan Khalil |title=Abu Iyad, Unknown Pages of his Life |pages=pp.64 }}</ref> Fatah is also a word that was used in early [[Islamic Caliphate|Islamic times]] to refer to 'conquest'.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/> |
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Fatah dedicated itself to the liberation of Palestine by an armed struggle carried out by the Palestinians themselves. This differed from other Palestinian political and guerrilla organizations, most of which firmly believed in a united Arab response.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Cooley |first=John K. |authorlink=John K. Cooley |title=Green March, Black September |year=1973 |publisher=Frank Crass & Co. |pages=pp.100 |isbn=0-7146-2987-1 }}</ref> Arafat's organization never embraced the ideologies of major Arab national governments of the time, in contrast to other Palestinian factions, which often became satellites of nations such as Egypt, [[Iraq]], Saudi Arabia, [[Syria]] and others.<ref>{{cite book |last=Abu Sharif |first=Bassam |authorlink=Bassam Abu Sharif |coauthors=Uzi Mahmaini |title=Tried by Fire |year=1996 |publisher=Time Warner Paperbacks |pages=pp.33 |isbn=0751516368 }}</ref> |
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In accordance with his ideology, Arafat generally refused to accept donations to his organization from major Arab governments, in order to act independently of them. However, he did not want to alienate them, and sought their undivided support by avoiding alliances with groups loyal to other ideologies. He worked hard in Kuwait, however, to establish the groundwork for Fatah's future financial support by enlisting contributions from the many wealthy Palestinians working there and other [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf States]], such as [[Qatar]] (where he met [[Mahmoud Abbas]] in 1961).<ref>{{cite book |last=Gowers |first=Andrew |authorlink=Andrew Gowers |coauthors=Tony Walker |title=Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution |year=1991 |publisher=Interlink Pub Group Inc |pages=pp.65 |isbn=0940793865}}</ref> These businessmen and oil workers contributed generously to the Fatah organization. Arafat continued this process in other Arab countries such as [[Libya]] and Syria.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/> |
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In 1962, Arafat and his closest companions immigrated to Syria—a country sharing a border with Israel—which had recently seceded from its ephemeral [[United Arab Republic|union with Nasser's Egypt]]. Fatah had approximately three hundred members by this time, but none were fighters.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/> In Syria, however, he managed to recruit members with a higher income to enable his armed struggle against Israel. Fatah's manpower was incremented further after Arafat decided to offer much higher salaries to members of the [[Palestine Liberation Army]] (PLA), the regular military force of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO), which was created by the [[Arab League]] in the summer of 1964. On December 31 of that same year, a squad from [[al-Assifa]], the armed branch of Fatah at the time, attempted to infiltrate Israel, but they were intercepted and detained by [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] security forces. Several other raids with Fatah's poorly-trained and badly-equipped fighters followed this incident. Some were successful, others failed in their missions. Arafat often led these incursions personally.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/> |
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Arafat and his top aide Abu Jihad, were detained in Syria when a pro-Syrian Palestinian leader, Yusuf Orabi was murdered. Hours before he was killed, Arafat was discussing with him ways to unite their factions and to request Orabi's support for Arafat against his rivals within the Fatah leadership. Shortly after Arafat left the meeting, Orabi was thrown out of the window of a three-story building and Syrian police loyal to [[Hafez al-Assad]] (Assad and Orabi were "close friends"), suspected Arafat was involved in the incident. Assad appointed a panel, which found Arafat and Abu Jihad guilty of the murder. Nonetheless, both were pardoned by Syrian President [[Salah Jadid]]. The incident, however, brought Assad and Arafat on unpleasant terms, which would show later when Assad became President of Syria.<ref name="Fatah and Road to 1967"/> |
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=== Leader of the Palestinians === |
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On November 13, 1966, Israel launched a major raid against the [[Jordan]]ian-administered [[West Bank]] town of [[as-Samu]], in response to a Fatah-implemented roadside bomb attack, which had killed three members of the [[Israeli Security Forces|Israeli security forces]] near the southern [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]] border. In the resulting skirmish, scores of Jordanian security forces were killed and 125 homes razed. This raid was one of several factors that led to the 1967 [[Six Day War]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Oren |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Oren |title=Six Days of War, June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East |year=2003 |publisher=The Random House Publishing Group |pages=pp.33–36 |location=New York |isbn=0-345-46192-4}}</ref> |
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The Six Day war began when Israel launched a preemptive air strike against [[Egyptian Air Force|Egypt's air force]] on June 5, 1967. The war ended in Arab defeat and Israel's occupation of several Arab territories, including the West Bank and [[Gaza Strip]]. Although Nasser and his Arab allies had been defeated, Arafat and Fatah could claim a victory, in that the majority of Palestinians, who had up to that time tended to align and sympathize with individual Arab governments, now began to agree that a 'Palestinian' solution of their dilemma was indispensable.<ref name="Consolidation of Power">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.69–98 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> Many primarily Palestinian political parties, including [[George Habash]]'s [[Arab Nationalist Movement]], [[Mohammad Amin al-Husayni|Hajj Amin al-Husseini]]'s [[Arab Higher Committee]], the [[Islamic Liberation Front]] and several Syrian-backed groups, virtually crumbled after their sponsor governments' defeat. Barely a week after the defeat, Arafat crossed the [[Jordan River]] in disguise and entered the West Bank, where he set up recruitment centers in [[Hebron]], the [[Jerusalem]] area and [[Nablus]], and began attracting both fighters and financiers for his cause.<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> |
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At the same time, Nasser contacted Arafat through [[Mohamed Hassanein Heikal|Mohammed Heikal]] (one of Nasser's advisers) and Arafat was declared by Nasser to be the 'leader of the Palestinians'.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=Nasser, The Last Arab |year=2004 |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |location=New York |isbn=031228683 }}</ref> In December, [[Ahmad Shukeiri]] resigned his post as [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO Chairman]]. [[Yahya Hammuda]] took his place and invited Arafat to join the organization. Fatah was allocated 33 of 105 seats of the [[PLO Executive Committee]] while 57 seats were left for several other [[guerrilla]] factions.<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> |
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=== Battle of Karameh === |
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{{main|Battle of Karameh}} |
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[[Image:Israeli raid in house during Karama.jpg|thumb|right|[[Israel]]i soldiers raiding a house in [[Karameh]], 1968]] |
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Throughout 1968, Fatah and other Palestinian armed groups were the target of a major Israeli army operation in the Jordanian village of [[Karameh]], where the Fatah headquarters—as well as a mid-sized [[Palestinian refugee camps|Palestinian refugee camp]]—were located. The town's name is the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word for 'dignity', which elevated its [[symbolism|symbolic power]] in the eyes of the [[Arab|Arab people]], especially after the Arab defeat in 1967. The operation came hard upon attacks, including rockets strikes from Fatah and other Palestinian militias, within the occupied West Bank. According to [[Said Aburish]], the government of Jordan and a number of Fatah commandos informed Arafat that large-scale Israeli military preparations for an attack on the town were underway, prompting fedayeen groups, such as George Habash's newly formed group the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) and [[Nayef Hawatmeh]]'s breakaway organization the [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (DFLP), to withdraw their forces from the town. Though advised by a pro-Fatah Jordanian divisional commander to withdraw his men and headquarters to nearby hills, Arafat refused,<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> stating, "We want to convince the world that there are those in the Arab world who will not withdraw or flee".<ref name="Sayigh">{{cite book |last=Sayigh |first=Yezid |authorlink= |title=Armed Struggle and the Search for State, the Palestinian National Movement, 1949–1993 |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages= |location= |isbn=0198296436 }}</ref> Aburish writes that it was on Arafat's orders that Fatah remained, and that the [[Royal Jordanian Land Force|Jordanian Army]] agreed to back them if heavy fighting ensued.<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> |
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[[Image:Fatah-Nasser meeting.jpg|thumb|left|Arafat with [[Fatah]] officials in first public meeting with [[President of Egypt|Egyptian President]] [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] for the first time in [[Cairo]], approximately eight months after Arafat becomes [[Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization]], 1969]] |
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On the night of March 21, the IDF attacked Karameh with heavy weaponry, armored vehicles and fighter jets.<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> Fatah held its ground, surprising the Israeli military. As Israel's forces intensified their campaign, the Jordanian Army became involved, causing the Israelis to retreat in order to avoid a full-scale war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bulloch |first=John |title=Final Conflict: The War in Lebanon |year=1983 |publisher=Century Publishing |pages=pp.165 |location=London |isbn=0712601716 }}</ref> By the end of the battle, nearly 150 Fatah militants had been killed, as well as twenty Jordanian soldiers and twenty-eight Israeli soldiers. Despite the higher Arab death toll, Fatah considered themselves victorious because of the Israeli army's rapid withdrawal.<ref name="Consolidation of Power" /> Arafat himself was on the battlefield, but the details of his involvement are unclear. However, his allies–as well as [[Mossad|Israeli intelligence]]–confirm that he urged his men throughout the battle to hold their ground and continue fighting.<ref>{{cite book |last=Livingstone |first=Neil |coauthors=David Halevy |title=Inside the PLO |year=1990 |publisher=Reader's Digest Association |location=pp.80 |isbn=978-0-7090-4548-9 }}</ref> |
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The battle was covered in detail by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', and Arafat's face appeared on the cover of the December 13, 1968 issue, bringing his image to the world for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839649,00.html |title=The Guerrilla Threat In the Middle East |accessdate=2007-08-24 |date=1968-12-13 |publisher=Time }}</ref> Amid the post-war environment, the profiles of Arafat and Fatah were raised by this important turning point, and he came to be regarded as a national hero who dared to confront Israel. With mass applause from the [[Arab World]], financial donations increased significantly, and Fatah's weaponry and equipment improved. The group's numbers swelled as many young Arabs, including thousands of non-Palestinians, joined the ranks of Fatah.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cobban |first=Helena |title=The Palestinian Liberation Organization, Power, People and Politics |year=1984 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=pp.39 |isbn=0521272165 }}</ref> |
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At the [[Palestinian National Council]] in [[Cairo]] on February 3, 1969, Yahya Hammuda stepped down from his chairmanship of the PLO, and Arafat took over. He became [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces two years later, and in 1973, became the head of the PLO's political department.<ref name="Consolidation of Power"/> |
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== Jordan == |
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{{see also|Black September in Jordan}} |
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[[Image:Arafat in Jordan.jpg|thumb|right|Arafat with [[Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] leader, [[Nayef Hawatmeh]] and Palestinian writer [[Kamal Nasser]] at press conference in [[Amman]], 1970]] |
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In the late 1960s, tensions between Palestinians and the Jordanian government increased greatly; heavily armed Arab resistance elements had created a virtual ''"state within a state"'' in Jordan, eventually controlling several strategic positions in that country. After their victory in the Battle of Karameh, Fatah and other Palestinian militias began taking control of civil life in Jordan. They set up roadblocks, publicly humiliated Jordanian police forces, molested women and levied illegal taxes—all of which Arafat either condoned or ignored.<ref name="Sayigh"/> [[Hussein of Jordan|King Hussein]] considered this a growing threat to his kingdom's sovereignty and security, and attempted to disarm the militias. However, in order to avoid a military confrontation with opposition forces, Hussein dismissed several of his anti-PLO cabinet officials, including some of his own family members, and invited Arafat to become [[Prime Minister of Jordan]]. Arafat refused, citing his belief in the need for a [[Palestinian state]] with Palestinian leadership.<ref name="Black September">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.100–112 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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[[Image:Arafat, al-Hassan and Najjar PNC meeting.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Arafat at the [[Palestinian National Council]] (PNC) meeting in [[Cairo]], December 1970. [[Yousef an-Najjar]] and [[Khaled al-Hassan]] are standing behind him]] |
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Despite Hussein's intervention, militant actions in Jordan continued. On September 15, 1970, the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine|PFLP]] hijacked five planes and landed three of them at [[Dawson's Field hijackings|Dawson's Field]], located {{convert|30|mi|km|0}} east of [[Amman]]. After the passengers were moved to other locations, three of the planes were blown up. This tarnished Arafat's image in many western nations, including the [[United States]], who held him responsible for controlling Palestinian factions that belonged to the PLO. Arafat, bowing to pressure from Arab governments, publicly condemned the hijackings and suspended the PFLP from any guerrilla actions for a few weeks. (He had taken the same action after the PFLP attacked [[Athens International Airport|Athens Airport]].) The Jordanian government moved to regain control over its territory, and the next day, King Hussein declared [[martial law]].<ref name="Black September"/> On the same day, Arafat became supreme commander of the PLA.<ref name="Jordan">{{cite news |title=Black September in Jordan 1970–1971 |url=http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/blacksept1970.htm |publisher=Armed Conflict Events Data |date=2000-12-16 |accessdate=2007-07-17 }}</ref> |
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[[Image:Arafat, Nasser and Abu Jihad at Arab conference.jpg|thumb|right|Arafat and [[Abu Jihad]] meet [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] upon arrival in [[Cairo]] to attend first emergency [[Arab League]] summit, 1970]] |
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As the conflict raged, other Arab governments attempted to negotiate a peaceful resolution. As part of this effort, Gamal Abdel Nasser led the first ever emergency [[1970 Arab League summit|Arab League summit in Cairo]] on September 21. Arafat's speech drew sympathy from attending Arab leaders. Other heads of state took sides against Hussein, among them [[Muammar al-Gaddafi]], who mocked him and his schizophrenic father [[Talal of Jordan|King Talal]]. The attempt to establish a peace agreement between the two sides failed. Nasser died of a massive heart attack hours after the summit.<ref name="Black September"/> |
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By September 25, the Jordanian army achieved dominance, and two days later Arafat and Hussein agreed to a ceasefire in Amman. The Jordanian army inflicted heavy casualties on the Palestinians—including civilians—who suffered approximately 3,500 fatalities.<ref name="Jordan"/> After repeated violations of the ceasefire from both the PLO and the Jordanian Army, Arafat called for the King Hussein to be toppled. Responding to the threat, in June 1971, Hussein ordered his forces to oust all remaining Palestinian fighters in northern Jordan—which they accomplished. Arafat and a number of his forces, including two high-ranking commanders, [[Abu Iyad]] and [[Abu Jihad]], were forced into the northern corner of Jordan. They relocated near the town of [[Jerash]], near the border with Syria. With the help of [[Munib Masri]], a pro-Palestinian Jordanian cabinet member, and [[Fahd al-Khomeimi]], the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, Arafat managed to enter Syria with nearly two thousand of his fighters. However, due to the hostility of relations between Arafat and Syrian President [[Hafez al-Assad]] (who had previously ousted President [[Salah Jadid]]), the Palestinian fighters crossed the border into Lebanon to join PLO forces in that country, where they set up their new headquarters.<ref name="Mahran">{{cite book |last=Rasheda |first=Mahran |title=Arafat, the Difficult Number |language=Arabic |publisher=Dar al-Hayan |pages=pp.175–181 |isbn=0141272625 }}</ref> |
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== Lebanon == |
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===Terrorist attacks in 1970s and official recognition=== |
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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-K1102-032, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, Yasser Arafat.jpg|thumb|250px|Yasser Arafat visits East Germany in 1971; background: [[Brandenburg Gate]]]] |
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Because of Lebanon's weak central government, the PLO was able to operate virtually as an independent state. Unrelenting Israeli pressure on that territory <ref>'The continuous and escalating attacks experienced by Lebanon in the late 1960s and 1970s were part of precisely such a strategy. Southern villages were shelled and the crops and groves upon which the villagers depended destroyed. The Lebanese Army recorded over three thousand violations of Lebanese territory by Israeli forces between 1968 and 1974, an average rate of 1.4 incidents per day. (In 1974-75 the rate would increase still further, to 7 per day.) During this same period (1968-74) some 880 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli attacks. Thousands were wounded, and one-fifth or more of the border region's 150,000 inhabitants were forced to flee the south to the relative safety of Beirut and other urban centers.' Rex Brynen,''Sanctuary and Survival: The PLO in Lebanon,'' Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado 1990, citing Walid Khalidi, ''Conflict and Violence in Lebanon''. Center for International Affairs, Harvard 1979.p. 125.</ref> was designed both to turn the Lebanese population against the PLO and compel the government to suppress the guerillas. During this time in the 1970s, numerous [[Left-wing politics|leftist]] PLO groups appeared on the armed front against Israel, carrying out attacks against civilian and military targets both within Israel and outside of it. |
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Two major incidents occurred in 1972. The Fatah subgroup [[Black September (group)|Black September]] hijacked a [[Sabena Flight 572|Sabena flight]] en route to [[Vienna]] and forced it to land at the [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] in [[Lod]], Israel.<ref name="PLO terrorist attacks">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.122–125 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> The PFLP and the [[Japanese Red Army]] carried out a [[Lod Airport massacre|shooting rampage at the same airport]], killing twenty-four civilians.<ref name="PLO terrorist attacks"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Sontag |first=Deborah |title=2 Who Share a Past Are Rivals for Israel's Future |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |pages=Section A, Page 3, Column 1 |year=1999 |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30917FD3D5E0C738EDDAD0894D1494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fB%2fBarak%2c%20Ehud |date=1999-04-20 }}</ref> Israel later claimed that the assassination of PFLP spokesman [[Ghassan Kanafani]] was a response to the PFLP's involvement in masterminding the latter attack. Two days later, various PLO factions retaliated by bombing a bus station, killing eleven civilians.<ref name="PLO terrorist attacks"/> |
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At the [[1972 Summer Olympics|Munich Olympic Games]], Black September kidnapped and killed eleven Israeli athletes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Klein |first=Aaron |authorlink=Aaron Klein |title=Striking Back: The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel's Deadly Response |year=2005 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn=1920769803 }}</ref> A number of sources, including [[Abu Daoud|Mohammed Oudeh]] (''Abu Daoud''), one of the masterminds of the [[Munich massacre]], and [[Benny Morris]], a prominent Israeli historian, have stated that Black September was an armed branch of Fatah used for paramilitary operations. According to Abu Daoud's 1999 book, "Arafat was briefed on plans for the Munich hostage-taking."<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Berger |title=Munich Massacre Remembered |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/05/world/main520865.shtml |work=CBS News |publisher=MMII, CBS Worldwide Incorporate |date=[[2002-09-05]] |accessdate=2007-07-17 }}</ref> The killings were internationally condemned. In 1973–74, Arafat closed Black September down, ordering the PLO to withdraw from acts of violence outside Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morris |first=Benny |authorlink=Benny Morris |title=Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881–2001 |year=2001 |publisher=Vintage Books |pages=pp.383 |isbn=9780679744757 }}</ref> |
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In 1974, the PNC approved the [[Palestine Liberation Organization#Ten Point Program|Ten Point Program]] (drawn up by Arafat and his advisers), and proposed a compromise with the Israelis. It called for a Palestinian national authority over every part of "liberated Palestinian territory",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/docone.html |title=Political Program Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council |publisher=Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations |date=[[1974-06-08]] }}</ref> which refers to areas captured by Arab forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (present-day West Bank, [[East Jerusalem]] and Gaza Strip). This caused discontent among several of the PLO factions; the PFLP, DFLP and other parties formed a breakaway organization, the [[Rejectionist Front]].<ref name="Recognition">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.140–142 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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Israel and the US have alleged also that Arafat was involved in the [[1973 Khartoum diplomatic assassinations]], in which five diplomats and five others were killed. A 1973 [[United States Department of State]] document, declassified in 2006, concluded "The Khartoum operation was planned and carried out with the full knowledge and personal approval of Yasser Arafat."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/67584.pdf |format=PDF|title=The Seizure of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=[[2006-05-04]] }}</ref> Arafat denied any involvement in the operation and insisted it was carried out independently by the Black September group. Israel claimed that Arafat was in ultimate control over these organizations and therefore had not abandoned terrorism.<ref name=Rejectionists>{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.252–261 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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Also in 1974, the PLO was declared the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" and admitted to full membership of the Arab League at a [[Rabat]] summit.<ref name="Recognition"/> Arafat became the first representative of a [[non-governmental organization]] to address a [[plenary session]] of the [[United Nations General Assembly|UN General Assembly]]. Arafat was also the first leader to address the UN while wearing a [[holster]], although it did not contain a [[gun]].<ref name="'70s 319">{{cite book |title= How We Got Here: The '70s|last= Frum|first= David|authorlink= David Frum|coauthors= |year= 2000|publisher= Basic Books|location= New York, New York|isbn= 0465041957|page= |pages= 319-320|url= }}</ref> In his [[United Nations]] 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."<ref>[http://www.weltpolitik.net/texte/policy/israel/Speecharafat_1974.pdf Yasser Arafat's UN General Assembly speech, November 13, 1974]</ref> His speech increased international sympathy for the Palestinian cause.<ref name="Recognition"/> |
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=== Fatah involvement in Lebanese Civil War === |
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{{see also|Lebanese Civil War}} |
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[[Image:Arafat in Lebanon.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Arafat in Palestinian refugee camp in [[Southern Lebanon]], 1978]] |
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Although hesitant at first to take sides in the conflict, Arafat and Fatah played an important role in the [[Lebanese Civil War]]. Succumbing to pressure from PLO sub-groups such as the PFLP, DFLP and the [[Palestine Liberation Front]] (PLF), Arafat aligned the PLO with the [[Communism|Communist]] and [[Nasserism|Nasserist]] [[Lebanese National Movement]] (LNM). The LNM was led by [[Kamal Jumblatt]], who had a friendly relationship with Arafat and other PLO leaders. Although originally aligned with Fatah, [[List of Presidents of Syria|Syrian President]] [[Hafez al-Assad]] feared a loss of influence in Lebanon and switched sides. He sent his army, along with the Syrian-backed Palestinian factions of [[as-Sa'iqa]] and the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command]] (PFLP-GC) led by [[Ahmad Jibril]] to fight alongside the radical right-wing Christian forces against the PLO and the LNM. The primary components of the Christian front were the [[Maronite Church|Maronite]] [[Kataeb Party|Phalangists]] loyal to [[Bachir Gemayel]] and the [[Tigers Militia (Lebanon)|Tigers Militia]]—which was led by [[Dany Chamoun]], a son of former [[President of Lebanon|President]] [[Camille Chamoun]].<ref name="Lebanese Civil War">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.150–175 |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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In February 1975, the Tigers shot an important pro-Palestinian Lebanese MP, Ma'arouf Sa'ad, founder of the Popular Nasserite Organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lebanonwire.com/0207/02072610DS.asp |title=Mohammed Zaatari Saad loses final battle against cancer |publisher=Lebanonwire |date=[[2002-07-26]] }}</ref> His death, from his wounds, the following month, and the [[Bus massacre|murder in April]] of that year of twenty-seven Palestinians and Lebanese travelling on bus from [[Shatila|Sabra and Shatila]] to the Tel al-Zaatar refugee camp by Phalangist forces, precipitated the Lebanese Civil War.<ref name="Chomsky">{{cite book|title=''The Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians''|author=[[Noam Chomsky]]|year=1999|publisher=[[South End Press]]|page=184|isbn=0896086011}}</ref> Arafat was reluctant to respond with force, but many other Fatah and PLO members felt otherwise.<ref name="Sayigh"/> For example, the DFLP carried out several attacks against the [[Lebanese Army]]. In 1976, an alliance of Christian militias with the backing of the Lebanese and [[Syrian Army]] besieged Tel al-Zaatar camp in east [[Beirut]].<ref name="LAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.laa.org/tours/thewar.htm |title=The Civil War... 1975, Regional Intervention |publisher=The Lebanese-American Association }}</ref><ref name="Harris">{{cite book |last=Harris |first=William |title=Faces of Lebanon. Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions |year=1996 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |pages=pp.162–165 |isbn=1558761152 }}</ref> The PLO and LNM retaliated by attacking the town of [[Damour massacre|Damour]], a Phalangist stronghold. Over 330 people were killed and many more wounded.<ref name="LAA"/> The Tel al-Zaatar camp fell to the Christians after a six-month siege, and a [[Tel al-Zaatar massacre|massacre]] followed in which thousands of Palestinians were killed.<ref>In ''Faces of Lebanon. Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions'' pp.162–165, William Harris states "Perhaps 3,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, died in the siege and its aftermath". This source states that 2,000 were killed.[http://www.111101.net/facts/history/chronology/index.html?http://www.111101.net/facts/history/chronology/phase.php?year=1976] |
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while this page suggests several thousand.[http://www.laa.org/tours/thewar.htm]</ref> Arafat and Abu Jihad blamed themselves for not successfully organizing a rescue effort.<ref name="Lebanese Civil War"/> |
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PLO cross-border raids against Israel grew somewhat during the late 1970s. One of the most severe—known as the [[Coastal Road Massacre|Coastal Road massacre]]—occurred on March 11, 1978. A force of nearly a dozen Fatah fighters landed their boats near a major coastal road connecting the city of [[Haifa]] with [[Tel Aviv-Yafo]]. There they hijacked a bus and sprayed gunfire inside and at passing vehicles, killing thirty-seven civilians.<ref name="Terrorist Attacks of the PLO in 1970s">{{cite web |url=http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_terrorism_1970s.php |title=What happened at Ma'alot, Kiryat Shmona, and other terrorist targets in the 1970s? |accessdate=2007-10-05 |publisher=Palestine Facts }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1977-1979/133%20Statement%20to%20the%20press%20by%20Prime%20Minister%20Begin |title=133 Statement to the press by Prime Minister Begin on the massacre of Israelis on the Haifa - Tel Aviv Road- 12 March 1978 |date=[[1978-05-12]] |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs }}</ref> In response, the IDF launched [[1978 South Lebanon conflict|Operation Litani]] three days later, with the goal of taking control of Southern Lebanon up to the [[Litani River]]. The IDF achieved this goal, and Arafat withdrew PLO forces north into [[Beirut]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/819200.stm |title=Time Line: Lebanon Israel Controls South |work=[[BBC News]] |date=[[2007-10-09]] |accessdate=2007-10-09 |publisher=BBC MMVII }}</ref> |
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After Israel withdrew from Lebanon, cross-border hostilities between PLO forces and Israel continued, though from August 1981 to May 1982, the PLO adopted a unilateral policy of refraining from responding to provocations<ref>[[Noam Chomsky]], ''Fatal Triangle,'' 1999 p.346</ref>. The Israeli invasion of 1982 was designed, according to some sources, to crush Palestinian national aspirations by uprooting their forces from proximity to the West Bank<ref>Mordechai Bar-On, cited in Chomsky, ''The Fatal Triangle'', 1999 pp.355-356</ref>. Beirut was soon besieged and bombarded by the IDF;<ref name="Lebanese Civil War"/> Arafat declared the city to be the "[[Hanoi]] and [[Stalingrad]] of the Israeli army."<ref name="Lebanese Civil War"/> The Civil War's first phase ended and Arafat—who was commanding Fatah forces at Tel al-Zaatar—narrowly escaped with assistance from Saudi and Kuwaiti diplomats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberty05.com/civilwar/civil1.html |title=The Battle of Tel al-Zaatar |publisher=Liberty 05 }}</ref> Towards the end the siege, the US and [[Europe]]an governments brokered an agreement guaranteeing safe passage for Arafat and the PLO—guarded by a multinational force of eight hundred [[United States Marine Corps|US Marines]] supported by the [[US Navy]]—to exile in [[Tunis]].<ref name="Lebanese Civil War"/> |
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Arafat returned to Lebanon a year after his eviction from Beirut, this time establishing himself in the northern city of [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]]. This time Arafat was expelled by a fellow Palestinian working under Hafez al-Assad. Arafat did not return to Lebanon after his second expulsion, though many Fatah fighters did.<ref name="Lebanese Civil War"/> |
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==Tunisia== |
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Arafat and Fatah's center for operations was based in Tunis, the capital of [[Tunisia]], until 1993. In 1985 he narrowly survived an Israeli assassination attempt when [[Israeli Air Force]] [[F-15]]s bombed his headquarters there as part of [[Operation Wooden Leg]], leaving 73 people dead. Arafat had gone out jogging that morning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign%20Relations/Israels%20Foreign%20Relations%20since%201947/1984-1988/92%20Press%20Conference%20Following%20Israel%20Air%20Force%20Att |title=92 Press Conference Following Israel Air Force Attack on PLO base in Tunis |publisher=Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs | date=[[1985-11-01]]}}</ref> |
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===First Intifada=== |
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<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Abu Jihad with Arafat.jpg|thumb|left|Arafat with [[Khalil al-Wazir|Abu Jihad]] (whom Arafat assigned to oversee [[Fatah]] in the [[Palestinian territories]]), in [[Tunis]], 1988.]] --> |
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During the 1980s, Arafat received financial assistance from Libya, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which allowed him to reconstruct the badly-battered PLO. This was particularly useful during the [[First Intifada]] in December 1987, which began as an uprising of Palestinian youth against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The word Intifada in Arabic is literally translated as "tremor", however, it is generally defined as an uprising or revolt.<ref name="Intifada">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.201–228 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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The first stage of the Intifada was a response to an incident at the [[Erez Crossing|Erez checkpoint]] where an Israeli military vehicle hit a group of Palestinian laborers, killing four of them. However, within weeks and partly upon consistent requests by Abu Jihad, Arafat attempted to direct the uprising, which lasted until 1992–93. Abu Jihad had previously been assigned the responsibility of the Palestinian territories within the PLO command and according to biographer [[Said Aburish]], had "impressive knowledge of local conditions" in the [[Israeli-occupied territories]]. On April 16, 1988, as the Intifada was raging, Abu Jihad was [[Tunis Raid|assassinated in his Tunis household]], allegedly by an Israeli hit squad. Arafat considered Abu Jihad a PLO counterweight to local Palestinian leadership, and led a funeral procession for him in [[Damascus]].<ref name="Intifada"/> |
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The most common tactic used by Palestinians during the Intifada was throwing stones at IDF tanks, which became a symbol of the uprising. The local leadership in some West Bank towns commenced non-violent protests against Israeli occupation by engaging in [[Beit Sahour#Tax resistance|tax resistance]] and other boycotts. Israel responded by confiscating large sums of money in house-to-house raids.<ref name="Intifada"/><ref>A Matter of Justice: Tax Resistance in Beit Sahour-Nonviolent Sanctions; Albert Einstein Institution, Spring/Summer 1992</ref> As the Intifada came to a close, new armed Palestinian groups—in particular [[Hamas]] and the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] (PIJ)—began targeting Israeli civilians with the new tactic of [[suicide bombing]] and internal fighting amongst the Palestinians increased dramatically.<ref name="Intifada"/> |
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===Change in direction=== |
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On November 15, 1988, the PLO proclaimed the independent [[Proposals for a Palestinian state|State of Palestine]]. In speeches on December 13 and December 14, Arafat accepted [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 242|UN Security Council Resolution 242]], Israel's right "to exist in peace and security" and repudiated 'terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mondediplo.com/focus/mideast/arafat88-en |title=Yasser Arafat, Speech at UN General Assembly Geneva, General Assembly 13 December 1988 |publisher=[[Le Monde Diplomatique]] |date=[[1988-12-13]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/plotstate1.html |title=Arafat Clarifies Statement to Satisfy U.S. Conditions for Dialogue |accessdate=2007-07-18 |format= |work=Jewish Virtual Library }}</ref> Arafat's statements were greeted with approval by the US administration, which had long insisted on these statements as a necessary starting point for official discussions between the US and the PLO. These remarks from Arafat indicated a shift away from one of the PLO's primary aims—the destruction of Israel (as entailed in the [[Palestinian National Covenant]])–and toward the establishment of two separate entities: an Israeli state within the 1949 armistice lines, and an Arab state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. 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.<ref name="Intifada"/> |
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Prior to the [[Gulf War]] in 1990-91, when the Intifada's intensity began to wear down, Arafat supported [[Saddam Hussein]]'s invasion of [[Kuwait]] and opposed the US-led coalition attack on Iraq. He made this decision without the consent of other leading members of Fatah and the PLO. Arafat's top aide Abu Iyad vouched to stay neutral and opposed an alliance with Saddam; On January 17, 1991, Abu Iyad was assassinated by the pro-Iraqi [[Abu Nidal|Abu Nidal Organization]]. Arafat's decision also severed relations with Egypt and many of the oil-producing Arab states that supported the US-led coalition. Many in the US also used Arafat's position as a reason to disregard his claims to being a partner for peace. After the end of hostilities, many Arab states that backed the coalition cut off funds to the PLO and began providing financial support for the organization's rival Hamas as well as other Islamist groups.<ref name="Intifada"/> |
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In 1990, Arafat married [[Suha Arafat|Suha Tawil]], a [[Palestinian Christian]] when he was 61 and Suha, 27. Before their marriage, she was working as a secretary for Arafat in Tunis after her mother introduced her to him in [[France]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.246–247 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref><ref name="Suha">{{cite news |title=Profile: Suha Arafat-Blonde, convent-educated and with a rumored penchant for designer suits, Suha Arafat makes an unlikely wife for the leader of the Palestinian resistance. |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3965541.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2005-11-17]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> Prior to Arafat's marriage, he adopted fifty Palestinian [[orphan|war orphans]].<ref name="timeexpecting">{{cite news |title=Milestones |publisher=Time Magazine |date=[[1994-12-19]] |accessdate=2007-07-22 }}</ref> |
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Arafat narrowly escaped death again on April 7, 1992, when his aircraft crash-landed in the [[Libyan Desert]] during a sandstorm. Two pilots and an engineer were killed; Arafat was bruised and shaken.<ref>{{cite news |title=Timeline: Yasser Arafat |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136880,00.html |work=[[FOX News]] & [[Associated Press]] |publisher=Fox News Network |date=[[2005-02-08]] |accessdate=2007-07-27 }}</ref> |
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==Palestinian Authority and peace negotiations== |
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===Oslo Accords=== |
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[[Image:Rabin at peace talks.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Yitzhak Rabin]], [[Bill Clinton]], and Arafat during the [[Oslo Accords]] on September 13, 1993 ]] |
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In the early 1990s, Arafat and leading Fatah officials engaged the Israeli government in a series of secret talks and negotiations that led to the [[Oslo Accords|1993 Oslo Accords]].<ref name="Palestinian peace">{{cite book |last=Carter |first=James |authorlink=Jimmy Carter |coauthors= |title=Palestine Peace Not Apartheid |year=2006 |publisher=Simon & Schuster, Inc. |pages=pp.147–150 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7432-8502-5 }}</ref><ref name="Rejectionists"/> The agreement called for the implementation of Palestinian self-rule in portions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip over a five year period, along with an immediate halt to and gradual removal of Israeli settlements in those areas. The accords called for a Palestinian police force to be formed from local recruits and Palestinians abroad, to patrol areas of self-rule. Authority over the various fields of rule, including education and culture, [[social welfare provision|social welfare]], [[direct tax]]ation and tourism, would be transferred to the Palestinian interim government. Both parties agreed also on forming a committee that would establish cooperation and coordination dealing with specific economic sectors, including utilities, industry, trade and communication.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1991to_now_oslo_accords.php |title=Israel 1991 to Present: Oslo Accords, What were the details of the Oslo Accords |accessdate=2007-08-24 |year=2007 |publisher=palestinefacts.org }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/gazajer.html |title=Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area |accessdate=2007-08-24 |year=2007 |publisher=The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise }}</ref> |
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Prior to signing the accords, Arafat—as Chairman of the PLO and its official representative—signed two letters renouncing violence and officially recognizing Israel. In return, Prime Minister [[Yitzhak Rabin]], on behalf of Israel, officially recognized the PLO.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/22579.htm |title=Israel-PLO Recognition: Exchange of Letters Between PM Rabin and Chairman Arafat |accessdate=2007-08-24 |date=[[1993-09-03]] |publisher=U.S State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs }}</ref> |
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The following year, Arafat and Rabin were awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], along with [[Shimon Peres]].<ref name="Oslo Accords">{{cite web |title=1994: Israelis and Arafat share peace prize |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/14/newsid_3694000/3694744.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[1993-09-03]] |accessdate=2007-08-24 }}</ref> The Palestinian reaction was mixed. The [[Rejectionist Front]] of the PLO allied itself with Islamists in a common opposition against the agreements. It was rejected also by [[Palestinian refugee]]s in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan as well as by many Palestinian intellectuals and the local leadership of the Palestinian territories. However, the inhabitants of the territories generally accepted the agreements and Arafat's promise for peace and economic well-being.<ref name="After Oslo">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=262–292 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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===Establishing authority in the territories=== |
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In accordance with the terms of the Oslo agreement, Arafat was required to implement PLO authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He insisted that financial support was imperative to establishing this authority and needed it to secure the acceptance of the agreements by the Palestinians living in those areas. However, the Gulf Arab States—Arafat's usual source for financial backing—still refused to provide him and the PLO with any major donations because of his sympathy for Iraq during the Gulf War, in 1991.<ref name="After Oslo"/> [[Ahmed Qurei]]—a key Fatah negotiator during the negotiations in Oslo—openly announced that the PLO was bankrupt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heikal |first=Mohammed |authorlink=Mohamed Hassanein Heikal |title=Secret Channels |year=1996 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishing |pages=479 |isbn=0006383378 }}</ref> |
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In 1994, Arafat moved to [[Gaza|Gaza City]], one of the territories controlled by the [[Palestinian National Authority]] (PNA)—the provisional entity created by the Oslo Accords.<ref name="Oslo Accords">{{cite web |title=1994: Israelis and Arafat share peace prize |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/14/newsid_3694000/3694744.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=1993-09-03 |accessdate=2007-08-24 }}</ref> Arafat became the [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|President]] and [[Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Prime Minister]] of the PNA, the Commander of the [[Palestine Liberation Army|PLA]] and the [[Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council|Speaker]] of the [[Palestinian Legislative Council|PLC]]. In July, after the PNA was declared the official government of the Palestinians, the [[Constitution of Palestine|Basic Laws of the Palestinian National Authority]] was published,<ref>[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Palestine_%281994%29 Constitution of Palestine (1994)] [[Wikisource]] [[2006-07-26]]. Accessed on [[2007-11-07]]</ref> in three different versions by the PLO. Arafat proceeded with creating a structure for the PNA. He established an [[PLO Executive Committee|executive committee]] or cabinet composed of twenty members. Arafat also took the liberty to replace and assign mayors and city councils for major cities such as Gaza and [[Nablus]]. He began subordinating non-governmental organizations that dealt in education, health, and social affairs under his authority by replacing their elected leaders and directors with PNA officials loyal to him. He then appointed himself chairman of the Palestinian financial organization that was created by the [[World Bank]] to control most aid money towards helping the new Palestinian entity.<ref name="After Oslo"/> |
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Arafat established a Palestinian police force, named the [[Preventive Security Service]] (PSS), that became active on May 13. It was mainly composed of PLA soldiers and foreign Palestinian volunteers. Arafat assigned [[Mohammed Dahlan]] and [[Jibril Rajoub]] to head the organization.<ref name="After Oslo"/> [[Amnesty International]] accused Arafat and the PNA leadership for failing to adequately investigate abuses by the PSS (including torture and unlawful killings) of political opponents and dissidents as well as the arrests of human rights activists.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Chaos of Corruption, Challenges for the improvement of the Palestinian Society: VI. PA security service, 1. Abuses, torture and infringements of the law |first=Fabio |last=Forgione |url=http://www.phrmg.org/Corruption%20in%20the%20Palestinian%20Authority.htm |publisher=The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) |month=October | year=2004 |accessdate=2007-11-04 }} |
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</ref> |
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On July 24, 1995, Arafat's wife Suha gave birth to a daughter in [[Sorbonne]], [[France]]. She was named Zahwa after Arafat's deceased mother.<ref name="Suha"/> |
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Throughout November-December 1995, Arafat toured dozens of Palestinian cities and towns that were evacuated by Israeli forces including [[Jenin]], Ramallah, [[al-Bireh]], Nablus, [[Qalqilyah]] and [[Tulkarm]], declaring them "liberated". The PNA also gained control of the West Bank's [[Postage stamps and postal history of the Palestinian National Authority|postal service]] during this period.<ref name="PASSIA">{{cite web |title=Palestine Facts: 1994-1995 |url=http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/chronology/19941995.htm |publisher=[[Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs]] (PASSIA) |accessdate=2008-03-15 }}</ref> On January 20, 1996, Arafat was elected president of the PNA, with an overwhelming 88.2% majority (the only other candidate was charity organizer [[Samiha Khalil]]). However, because [[Hamas]], the DFLP and other popular opposition movements chose to boycott the presidential elections, the choices were limited. Arafat's landslide victory guaranteed Fatah 51 of the 88 seats in the PLC. After Arafat was elected to the post of President of the PNA, he was often referred to as the ''Ra'is'', (literally president in Arabic), although he spoke of himself as "the general".<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary: Yasir Arafat, Palestinian Leader, Dies at 75 |first=Judith |last=Miller |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/international/middleeast/10WIRE-ARAFAT.html?pagewanted=print&position= |publisher=New York Times |date=[[2004-11-10]] |accessdate=2007-11-25 }}</ref> |
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In 1997, the PLC accused the executive branch of the PNA of financial mismanagement causing the resignation of four members of Arafat's cabinet. Arafat refused to resign his post.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.293–320 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> |
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===Other peace agreements=== |
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[[Image:Yasser-arafat-1999-3.jpg|thumb|right|Arafat with PNA cabinet members at a meeting in [[Copenhagen]], 1999]] |
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In mid-1996, [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] was [[Israeli prime ministerial election, 1996|elected]] [[Prime Minister of Israel]] by a margin of just one percent. Palestinian-Israeli relations grew even more hostile as a result of continued conflict.<ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Binyamin Netanyahu-Binyamin Netanyahu was one of the most right-wing and controversial leaders in Israel's history. |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2393677.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2005-12-20]] |accessdate= }}</ref> Despite the Israel-PLO accord, Netanyahu opposed the idea of Palestinian statehood.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hardliners Gain Around Likud Vote |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2558451.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMIII |date=[[2002-12-09]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> In 1998, US President [[Bill Clinton]] persuaded the two leaders to meet. The resulting [[Wye River Memorandum]] detailed the steps to be taken by the Israeli government and PNA to complete the peace process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.knesset.gov.il/process/docs/wye_eng.htm |title=The Wye River Memorandum |accessdate=2007-08-24 |year=1998 |publisher=The State of Israel (Translated from Hebrew) }}</ref> |
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Arafat continued negotiations with Netanyahu's successor, [[Ehud Barak]], at the [[2000 Camp David Summit|Camp David Summit]] in July 2000. Due partly to his own politics (Barak was from the leftist [[Labor Party (Israel)|Labor Party]], whereas Netanyahu was from the [[Right-wing politics|rightist]] [[Likud]] Party) and partly due to insistence for compromise by President Clinton, Barak offered Arafat a Palestinian state in 73% of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian percentage of sovereignty would extend to 91% (94% excluding Jerusalem) over a ten to twenty-five year period. In exchange for the withheld areas of the West Bank where the main Israeli settlement blocks were situated, Barak offered the equivalent area in the Israeli Negev desert. Also included in the offer were the return of a small number of refugees and compensation for those not allowed to return. Arafat rejected Barak's offer and refused to make an immediate counter-offer.<ref name="Palestinian peace"/> He stated to President Clinton that, "the Arab leader who would surrender Jerusalem is not born yet".<ref name="Arafat Timeline">{{cite web |url=http://www.passia.org/Arafat/Arafat.pdf |format=PDF|title=Yasser Arafat (1929–2004) |date=[[2004-12-11]] |publisher=PASSIA }}</ref> The move was criticized even by a member of his own negotiating team and cabinet, [[Nabil Amr]].<ref name="Palestinian peace"/> |
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[[Image:Arafat&Barak.jpg|thumb|left|Arafat with [[Ehud Barak]] and Bill Clinton at [[2000 Camp David Summit|Camp David Summit]], 2000]] |
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Negotiations continued at the [[Taba summit]] in January 2001; this time, Ehud Barak pulled out of the talks to campaign in the Israeli elections. In October and December 2001, suicide bombings by Palestinian militant groups increased and Israeli counter strikes intensified, causing the outbreak of the [[Second Intifada]]. Following the election of [[Ariel Sharon]] in February, the peace process took a steep downfall. Palestinian elections scheduled for January 2002 were postponed—the stated reason was an inability to campaign due to the emergency conditions imposed by the Intifada, as well as IDF incursions and restrictions on [[freedom of movement]] in the Palestinian territories. In the same month, Sharon ordered Arafat to be confined to his [[Mukataa#Arafat's Compound|Mukata'a]] headquarters in [[Ramallah]], following a suicide bombing in the Israeli city of [[Hadera]];<ref name="Arafat Timeline"/> US President [[George W. Bush]] supported Sharon's action, claiming that Arafat was "an obstacle to the peace".<ref>{{cite news |title=Mid-East press reflects on Arafat legacy: Israeli newspaper Maariv |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4002497.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMIII |date=[[2004-11-05]] |accessdate=2007-09-17 }}</ref> |
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== Political survival == |
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=== Relations with Hamas and other militant groups === |
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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 assassinations.<ref name="From Defender to Dictator">{{cite book |last=Aburish |first=Said K. |authorlink=Said K. Aburish |title=From Defender to Dictator |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=pp.321–325 |location=New York |isbn=1-58234-049-8 }}</ref> Some commentators believe his survival was largely due to Israel's fear that he could become a [[martyr]] for the Palestinian cause if he were assassinated or even arrested by Israel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,781566-2,00.html |title=A Life in Retrospect: Yasser Arafat |first=Lisa |last=Beyer |authorlink=Lisa Beyer |pages=pp.2 |accessdate=2007-08-24 |date=[[2004-11-12]] |publisher=Time }}</ref> Others believe that Israel refrained from taking action against Arafat because it feared Arafat less than [[Hamas]] and the other Islamist movements gaining support over Fatah. The complex and fragile web of relations between the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab states contributed also to Arafat's longevity as the leader of the Palestinians.<ref name="From Defender to Dictator"/> |
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Arafat's ability to adapt to new tactical and political situations was perhaps tested by the rise of the Hamas and [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad|PIJ]] organizations, Islamist groups espousing [[Rejectionist Front|rejectionist]] opposition to Israel and employing new tactics such as suicide bombing, often intentionally targeting non-military targets, such as malls and movie theaters, to increase the psychological damage and civilian casualties. In the 1990s, these groups seemed to threaten Arafat's capacity to hold together a unified secular nationalist organization with a goal of statehood.<ref name="From Defender to Dictator"/> They appeared to be out of Arafat's influence and control, and were actively fighting with Fatah. Some allege that activities of these groups were tolerated by Arafat as a means of applying pressure on Israel.<ref name="Intifada"/> |
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In 2002, the Arab League made an offer to recognize Israel in exchange for an Israeli retreat from all territories captured in the Six-Day War and statehood for the Palestinians governed by Arafat's PNA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mideastweb.org/saudipeace.htm |title=The Arab Peace Initiative |first=Ami |last=Isseroff |accessdate=2007-08-26 |date=[[2004-11-12]] |publisher=MEW 2002 }}</ref> Shortly afterward, an attack carried out by Hamas militants killed twenty-nine Israeli civilians celebrating [[Passover]] including many senior citizens.<ref>{{cite news |title=Al-Aqsa Intifada timeline: 2002 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3677206.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-09-29]] |accessdate=2007-09-11 }}</ref> In response, Israel launched [[Operation Defensive Shield]], a major military offensive into major [[List of cities in the West Bank|West Bank cities]]. |
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Some Israeli government officials opined in 2002 that the armed Fatah sub-group [[al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] commenced attacks towards Israel in order to compete with Hamas.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeremy |last=Bowen |authorlink=Jeremy Bowen |title=Palestinian Authority funds go to militants |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3243071.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2003-11-07]] |accessdate=2007-08-26 }}</ref> On May 6, the Israeli government released a report, based in part on documents captured during the Israeli occupation of Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, which included copies of papers signed by Arafat authorizing funding for al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/5/The%20Involvement%20of%20Arafat-%20PA%20Senior%20Officials%20and |title=The Involvement of Arafat, PA Senior Officials and Apparatuses in Terrorism against Israel- Corruption and Crime |first=Dani |last=Naveh |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs - The State of Israel |date=[[2002-05-06]]|accessdate=2007-10-15 }}</ref> |
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=== Attempts to marginalize === |
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Persistent attempts by the Israeli government to identify another Palestinian leader to represent the Palestinian people failed. Arafat was enjoying the support of groups that, given his own history, would normally have been quite wary of dealing with or supporting him. [[Marwan Barghouti]] (a leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) emerged as a possible replacement during the Second Intifada, but Israel had him arrested for being involved in the killing of twenty-six civilians and was sentenced to five life terms.<ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Marwan Barghouti |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1473585.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-12-13]] |accessdate=2007-09-11 }}</ref> |
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Arafat was finally allowed to leave his compound on May 3, after intense negotiations led to a settlement: six PFLP militants—including its secretary-general [[Ahmad Sa'adat]]—wanted by Israel, 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 PNA. Rather, a combination of British and American security personnel would ensure that the wanted men remained imprisoned in [[Jericho]].<ref name="Pipes"/> (The men were later captured by Israel in an overnight raid on the prison in 2006.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4806714.stm Israel holds militant after siege] ''[[BBC News]]'' [[2006-03-14]].</ref> With that, and a promise that he would issue a call in Arabic to the Palestinians to halt attacks on Israelis, Arafat was released.<ref name="Pipes">{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Pipes |title=Arafat's Failure May Offer Seeds of Hope |url=http://www.danielpipes.org/article/399 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |publisher=1980–2007 Daniel Pipes |date=[[2002-05-06]] |accessdate=2007-10-07 }}</ref> He issued such a call on May 8, but as with previous attempts, it was largely ignored.<ref>{{cite news |first=Serge |last=Schmemann |title=Arafat Remains Defiant Amid Rubble of His Compound |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E6DE1739F931A1575AC0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=[[2002-09-22]] |accessdate=2006-02-17 }}</ref> In 2003, Arafat ceded his post as Prime Minister to [[Mahmoud Abbas]] amid pressures by the US.<ref>{{cite news |first=Khalil |last=Amayreh |title=Arafat vs Abbas |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/647/re2.htm |publisher=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]] |date=[[2003-07-23]] |accessdate=2006-02-17 }}</ref> |
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In 2004, President Bush dismissed Arafat as a negotiating partner.<ref>{{cite news |first=G. Robert |last=Hillman |title=Bush dismisses Arafat as Partner, Pushes for New Leader |url=http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2003/09/19/Nation/Bush-Dismisses.Arafat.Pushes.For.New.Leader-470765.shtml |publisher=The Dallas Morning News |date=[[2003-09-19]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> Arafat had a mixed relationship at best with the leaders of other Arab nations. His support from Arab leaders tended to increase whenever he was pressured by Israel; for example, when Israel declared in 2003 it had made the decision, in principle, to remove him from the Israeli-controlled West Bank.<ref name="Arafat Timeline"/> In an interview with the Arab news network ''[[Al-Jazeera]]'', Arafat responded to Ariel Sharon's suggestion that he be exiled from the [[Palestinian territories]] permanently, by stating, "Is it his [Sharon's] homeland or ours? We were planted here before the Prophet Abraham came, but it looks like they [Israelis] don't understand history or geography."<ref name="Arafat Timeline"/> |
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==Financial dealings== |
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[[Image:ArafatEconomicForum.jpg|thumb|right|Arafat speaking at the [[World Economic Forum]] in 2001]] |
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In August 2002, the [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Israeli Military Intelligence]] Chief alleged that Arafat's personal wealth was in the range of USD $1.3 billion,<ref>{{cite news |first=Gideon |last=Alon |coauthors=[[Amira Hass]] |title=MI chief: terror groups trying hard to pull off mega-attack |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=197188&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 |publisher=Haaretz |date=[[2002-08-14]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref>. In 2003 the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) conducted an audit of the PNA and stated that Arafat diverted $900 million in public funds to a special bank account controlled by Arafat and the PNA Chief Economic Financial adviser. However, the IMF did not claim that there were any improprieties, and it specifically stated that most of the funds had been used to invest in Palestinian assets, both internally and abroad.<ref>{{cite news |first=Karim |last=Nashashibi |coauthors=Adam Bennett |title=Business & Economy: IMF audit reveals Arafat diverted $900 million to account under his personal control |url=http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1958.shtml |publisher=The Electronic Intifada |date=[[2003-09-20]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref><ref>For a general overview of the crucial importance of foreign funding in the peace process, and the PNA's use of such aid, see Rex Brynen, ''A Very Political Economy: Peacebuilding and Foreign Aid in the West Bank and Gaza,'' United States Institute of Peace Press, 2000</ref> |
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Also in 2003, a team of American accountants–hired by Arafat's own [[Finance minister|finance ministry]]–began examining Arafat's finances. The team claimed 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|venture capital funds]] in the US and the [[Cayman Islands]]. The head of the investigation stated that "although the money for the portfolio came from [[Public funding|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."<ref name="Stahl">{{cite news |first=Lesley |last=Stahl |title=Arafat's Billions, One Man's Quest To Track Down Unaccounted-For Public Funds |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/07/60minutes/main582487.shtml |publisher=CBS News |date=[[2003-11-09]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> |
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Although Arafat lived a modest lifestyle, [[Dennis Ross]], former Middle East negotiator for Presidents [[George H. W. Bush|George H.W. Bush]] and Bill Clinton, stated that Arafat's "walking-around money" financed a vast patronage system known as [[neopatrimonialism]]. According to [[Salam Fayyad]], - a former [[World Bank]] official whom Arafat appointed [[Finance Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Finance Minister of the PNA]] in 2002—Arafat's commodity monopolies could accurately be seen as gouging his own people, "especially in Gaza which is poorer, which is something that is totally unacceptable and immoral." Fayyad claims that Arafat used $20 million from public funds to pay the leadership of the PNA security forces (the Preventive Security Service) alone.<ref name="Stahl"/> |
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An investigation by the [[European Union]] into claims that their funds were misused by the Palestinian Authority found no evidence that funds were diverted to finance terrorist activities.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rue |last=Wiertz |title=EU funding to the Palestinian Authority: Commissioner Patten responds to a letter from Mr. Laschet, MEP |url=http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/mepp/eufundspa.htm |publisher=European Union External Relations |date=[[2003-01-21]] |accessdate=2007-09-26 }}</ref> Fuad Shubaki, former financial aide to Arafat, told the Israeli security service [[Shin Bet]] that Arafat used several million dollars of aid money to buy weapons and support militant groups.<ref>{{cite news |first=Yaakov |last=Katz |title="Arafat used aid to buy weapons" |url=http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961361493&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |publisher=JPost |date=[[2006-05-17]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> |
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==Illness and death== |
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First reports of Arafat's treatment by his doctors for what his spokesman said was the "[[influenza|flu]]" came on October 25, 2004, after he vomited during a meeting. His condition deteriorated in the following days.<ref name="Government"/> Following visits by other doctors, including teams from Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt—and agreement by Israel not to block his return—Arafat was taken on a French government jet to the [[Percy military hospital]] in [[Clamart]], a suburb of Paris.<ref name="Funeral">{{cite web |title=Arafat's funeral held in Cairo: Mystery illness |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4005027.stm |first=Peter |last=Biles |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-11-12]] |accessdate=2007-11-02 }}</ref> According to one of his doctors, Arafat was suffering from [[Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura]] (ITP), an immunologically-mediated decrease in the number of circulating platelets to abnormally low levels.<ref name="Government">{{cite web |url=http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC052021/Government/GovernmentPage.html |title=Ending of Yasser's Life |publisher=Palestine: The Mystery Country }}</ref> On November 3, he lapsed into a gradually deepening coma. In the ensuing days, Arafat's health was the subject of some speculation, with suspicion that he was suffering from [[poison]]ing or [[AIDS]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/4348.htm |title=Hospital concealment strengthens suspicion: Arafat died of AIDS |date=[[2004-11-11]] |work=[[Israel Insider]] |publisher=Koret Communications }}</ref> Various sources speculated that Arafat was [[comatose]], in a "vegetative state" or dead, however, Palestinian authorities and Arafat's Jordanian doctor denied reports that Arafat was brain dead and had been kept on life support.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.volokh.com/posts/chain_1100148783.shtml |title=Arafat: If he is "brain-dead," he is dead |first=Jim |last=Lindgren |date=[[2004-11-04]] |work=The Volokh Conspiracy using passage published by [http://www.afp.com/english/home/ France-Press] }}</ref> |
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A controversy erupted between officials of the PNA and Suha Arafat when officials from the PNA traveled to France to see Yasser Arafat. Suha stated "They are trying to bury Abu Ammar [Arafat] alive".<ref>{{cite news |first=Julie |last=Stahl |title='They're Trying to Bury My Husband Alive' Suha Arafat Says |url=http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200411/FOR20041108c.html |work=CNS News |publisher=Cybercast News Service |date=[[2004-11-08]] |accessdate=2007-10-11 }}</ref> [[Law of France|French law]] forbids physicians from discussing the condition of their patients with anybody with the exception, in case of grave prognosis, of close relatives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?commun=&code=CSANPUNL.rcv&art=L1110-4 |title=Code of Public Health |date=[[2002-03-05]] |publisher=Legifrance |language=French }}</ref> Accordingly, all communications concerning Arafat's health had to be authorized by his wife. Palestinian officials expressed regret that the news about Yasser Arafat was "filtered" by her.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=Top Palestinians arrive in Paris 'Apologize' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3991153.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-11-08]] |accessdate=2007-10-11 }}</ref> |
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The next day, chief surgeon Christian Estripeau of Percy reported that Arafat's condition had worsened, and that he had fallen into a deeper coma.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/07/content_2187955.htm |title=Arafat's health unchanged: French official |date=[[2004-11-07]] |work=China View |publisher=Xinhua News Agency }}</ref> [[Sheikh Taissir Tamimi]], the head of the Islamic court of the Palestinian territories—who held a vigil at Arafat's bedside—visited Arafat and declared that it was out of the question to disconnect him from life support since, according to him, such an action is prohibited in [[Islam]].<ref name="Arafat Timeline"/> |
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Arafat was pronounced dead at 3:30 am [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on November 11 at the age of 75. The exact cause of his illness is unknown. Tamimi described it as "a very painful scene."<ref name="Arafat Timeline"/> When Arafat's death was announced, the Palestinian people went into a state of mourning, with [[Qur'an]]ic mourning prayers emitted from mosque loudspeakers and tires burning in the street. One obituary at [http://www.socialistworld.net/ Socialist World] said: "Many Palestinians will view the death of Yasser Arafat with a mixture of sadness and a wish that the Palestinian Authority he led, had done much more to end the poverty and oppression that blights their lives".<ref>{{cite news |first=Rotem |last= |title=Palestinians mourn Arafat but struggle for liberation will continue |url=http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2004/11/11arafat.html |work=Obituary |publisher=Maavik Sotzialisti (Socialist World News) |date=[[2004-11-11]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> |
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The ''[[Le Canard enchaîné|Canard Enchaîné]]'' newspaper reported alleged leaks of information by unnamed medical sources at Percy hospital who had access to Arafat and his medical file. According to the newspaper, the doctors at Percy hospital suspected, from Arafat's arrival, grave lesions of the liver responsible for an alteration of the composition of the blood; Arafat was therefore placed in a [[hematology]] service. [[Leukemia]] was "soundly ruled out". According to the same source, the reason why this diagnosis of [[cirrhosis]] could not be made available was that, in the mind of the general public, cirrhosis is generally associated with the consequences of alcohol abuse. Even though the diagnosis was not of an alcoholic cirrhosis and Arafat was not known for consuming any alcohol, there was a likelihood of rumors. The source explained that Arafat's living conditions did little to improve the situation. Thus, according to the source, the probable causes of the disease were multiple; Arafat's coma was a consequence of the worsened cirrhosis. The French newspaper ''[[Le Monde]]'' quoted doctors as saying that he suffered from "an unusual blood disease and a liver problem".<ref>{{cite news |title= Palestinians head to Paris to probe Arafat's death |url=http://www.despardes.com/oscartango/111704.html |work=Oscar-Tango |publisher=Despardes Inc. |date=[[2004-11-17]] |accessdate=2007-09-26 }}</ref> |
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After Arafat's death, the [[Ministry of Defence (France)|French Ministry of Defense]] said that Arafat's medical file would be transmitted to only his [[next of kin]]. It was determined that Arafat's nephew and PNA envoy to the UN, [[Nasser al-Qudwa]], was a close enough relative, thus working around Suha Arafat's silence on her husband's illness. Nasser al-Qudwa was given a copy of Arafat's 558-page medical file by the French Ministry of Defense.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arafat doctors found 'no poison':Tests on Yasser Arafat's body showed no traces of any known poisons, according to medical files released on Monday. |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4032257.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-11-22]] |accessdate=2007-09-02 }}</ref> |
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===Poison and AIDS controversy=== |
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In September 2005, the Israeli newspaper ''[[Haaretz]]'' reported that French experts could not determine the cause of Arafat's death. The paper quoted an Israeli AIDS expert who claimed that Arafat bore all the symptoms of AIDS, a hypothesis later rejected by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="AIDS">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4225332.stm |title=Cause of Arafat death 'unknown' Medical records of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat appear to show that doctors could not determine the underlying cause of his death. |date=[[2005-09-08]] |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII }}</ref> |
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Ashraf al-Kurdi, a personal physician of Arafat for twenty years and who treated also the [[List of Kings of Jordan|Hashemite kings of Jordan]], later declared that nothing in Arafat's medical report mentioned the existence of such an infection.<ref name="Al-Kurdi Claims">{{cite news |first=Danny |last=Rubenstein |authorlink=Danny Rubenstein |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=892231&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1 |title=Arafat's doctor: There was HIV in his blood, but poison killed him |date=[[2005-09-08]] |work=Haaretz |publisher=Haaretz }}</ref> Another "senior Israeli physician" claimed in the article in ''Haaretz'' that it was "a classic case of food poisoning", probably caused by a meal eaten four hours before he fell ill that may have contained a toxin such as [[ricin]], rather than a standard bacterial poisoning. However, in the same week as the report in ''Haaretz'', ''The New York Times'' published a separate report, also based on access to Arafat's medical records, which claimed that it was highly unlikely that Arafat had AIDS or [[Foodborne illness|food poisoning]].<ref name="AIDS"/><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite news |title=Arafat’s doctor wants autopsy |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6472056/ |work=Associated Press |date=[[2004-11-12]] |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> Both publications further speculated that the cause of death may have been an infection of an unknown nature or origin. However, rumors of Arafat's poisoning have remained popular around the world, and especially among the Arab populace. Al-Kurdi lamented the fact that Arafat's widow Suha had refused an autopsy, which would have answered many questions in the cause of death case.<ref name="Al-Kurdi Claims"/><ref>{{cite news |first=Steven |last=Erlanger |coauthors=Lawrence K. Altman |title=Medical Records Say Arafat Died From a Stroke |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/international/middleeast/08arafat.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FP%2FPoisoning%20and%20Poisons&pagewanted=print |work=The New York Times |publisher=New York Times Company |date=[[2005-09-08]] |accessdate=2007-09-26 }}</ref> In 2005, al-Kurdi called for the creation of an independent commission to carry out investigations concerning Arafat's suspicious death, stating, "any doctor would tell you that these are the symptoms of a poisoning".<ref name="Al-Kurdi Claims"/><ref>{{cite news |first=Amnon |last=Kapeliouk |title=Yasser Arafat a-t-il été assassiné? ("Was Arafat murdered?") |url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2005/11/KAPELIOUK/12894?var_recherche=arafat |publisher=Le Monde diplomatique |date=[[2005-11-02]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 |language= French }}</ref> He had previously told the ''[[Associated Press]]'' that Arafat had the AIDS virus and that "it was given to him to cover up the poison".<ref name="Al-Kurdi Claims"/> |
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[[National Assembly of France|Paris deputy]] Claude Goasguen asked for a parliamentary inquiry commission on the death of Arafat in an attempt to quell rumors. The French government insisted that there was no evidence Arafat had been poisoned; otherwise, a criminal investigation would have necessarily been opened.<ref>{{cite news |title=Debate on the Death of Yasser Arafat |url=http://forum.aufeminin.com/forum/actu1/__f32528_actu1-Polemique-sur-la-mort-de-yasser-arafat.html |
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|work=[[Reuters]] |publisher=Un site auFeminin.com Network |date=[[2004-11-17]] |accessdate=2007-09-02 |language=French }}</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
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===Burial=== |
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[[Image:Arafat Tomb.JPG|thumb|right|Arafat's tomb at the PNA [[Mukataa#Arafat's compound|Presidential headquarters]] in [[Ramallah]], 2004 ]] |
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On November 11, the [[Military of France|French military]] [[Honor Guard]] held a funeral for Arafat at a military airport near Paris.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arafat begins final journey |first=Sarah |last=Left |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1348445,00.html |work=[[Guardian Unlimited]] |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=[[2004-11-11]] |accessdate=2007-12-04 }}</ref> President [[Jacques Chirac]] stood alone beside Arafat's body for about ten minutes in a last show of respect for a leader he hailed as, "a man of courage".<ref>{{cite web |title=Arafat's Body Arrives in Cairo Ahead of Ceremony on Friday |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/international/middleeast/11cnd-araf.html?pagewanted=2 |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher=The New York Times |date=[[2004-11-11]] |accessdate=2007-12-06 }}</ref> The next day, Arafat was flown to Egypt's capital Cairo for another brief [[military funeral]] there, before his burial in Ramallah, later that day. The funeral was attended by several heads of states, prime ministers and foreign ministers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arafat's funeral: Who was there |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4003463.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-11-12]] |accessdate=2007-11-02 }}</ref> Egypt's top Muslim cleric [[Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy|Sayed Tantawi]] led mourning prayers preceding the funeral procession.<ref name="Funeral"/> |
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Israel refused Arafat's wish to be buried near the [[al-Aqsa Mosque]] or anywhere in [[Jerusalem]], citing widespread security concerns.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel Plans for Arafat Burial in Gaza |url=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/11/7/113931.shtml |publisher=Associated Press |date=[[2004-11-04]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> Following his Cairo procession, Arafat was "temporarily" laid to rest within his [[Mukataa|former headquarters]] in Ramallah; the ceremony was watched by thousands of Palestinians.<ref name="Funeral"/> After [[Sheikh Taissir Tamimi]] discovered that Arafat was buried improperly and in a coffin–which is not in accordance with [[Islamic law]]–Arafat was reburied on the morning of November 13, at around 3:00 am.<ref>{{cite news |title=No way to die |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1374609,00.html |work=[[Guardian Unlimited]] |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=[[2004-12-16]]}}</ref> On November 10, 2007, prior to the third anniversary of Arafat's death, Abbas unveiled a [[mausoleum]] for Arafat near his temporary tomb in commemoration of him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arafat mausoleum opened by Abbas |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7088743.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2007-11-10]] |accessdate=2007-11-10 }}</ref> |
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===Successor=== |
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Upon Arafat's death, [[Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council|PLC Speaker]] [[Rawhi Fattouh]] succeeded Arafat as interim President of the PNA. PLO Secretary-General [[Mahmoud Abbas]] was selected Chairman of the PLO, and [[Farouk Kaddoumi]] became head of Fatah.<ref name="Sucessor">{{cite web |title=Who could follow Arafat? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1362216.stm |first=Roger |last=Hardy |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVII |date=[[2004-12-01]] |accessdate=2007-11-02 }}</ref> The PNA and the leadership of [[Palestinian refugee camps]] in Lebanon declared forty days of mourning for Arafat.<ref name="Funeral"/> Abbas won the [[Palestinian presidential election, 2005|January 2005 presidential election]] by a comfortable margin, solidifying himself as the successor to Arafat as leader of the Palestinians. |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of Fatah members]] |
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* [[List of Palestinians]] |
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* [[Nobel Prize controversies]] |
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* [[Person of the Year]] |
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* [[Yasser Arafat International Airport]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{Reflist|3}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* {{cite book |last= Aburish |first= Said K. |authorlink= Said Aburish |coauthors= |title= Arafat: From Defender to Dictator |year= 1998 |publisher= [[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |location=[[New York]] |isbn= 978-1-58234-049-4 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Cobban |first= Helena |title= The Palestine Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics |year= 1984 |publisher= [[Cambridge University Press]] |location=[[Cambridge]] |isbn= 0-521-27216-5}} |
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* {{cite book |last= Gowers |first= Andrew |authorlink=Andrew Gowers |coauthors= Tony Walker |title= Arafat: The Biography |year= 2005 |publisher= Virgin Books |location= |isbn= 978-1-85227-924-0 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Hart |first= Alan |authorlink=Alan Hart |title= Arafat |year= 1994 |publisher= Sidgwick & Jackson |location= |isbn= 978-0-283-06220-9 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Livingstone |first= Neil |title= Inside the PLO |year= 1990 |publisher= [[Reader's Digest|Reader's Digest Association]] |isbn= 978-0-7090-4548-9 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Rubin |first= Barry M. |coauthors= Judith Colp Rubin |title= Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography |year= 2003 |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]] |location= |isbn= 978-0-19-516689-7 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Rubenstein |first= Danny |authorlink=Danny Rubenstein |coauthors= Dan Leon |title= The Mystery of Arafat |year= 1995 |publisher= Steerforth Press |location= |isbn= 978-1-883642-10-5 }} |
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* {{cite book |last= Wallach |first= Janet |title= Arafat: In the Eyes of the Beholder |year= 1990 |publisher= Lyle Stuart |isbn= 978-0-8184-0533-4 }} |
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==External links== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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{{commons|Yasser Arafat}} |
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* [http://www.yasserarafat.info/ The official website of President: Yasser Arafat ] The official website of Yasser Arafat |
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* [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,781566-1,00.html A Life in Retrospect: Yasser Arafat] Time magazine retrospective |
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* [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1994/arafat-bio.html Biography of Yasser Arafat] The Nobel e-Museum |
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* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article500048.ece Life and times of Yassir Arafat], [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article500039.ece Profile: Yassir Arafat] Times Online, UK |
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* [http://www.passia.org/Arafat/Arafat.pdf Yasser Arafat (1929-2004) PASSIA] |
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* [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560094/Arafat_Yasir.html Encarta Article on Yasser Arafat] |
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* {{dmoz|Regional/Middle_East/Palestinian_Territory/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Politicians/Yasser_Arafat}} |
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{{Nobel Peace Prize Laureates 1976-2000}} |
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{{Time Persons of the Year 1976-2000}} |
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{{Featured article}} |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME=Arafat, Yasser |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=ياسر عرفات (Arabic); Abu `Ammar (kunya) |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION=President of the Palestinian Authority |
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|DATE OF BIRTH=August 4 or 24, 1929 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Cairo]], [[Egypt]] |
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|DATE OF DEATH=November 11, 2004 |
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|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Paris]], [[France]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arafat, Yasser}} |
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[[Category:1929 births]] |
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[[Category:2004 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Cairo University alumni]] |
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[[Category:Civil engineers]] |
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[[Category:Fatah members]] |
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[[Category:Nobel Peace Prize laureates]] |
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[[Category:Palestine Liberation Organization]] |
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[[Category:Palestinian leaders]] |
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[[Category:Palestinian militants]] |
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[[Category:Presidents of the Palestinian National Authority]] |
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[[Category:Rebels]] |
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[[Category:Time magazine Persons of the Year]] |
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[[Category:Palestinian Muslims]] |
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[[Category:Cause of death disputed]] |
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[[az:Yasir Ərəfat]] |
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[[bn:ইয়াসির আরাফাত]] |
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[[be-x-old:Ясір Арафат]] |
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[[ko:야세르 아라파트]] |
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[[hi:यासिर अराफ़ात (फिलिस्तीनी नेता)]] |
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[[kn:ಯಾಸಿರ್ ಅರಾಫತ್]] |
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[[ka:იასირ არაფატი]] |
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[[ku:Yaser Erefat]] |
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[[zh:亚西尔·阿拉法特]] |
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Revision as of 01:16, 12 January 2009
A PIECE OF WORTHLESS SHIT THAT GOT AIDS FROM HAVING SEX WITH LITTLE 10 YEAR OLD PALESTINIAN BOYS, AS WELL AS DISEASED MONKEYS!