Yasser Arafat

About Yasser Arafat

The leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for 35 years. Arafat led the Palestinian national movement from the 1960s through peace negotiations in the 1990s. He signed the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993, recognizing Israels right to exist. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 alongside Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. Arafat became President of the Palestinian Authority in 1994. The Second Intifada from 2000 destroyed the peace process. Arafat died in 2004 under mysterious circumstances. Traces of polonium were found on his belongings, leading to theories of assassination. He remains a polarizing figure.