From Beirut to Jerusalem

The chapter’s title refers to Yasser Arafat, leader of the PLO and one of the most durable figures in Middle East politics. Arafat is largely responsible for the emergence of the Palestinians as a distinct people with a presence on the world stage. However, Friedman finds that “the very skills and attributes that enabled Arafat to bring the Palestinians from obscurity to prime time would be the chains that would prevent him from bringing them from prime time to Palestine” (108).

Born in 1929, in his childhood Arafat bounced between Egypt and Gaza, moving to Kuwait after the formation of Israel in 1948. By 1956 he had decided to take part in the effort for a Palestinian state, joining a group called al-Fatah (‘victory’). Arab governments paid little heed to this group, and when Egyptian President Nasser formed the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964, it was to place Fatah and other such groups under his control. After Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, Arafat wrested control of the PLO from the discredited Arab states. He emerged as a sort of “Arab Pope” with enough legitimacy to navigate the treacherous waters of Arab politics (111).