| Leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Date of Birth: 21.03.1929 |
Mohamed Abdel Raouf Arafat was born on August 24, 1929 (according to official documents), in Cairo, Egypt, to a wealthy Muslim family. He later adopted the name Yasser Arafat to disassociate himself from Abdel Qader al-Husayni, the commander of Palestinian forces held responsible for the Arab defeat in the first war against Israel. Arafat's early experiences, including witnessing British soldiers arrest his uncle, influenced his political views.
Arafat became involved in the Palestinian struggle at an early age. In 1952, he established and led the Union of Palestinian Students in Egypt. He graduated in engineering in 1956 and joined the Egyptian army to fight Israel in the Suez Crisis.
In 1959, Arafat co-founded the Palestine Liberation Movement (Fatah). The organization's aim was to achieve Palestinian independence through armed struggle against Israel. In 1964, Arab leaders created the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to control Palestinian aspirations, but Arafat resisted its authority.
Fatah's operations in Israel led to the 1967 Six-Day War, where Israel gained control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This defeat prompted Arafat to lead the Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation. In 1969, he became Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and later Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Revolutionary Forces.
In 1974, the PLO adopted a new political program that advocated for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Arafat's address to the UN General Assembly, where he offered an olive branch of peace, gained international recognition for the PLO. In 1994, he signed the Oslo Accords with Israel, which established Palestinian autonomy in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
Despite his political commitments, Arafat remained a bachelor for most of his life, famously declaring that "my wife is the Palestinian revolution." In 1992, he married 28-year-old Suha Taweel, his economic adviser. He became a father in 1995 and adopted 12 Palestinian children before his marriage.
Yasser Arafat's charisma, determination, and deep understanding of the Middle East earned him unwavering support among Palestinians. His ascetic lifestyle and relentless pursuit of Palestinian rights endeared him to his followers. Arafat's legacy remains complex and controversial, as he was both praised as a peacemaker and denounced as a terrorist. Regardless, his role as the leading figure in the Palestinian struggle for independence left an indelible mark on history.