Yasser Arafat (Palestinian Leader) - On This Day

Full Name: Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa
Profession: Palestinian Leader

Biography: Yasser Arafat served as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 until his death in 2004, and as President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) from 1994 also to 2004.

In the 1950s, Arafat co-founded Fatah, a Palestinian political party that initially sought to establish a Palestinian state through armed struggle against Israel. Fatah carried out attacks on Israeli targets from various Arab countries. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Arafat's prominence grew, and in 1969 he was elected chairman of the PLO.

During the 1970s, Fatah and the PLO were involved in the Lebanese Civil War, supporting the Lebanese National Movement. They continued their attacks against Israel, leading to conflicts such as the 1978 South Lebanon conflict and the 1982 Lebanon War.

In the late 1980s, Arafat began to shift towards a more diplomatic approach. He engaged in negotiations with Israel that resulted in the 1993 Oslo Accords. These agreements called for Israeli withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and affirmed the Palestinian right to self-government in those areas through the creation of the PNA.

In 1994, Arafat, along with Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Oslo Accords.

Later, in the early 2000s, Arafat's political position was weakened as Palestinian support shifted to more militant groups like Hamas. He was confined to his compound in Ramallah by the Israeli military for over two years. In October 2004, Arafat fell ill and was transported to France, where he died at the age of 75. The precise cause of his death remains a subject of debate.

Born: August 24, 1929
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt

Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Snake
Star Sign: Virgo

Died: November 11, 2004 (aged 75)
Cause of Death: Haemorrhagic stroke - although rumours of AICS and polonium poisoning persist

Historical Events

• 1969-02-04 The Palestine National Congress appoints Yasser Arafat chairman of the PLO
• 1969-02-07 Al-Fatah-leader Yasser Arafat becomes president of PLO
• 1975-11-10 PLO leader Yasser Arafat addresses UN in NYC
• 1982-08-30 PLO leader Yasser Arafat leaves Beirut
• 1982-09-15 Pope John Paul II receives PLO leader Yasser Arafat
• 1983-12-20 PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and 4,000 loyalists evacuate Lebanon
• 1983-12-22 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat
• 1988-12-06 Yasser Arafat meets prominent American Jews in Stockholm, Sweden
• 1988-12-07 PLO delegation lead by Yasser Arafat proclaims the State of Palestine, recognizing the existence of the State of Israel for the first time
• 1988-12-13 Yasser Arafat addresses UN in Geneva
• 1994-06-26 PLO leader Yasser Arafat returns to Gaza after 27 years
• 1994-10-14 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres
• 1994-12-10 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat
• 1995-09-28 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Oslo 2 Accord to transfer West Bank to the PLO (Taba, Egypt)
• 1997-01-19 Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
• 1998-08-11 Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian National Authority president, Yasser Arafat, arrives in Cape Town on his first state visit to South Africa at the invitation of President Nelson Mandela
• 1998-10-23 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat agree to the Wye River Memorandum, resuming implementation of the stalled Oslo II Accord which established a level of self-government for Palestine; signed at the White House, In Washington D.C.
• 2004-11-11 Yasser Arafat's death through unidentified causes confirmed by Palestine Liberation Organization, Mahmoud Abbas elected PLO chairman minutes later.
• 2005-01-09 Elections are held to replace Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. He is succeeded by Rawhi Fattouh.

Personal Life

• 1990-07-17 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (56) weds Suha Tawil (27)

References

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