Name:                   MOHAMMED  RYASSERS ARAFAT
    
Titles:     CHAIRMAN OF THE P.L.O, AND PRESIDENT OF PALESTINE

Year of Birth: 1929
Height: 5 ft 4 in.

	 I Mohammed Arafat was born in Gaza, Palestine in 1929 and later 
took on the name Yasser .  My parents were lower-middle class merchants, 
my mother died when I was four years old and I was sent to live with an 
uncle in Jerusalem. I soon moved to Cairo where I spent my formative 
years. After completing high school I went on to study engineering at the 
University of Cairo, it was at this time that I began to take a 
leadership role in the fight for Palestinian rights. I became head of the 
Palestinian Student Organization and began to work with my peers.
	
	In 1957 I moved to Kuwait and found a job as an engineer, though 
I had left Cairo and the PSO, I was still intrigued by the Palestinian 
cause. After settling in Kuwait I and several other young Palestinian 
activists established a small organization called al-Fatah (Arabic for 
the conquest). We took on a militant platform to further the plight of 
the Palestinian people. In 1964 the Palestinian Liberation Organization 
was formed by a group of veteran activists, al-Fatah was not part of the 
new  establishment recognized throughout the Arab world.
	
	The defeat in the 1967 war was a disastrous time for the newly 
formed PLO, the Palestinian people lost faith in  the organization and 
searched for new leaders to fight for their cause. In 1957 al- fatah  
launched its  first military raid on Israel from Syrian borders, and 
continued attacks after the war. I gained great support from the my 
people during this time period, and in 1969 al- Fatah  merged with the 
PLO .  In the 1970Us I became the head of the PLO, and soon after I was 
bombarded with questions from the world press. In order for the 
organization to stay strong I reviled very little about my personal 
background; only information that I felt  would benefit the plight of my 
brethren.  
	
	Who exactly are you ?- I am a fighter in the ranks of the 
Palestinian revolution.- Is your name Yasser Arafat? - That is the name 
by which I have been known since my university days.- Where are you from ?
- From the very heart of the Palestinian people.- The Palestinians would 
like to know more about their leader; permit us to ask once again who you
are?- I am a son of the Palestinian people and a fighter in the ranks of 
the revolution.
	
	The P.L.O maintained a militant image throughout the early 70Us. 
I continually sent feyadeen to attack  Israeli borders, in order to 
continue on our ultimate goal of creating a Palestinian state . After the 
war in 1973 I saw a window of opportunity to change the militant platform 
of the PLO to one of diplomacy. I realized that post war negotiations 
could be beneficial for my organization. In 1974 before the United 
Nations General Assembly, the Arab world recognized the PLO as the sole 
representative of the Palestinian people.It was not until 1988 that the 
PLO officially recognized IsraelUs statehood, and since that date the 
relationship between our two nations has blossomed.
	
	Today I am 67 years old and stand at a height of five foot, four 
inches tall. Typically I  can be seen wearing a traditional Arab chequerd 
head dress called a Kaffiyeh- red for the desert, black for the 
country, and white for my town. Since the summer of 1994  I have made 
several great strides in the eyes of the world, and the Palestinian 
people: including establishment of the first Palestinian government ( 
1994), reception of the Nobel Peace prize (1994), and most recently I was 
elected president of the newly formed Palestinian state ( 1996). Upon 
receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace in December, 1994 I made the 
following statement, which I feel best summarizes the plight of both 
myself, and the PLO.  Since my people entrusted me with the hard task of 
searching for our lost home, I have been filled with warm faith that 
those who carried their keys in the diaspora as they carry their own 
limbs, and that those who endured their wounds in the homeland and 
maintained their identity will be rewarded by return and freedom for 
their sacrifices. I have also been filled with faith that the arduous 
trek on the long path of pain will end in our homes yard.