This page was taken down for updating on the date of 11 Nov. 2004 (the day that president Yasser Arafat left this world, leaving a mark of disgrace on the faces of those who tried to isolate him from the world, Palestine, and his people). Until this page is back, and in memory of our president, president Yasser Arafat, here is a small biography about him. May God rest his soul in peace, and may he give us (the Palestinians) the power to face the difficulties yet to come.
Name: Mohammed Yasser Abdel Raouf Arafat Al-Qudwa Al-Hussaini
Date of Birth: 24 August 1929
Place of birth: Cairo, Egypt
President Arafat was the 5th child to a Palestinian (with some Egyptian ancestry)textile merchant. Yasser Arafat's mother died when he was at the age of four, where Yasser had to move to live with his maternal uncle in Jerusalem. He only lived 4 years with his uncle, but it was enough time to learn how to love Palestine. One of his child hood memories is when a group of British soldiers broke into his uncle's house to beat family members and to break and smash their furniture.
1946 and at the age of 17 Yasser Arafat started to smuggle arms to the Palestinians to use against the British and the Jews who were taking over Palestine from its people.
Yasser Arafat attended university in Cairo, but at the age of 19, he left his studies to fight the Jews with the Arabs in Gaza strip. He got his degree in 1956 as an engineer, got a job in Egypt but then headed to Kuwait and got a working contract there. Shortly after, he was running his own contracting company. His spare time was dedicated to political activites to which he contributed a large amount of his profits to.
In 1958 Arafat formed Fatah which started to carry out raids on Israel from Jordan and Gaza strip.
Yasser Arafat became the chairman of the PLO in 1969 which was formed in 1964 by the Arab States.
The PLO takes the Palestinian case to the United Nations, and in 1974 Yasser Arafat addresses the United Nations general assembly and in his speech he says “I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."
In 1988, Yasser Arafat accepts Israel's right to exist at a special UN session in Geneva, and decides to get rid of the fighter's gun and keep the olive branch.
Yasser Arafat got married in 1991 to Ms. Soha Al-Taweel and their daughter Zahwa Arafat was born in 1995.
The PLO sign the Oslo accord with Israel in 1993 (president Yasser Arafat and PM Yitzhak Rabin).
The first Palestinian elections took place in 1996, and president Yasser Arafat was elected as president of the Palestinian Authority, and he carried on with the peace process.
28 September 2000, the Al-Aqsa Intifada starts after peace talks fail because Yasser Arafat refused to give up anymore rights of the Palestinians under the American, British, and Israeli compulsion. The Israelis destroy the compund for Yasser Arafat in April 2001 and force him into confinement, and tries to isolate Arafat from his people, the Palestinian case, and the rest of the world. He is accused of terrorism, described as a dictator.
On October 21st 2004 President Arafat is said to be having health problems.
On October 27th 2004 Palestinian sources say President Arafat’s health is deteriorating.
October 29th 2004 president Arafat leaves to the military hospital of Percy de Clamart in France for treatment.
On November 11th 2004 (2:30am Paris time), president Arafat rests in peace in Paris, a ceremoney is held in France, and his body is sent to Egypt where another ceremoney is to be held.
12 November 2004, Arafat's body is buried in his destroyed compound against his wish which was to be buried in Jerusalem due to the Israeli occupying forces who refused to grant this request.