Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat (Arabic: ???? ?????‎) (August 4 or August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Muhammad `Abd ar-Ra'uf al-Qudwa al-Husayni (???? ??? ?????? ?????? ???????) and also known as Abu `Ammar (??? ?????), was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969–2004); President{{fn|1}} of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) (1993–2004); and a co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize.

Tunisia

In September 1982, during the Israeli offensive into Lebanon, the Americans and Europeans brokered a cease-fire deal in which Arafat and the PLO were allowed to leave Lebanon; Arafat and his leadership eventually arrived in Tunisia, which remained his center of operations up until 1993.

Related Topics:
1982 - Israel - Lebanon - Americans - Europe - PLO - Tunisia - 1993

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Arafat again narrowly survived an Israeli attack in 1985. In Operation Wooden Leg, IAF F-15s bombed his headquarters in Tunis leaving 73 people dead; Arafat had gone out jogging that morning.

Related Topics:
Operation Wooden Leg - IAF - F-15

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During the 1980s, Arafat received assistance from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which allowed him to reconstruct the badly-battered PLO. This was particularly useful during the First Intifada in December, 1987. Although the Intifada was a spontaneous uprising against Israeli occupation, within weeks Arafat was attempting to direct the revolt, and Israelis believe that it was mainly because of Fatah forces in the West Bank that the civil unrest was able to continue for the duration.

Related Topics:
1980s - Iraq - Saudi Arabia - First Intifada - December - 1987 - Fatah - West Bank

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On November 15, 1988, the PLO proclaimed the independent State of Palestine, a government-in-exile for the Palestinians which laid claim to the whole of Palestine as defined by the British Mandate of Palestine, rejecting the idea of partition. In a December 13, 1988 address, Arafat accepted UN Security Council Resolution 242, promised future recognition of Israel, and renounced "terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism" http://mondediplo.com/focus/mideast/arafat88-en. Arafat's December 13 statement was encouraged by the U.S. administration, which insisted on the recognition of Israel as a necessary starting point in the Camp David peace negotiations. Arafat's statement indicated a shift from one of the PLO's primary aims — the destruction of Israel (as in the Palestinian National Covenant) — towards the establishment of two separate entities, an Israeli state within the 1949 armistice lines and a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, 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.

Related Topics:
November 15 - 1988 - State of Palestine - Palestinian - British Mandate of Palestine - December 13 - UN Security Council Resolution 242 - Camp David - Palestinian National Covenant - West Bank - Gaza Strip - April 2 - 1989

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In 1990 Arafat married Suha Tawil, a Palestinian Orthodox Christian working for the PLO in Tunis, who converted to Islam before marrying him. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3965541.stm

Related Topics:
1990 - Suha Tawil - Orthodox Christian - Islam

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During the 1991 Madrid Conference, Israel conducted open negotiations with the PLO for the first time. Prior to the Gulf War of 1991, Arafat opposed the U.N. attack on Iraq, alienating many of the Arab states, and leading to the U.S. disregarding his claims of being a partner for peace.

Related Topics:
1991 - Gulf War - Iraq

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Arafat narrowly escaped death again in 1992 as his aircraft crash-landed in the Libyan desert during a sandstorm. The pilot and several passengers were killed and Arafat received several broken bones and other injuries.

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