Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat was a Palestinian political leader who headed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and served as president of the Palestinian Authority from 1996 to 2004.

Yasser Arafat was a Palestinian political leader who headed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and served as president of the Palestinian Authority from 1996 to 2004. He became one of the central figures in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for the Oslo Accords process.

Early life

Most sources state that Arafat was born in 1929, commonly in Cairo, though his exact birthplace has been disputed in some accounts. He later became active in Palestinian politics and nationalist organizing.

Leadership of the PLO

Arafat became chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1969 and remained its central leader for decades. Under his leadership, the PLO became the main internationally recognized representative body of the Palestinian national movement.

Peace negotiations and Oslo

In 1993, Arafat helped lead the PLO into a peace agreement with Israel known as the Oslo Accords. He, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres received the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in the peace process.

Palestinian Authority

Arafat became president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996 and remained in that role until his death in 2004. His later years were marked by stalled negotiations, internal Palestinian politics, and continued conflict with Israel.