The Prisoner

Yasir Arafat, former head of the PLO

Aug 24, 1929 Is born and raised as one of seven children of a merchant in Cairo. Although he claims to be related to the Jerusalem Husseini clan through his mother to increase his Palestinian identity, such claims are later discovered to be false.

1952-1956 Joins the Muslim Brotherhood and the Union of Palestinian Students, of which he is named president.

1956 Graduates from the University of Cairo as a civil engineer. Serves in the Egyptian army during the Suez Crisis.

1960s Moves to Kuwait where he finds work as an engineer and eventually sets up his own contracting firm. He also helps to found Fatah, an organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

1968 Fatah is the major target of an Israeli attack on the Jordanian village of Karameh, in which 150 Palestinian guerrillas and 29 Israeli soldiers are killed. Despite the failure on the ground, the battle is considered a strong showing for Fatah because the Israelis eventually withdraw and does much to raise Arafat's profile.

Feb 3, 1969 Arafat is appointed Palestinian Liberation Organization leader.

Sept 1972 The Black September "group," which is generally understood to have been an operational cover used by Arafat's Fatah, kidnaps 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. A botched rescue effort by the German police leaves all of the athletes and terrorists dead.

1974 Under world condemnation, Arafat orders the PLO to withdraw from acts of violence outside Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He becomes the first representative of a nongovernmental organization to address a plenary session of the UN General Assembly.

1976 The PLO is admitted to full membership in the Arab League as the sole representative of the Palestinian people.

1982 Israel launches Operation "Peace for Galilee" occupying most of South Lebanon. Israel allows the Lebanese Christian militias to massacre about 2000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. This amplifies the long-lasting bitterness and mistrust between Arafat and the then Minister of Defense, Ariel Sharon.

1982 Americans broker a deal in which Arafat and the PLO are allowed to leave Lebanon. Arafat moves his headquarters to Tunisia, which remains the center of his operations until 1993.

Nov 15, 1988 The PLO proclaims the "State of Palestine," a government-in-exile for the Palestinians, under the terms of UN General Assembly Resolution 181. In return, Arafat declares acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 242, promising future recognition of Israel and a renunciation of terrorism.

Oct 30, 1991 At the Madrid Conference, Israel enters into direct, face-to-face negotiations with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinians. Since Israel would not negotiate with the PLO, the Palestinians are represented by individuals from the West Bank and Gaza who supposedly are not associated with the group. This is a sham, as everyone knows, and PLO figures are in the hotels guiding the Palestinian delegation throughout the proceedings.

Sept 1993 At the Oslo Accords, Palestinians and Israelis talk of peace for the first time in a hundred years. Under the agreement, both sides recognize the rights of the other to exist as a people within the borders of Palestine/Israel, and commit themselves to negotiating a permanent settlement and to improving relations between the two peoples.

1994 Arafat is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

1996Following the election of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel, Palestinian-Israeli relations grow more hostile. Netanyahu tries to obstruct the transition to Palestinian statehood outlined in the Israel-PLO accord.

July 2000 Clinton sponsors the Camp David Summit with Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak offers Arafat a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, but fails to address other issues seen as vital to the process. In a widely criticized move, Arafat rejects Barak's offer, and fails to make a counter-offer.

Sep 28, 2000 Ariel Sharon enters the al-Aqsa Mosque with 1,500 Israeli soldiers igniting the Palestinian infitada.

Feb 2001 Sharon is elected Prime Minister of Israel by a wide margin.

2002 The Israeli army shells Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah holding him prisoner. He continues to be held under "house arrest."

March 2003 Under American pressure, Mamoud Abbas is named head of the PLO replacing Arafat. With little Palestinian support, Abbas resigns four months later.

Sept 2003 Arafat names Ahmed Korei new head of the PLO.