Arafat, Yasser (Palestinian Territories, Israel)

Introduction

Yasser Arafat has been synonymous with the Palestinian campaign for independent statehood since the 1960s. Variously labelled a terrorist, resistance fighter and statesman, he remained the dominant personality in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the figurehead with whom successive Israeli leaders had to deal. In the aftermath of the 1993 Oslo agreements, he was elected President of the Palestinian Authority in Jan. 1996. However, after the renewed Palestinian intifada from Sept. 2000 and the uncompromising military response of the Israeli government, he was sidelined internationally and his leadership called into question. In March 2003 he agreed to create the post of prime minister, a move demanded by Israel and the US before the peace process could resume. The following month an internationally-brokered ‘roadmap to peace’, allowing for the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, was published.

Early Life

Arafat was born in Aug. 1929, although the...