Weekly Report 2: Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat was born as Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa on August 24, 1929 to Palestinian parents in Cairo, Egypt.  He spent most of his youth in Cairo and studied at the University of King Fuad I.  As a student, he embraced Arab nationalist and anti-zionist ideas.  Opposing the 1948 creation of the Israeli state, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood in arms during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Yasser Arafat

Modern Day University of King Fuad I, now Cairo University

1948 Arab-Israeli War map

When he returned to Cairo, he was the President of the General Union of Palestinian Students from 1952 to 1956.  Shortly after, he founded Fatah, a parliamentary organization aimed to disestablish Israel and replace it with a Palestinian state.  Fatah operated in several Arab countries, launching attacks on Israeli targets.  Joining the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1967, he was elected chair of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in 1969.  A growing presence in Jordan led to military clashes with King Hussein bin Talal's Jordanian government.  Relocating to Lebanon, Fatah aided their Lebanese National Movement during the Lebanese Civil War, all the while attacking Israel.

PLO Logo

Fatah Flag

Now basing himself in Tunisia, Arafat shifted his approach from open conflict to negotiation.  After acknowledging Israel's right to exist in 1988, he sought a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  He engaged in numerous negotiations with the Israeli government to end the conflict, which included the Madrid Conference of 1991, the 1993 Oslo Accords, and the 2000 Camp David Summit.  Alongside Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, Arafat received the Nobel Peace Prize for the negotiations at Oslo.

President Clinton standing between Prime Minister Yitzahk Rabin and Yasser Arafat

Arafat alongside Rabin and Peres receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994

In late 2004, Arafat fell into a coma and died after being held within his Ramallah compound by the Israeli army.  Russian and French investigations reveal that no foul play was involved in his death.