This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Yasser Arafat [ a ] 4 or 24 August — 11 November , also popularly known by his kunya Abu Ammar , [ b ] was a Palestinian political leader.
Arafat was born to Palestinian parents in Cairo , Egypt, where he spent most of his youth. He studied at the University of King Fuad I. While a student, he embraced Arab nationalist and anti-Zionist ideas. Following the defeat of Arab forces, Arafat returned to Cairo and served as president of the General Union of Palestinian Students from to In the latter part of the s, Arafat co-founded Fatah, a paramilitary organization which sought Israel's replacement with a Palestinian state.
Fatah operated within several Arab countries, from where it launched attacks on Israeli targets. Fatah's growing presence in Jordan resulted in military clashes with King Hussein 's Jordanian government and in the early s it relocated to Lebanon.
There, Fatah assisted the Lebanese National Movement during the Lebanese Civil War and continued its attacks on Israel, resulting in the organization becoming a major target of Israeli invasions during the South Lebanon conflict and Lebanon War.
From to , Arafat based himself in Tunisia, and began to shift his approach from open conflict with the Israelis to negotiation.
