Yasser Arafat

Military Commander

1929 – 2004

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Who was Yasser Arafat?

Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political party and former paramilitary group, which he founded in 1959. Arafat spent much of his life fighting against Israel in the name of Palestinian self-determination. Originally opposed to Israel's existence, he modified his position in 1988 when he accepted UN Security Council Resolution 242. Arafat and his movement operated from several Arab countries. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fatah faced off with Jordan in a brief civil war. Forced out of Jordan and into Lebanon, Arafat and Fatah were major targets of Israel's 1978 and 1982 invasions of that country.

Arafat remains a highly controversial figure whose legacy has been widely disputed. He was "revered by many Arabs," and most Palestinians, regardless of political ideology or faction, viewing him as a freedom fighter who symbolized their national aspirations. However, he was also reviled, especially by many Israelis, who viewed him as a terrorist responsible for hundreds of bombings and deaths. Critics have accused Arafat of mass corruption, secretly amassing a personal wealth estimated to be USD $1.3 billion by 2002 despite the degrading economic conditions of the Palestinians.

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Born
Aug 24, 1929
Cairo
Also known as
  • Abu Ammar
  • Yassir Arafat
  • Jassir Arafat
  • Muhammad 'Abd Ar-Ra'uf Al-Qudwah Al-Husayni
  • Yasir
  • Mohammed Abdel Rahman
  • Yasser
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Islam
  • Sunni Islam
Ethnicity
  • Arab people
Nationality
  • Palestinian territories
Profession
Education
  • Bachelor's degree, Cairo University
    Civil Engineering
    (1944 - 1950)
Died
Nov 11, 2004
Clamart

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Yasser Arafat." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/yasser_arafat>.

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