Yasser Arafat (1929-2004) was a Palestinian leader who became the first Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. He is best known for his role in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which he led from 1964 until his death in 2004. He was also the chairman of the Palestine National Council (PNC), the legislative body of the PLO, from 1968 until his resignation in January 1994. Arafat was born to Palestinian parents in Cairo, Egypt on 15 November 1929. He studied at Cairo University, receiving his MA degree in economics
He became a political activist during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and joined Fatah, an organization founded by fellow Palestinian political emigrants that sought to liberate Palestine through armed struggle. On 11 December 1965, he was elected President of Fatah, and on 28 January 1966 he was appointed Chairman of the PLO's Executive Committee. On 5 June 1967, following Egypt's military intervention against Syria during the Six-Day War, he declared an armed struggle for "the liberation of all of Palestine." On 14 September 1969 he negotiated with King Hussein of Jordan a secret agreement dividing up power between Fatah and Jordanian intelligence agency, creating what came to be known as "the Third Way" or "popular resistance." An attempt on Arafat's life on 19 November 1969 failed to kill him but left him severely injured. The attempt was made by members of Black September, an organization responsible for many terrorist attacks against Israelis during 19 years of conflict between Israel and various Palestinian groups.
On 4 October 1974 he declined to become President of the newly created Palestinian National Authority saying that there were too many other responsibilities to take care of; instead he accepted a position as Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. On 3 December 1977 Arafat became President and Chairman-in-Office of the PNA and made Algiers (rather than Tunis) his official residence and headquarters for diplomatic purposes. On 15 May 1988 he accepted an invitation from King Fahd bin Abdallah Al Saud (Kingdom Saudi Arabia) for an official visit to Saudi Arabia; this broke with years-old tradition by which visiting heads-of-state stayed at foreign embassies in Riyadh rather than at their own residences in the city.
This visit was intended as a gesture of good will toward Saudi Arabia following its decision to back Iraq during its war with Iran; however, it attracted considerable criticism from Arab states who considered it a blow against their independence and
Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations.Yasser Arafat
Our law is a Jordanian law that we inherited, which applies to both the West Bank and Gaza, and sets the death penalty for those who sell land to Israelis.Yasser Arafat
I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter's gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.Yasser Arafat
