Yasser Arafat Facts & Worksheets

Yasser Arafat, also known as Yassir Arafat, was the leader of Fatah, the largest of the PLO’s constituent groups. He served as President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 1996 to 2004. The Nobel Peace Prize was given to Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres of Israel in 1994.

See the fact file below for more information about Yasser Arafat, or you can download our 27-page Yasser Arafat worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY YEARS

• One of a wealthy merchant’s seven children, Arafat, was related to the prominent al-Husayn family, which significantly impacted Palestinian history. 
• Among its members was the grand mufti of Jerusalem, Amn al-Husayn, a key figure in the anti-Zionist movement under the British Mandate.
• Arafat started his civil engineering studies in 1949 at Cairo’s King Fud University (later known as Cairo University). 
• His claims and other details and occurrences from his early life have been challenged. He claimed to have fought as a volunteer during the first Arab-Israeli wars (1948–49) and then once more against the British at the Suez Canal in the early 1950s. 
• He joined the Union of Palestinian Students as a student in Egypt and led it from 1952 until 1956.
• He also had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1954, during the crackdown that followed one of their members’ failed assassination attempts on Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, Arafat was imprisoned for harboring Brotherhood sympathies. 
• He finished his education after being released, earning an engineering degree in July 1956. After receiving his commission in the Egyptian army, Arafat fought for Egypt in the Suez Crisis in October 1956.

CREATION OF FATAH

• In 1959, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Arafat established Fatah, a political and military organization, with Khalil al-Wazr, al-Khalaf, and Khlid al-Assan. 
• The Fatah movement believed that the liberation of Palestine was primarily the responsibility of the Palestinian people and should not be left in the hands of Arab regimes or delayed until Arab unity was achieved. 
• This theory was incompatible with Nasser’s pan-Arab goals and the Egyptian and Syrian Ba’ath parties’ powerful regional goals.
• The idea of military struggle was prepared by Arafat and Fatah and modeled after guerrillas fighting in the Algerian War of Independence. 
• After Algeria’s 1962 victory over France, Fatah and the fedayeen (guerillas operating against Israel) became dominant in Palestinian mobilization. Arafat was appointed chairman of the PLO’s executive committee in 1969.
• The PLO was an umbrella organization established in Jerusalem by the Arab League in 1964 and was previously governed by Egypt. 
• Fatah faced interference from various Arab governments, including the Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Arafat worked around these limitations, realizing that Palestinian solidarity was their greatest strength.
• Fatah forces were headquartered in Jordan after 1967, attacking Israel, but the attacks failed and caused friction with Jordan’s King, Ussein. The fedayeen moved to Lebanon in 1970 and stayed there until 1982.

TOWARD DIPLOMACY

• Fatah, a Palestinian terrorist group, turned to international terrorism after losing in Jordan.
• Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Fatah changed its strategy and diplomatic efforts, accepting the idea of a state consisting of the Gaza Strip and West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital.
• The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was acknowledged as the sole authorized representation of the Palestinian people at Arab summits in 1973-1974, allowing the company to establish offices in other nations, including some European capitals.
• In 1975-1976, the PLO was dragged into combat in Lebanon due to the armed Palestinian presence. 
• Relations between Arafat and Syrian President Assad were strained, with Syria trying to lure the PLO into its orbit and undermining it through Palestinian groups. Arafat, wary of Syria, worked to uphold PLO independence.
• 1982’s Israeli invasion of Lebanon compelled Arafat to move his administrative center to Tunis, Tunisia. 
• Tensions between Syria and Arafat grew, with Syria backing anti-Arafat forces and rebranding the PLO as a pro-Syrian entity. 
• Arafat attempted to return to Lebanon in 1983 but was surrounded by Fatah fighters with Syria’s support, leading to his exile.
• The first intifah, which began in December 1987, confirmed Palestinian support for the PLO and the founding of the militant Islamist group AMS. 
• In 1988, Arafat oversaw the recognition of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the infamous partition plan, and declared the creation of an undefined autonomous Palestinian state.

FROM AGREEMENT TO THE SECOND INTIFĀḌAH OF YASSER ARAFAT

• The Madrid Conference in 1991 brought together Arab nations, Palestinians, and Israel, presided over jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union. 
• The Palestinians were represented by a Jordanian-Palestinian delegation due to Israel’s refusal to interact with the PLO. 
• While the Madrid meetings did not lead to a significant agreement, they laid the foundation for future discussions.
• In 1993, secret negotiations in Oslo resulted in the Oslo Accords, with Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat acknowledging each other and agreeing to a process of Palestinian independence in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
• Tensions increased after Rabin’s assassination in 1995, and negotiations stalled. A new agreement, Oslo II, was signed in 1995, creating a complex system of zones in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Arafat became the President of the Palestinian Authority in 1996.
• Efforts continued, with a summit at Camp David in 2000, but no final agreement was reached. The second intifada erupted in 2000, leading to a breakdown in negotiations. 
• Ariel Sharon’s election as prime minister in 2001 and increased violence further strained the peace process.
• Arafat’s diplomatic standing declined, and Israel confined him in Ramallah.
• He fell ill in 2004 and passed away in Paris. Rumors of poisoning circulated. In 2012, tests suggested the presence of polonium-210 in Arafat’s remains, leading to investigations with varying conclusions, but controversy persisted around the circumstances of his death.

LEGACY

• His intense religiosity and fervent nationalism must be considered when evaluating Yasser Arafat’s personality (even though he tended to associate Palestinian nationalism with himself). 
• Arafat frequently said that he was wed to the Palestinian cause, and, indeed, he never had another wife—at least not until he married Suh al-awl, a Palestinian woman of Christian ancestry with a Sorbonne education, in 1990. 
• He frequently worked into the night, meeting with leaders and media, sometimes well after midnight. 
• Even though he bought influence, paid for favors, and accepted the corruption of many people around him, he led a modest life and, despite criticism of his authoritarian governing style, could win the support of a sizable portion of the populace.
• Arafat faced many foes, both in Israel and the Arab world, and he evaded so many assassination attempts over the years that his foresight and fortitude came to be regarded as a legend.
• It isn’t easy to evaluate Arafat’s life in its entirety. After their terrible uprooting in the middle of the 20th century, he successfully re-established the Palestinians on the political scene. 
• In addition, he kept the Palestinian organization united despite meddling from neighboring Arab states. 
• But Arafat’s failures to establish reliable governmental institutions following 1993 were matched by his failures to comprehend the concerns of the Israeli populace.
• He had reached the point of total diplomatic isolation by the end of his life. 
• Still, as Amas and Fatah fought for power in the occupied territories in the years following his passing, it appeared as though he might be remembered as the last Palestinian leader to sign a peace treaty and impose it on the Palestinian people as a whole.

Yasser Arafat Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Yasser Arafat across 27 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Yasser Arafat. Yasser Arafat was the leader of Fatah, the largest of the PLO’s constituent groups. He served as President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 1996 to 2004.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Yasser Arafat Facts
2. Decipher Yasser
3. Timeline of Key Events
4. Global Journey
5. The UNGA Debate in Geneva
6. Tapestry of Palestinian History
7. Analyzing Symbolism
8. Debate on Leadership
9. Decision-Making Challenge
10. Imaginary Interview
11. Cooking Palestinian Mansaf

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Yasser Arafat?

Yasser Arafat was a Palestinian political leader and the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Born in 1929, he played a significant role in the Palestinian nationalist movement and the pursuit of an independent Palestinian state.

What was the Oslo Accords, and how did Yasser Arafat contribute to them?

The Oslo Accords were a series of agreements between Israel and the PLO that aimed to address the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yasser Arafat played a crucial role in these negotiations. In 1993, he signed the Oslo I Accord on behalf of the PLO, marking a historic moment as it was the first time both parties officially recognized each other.

Where did Yasser Arafat spend much of his political career?

Yasser Arafat spent a significant portion of his political career in exile. Following the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, he lived in various Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan. Arafat’s leadership of the PLO emerged during this period of exile.

What were the controversies surrounding Yasser Arafat’s leadership?

Arafat’s leadership was marked by both support and criticism. While he gained international recognition for his efforts towards Palestinian statehood, there were controversies, including allegations of corruption within the PLO and accusations of supporting terrorism. His leadership style and the PLO’s involvement in armed struggle contributed to mixed opinions about him.

When did Yasser Arafat pass away, and what were the circumstances surrounding his death?

Yasser Arafat passed away on November 11, 2004. The exact circumstances of his death remain a subject of debate. While his official medical records indicated a stroke caused by a blood disorder, there have been persistent rumors and conspiracy theories suggesting poisoning. However, no conclusive evidence supporting foul play has been presented to date.

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