Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography

Book Description

Yasir Arafat stands as one of the most resilient, recognizable and controversial political figures of modern times. The object of unrelenting suspicion, steady admiration and endless speculation, Arafat has occupied the center stage of Middle East politics for almost four decades. Yasir Arafat is the most comprehensive political biography of this remarkable man. Forged in a tumultuous era of competing traditionalism, radicalism, Arab nationalism, and Islamist forces, the Palestinian movement was almost entirely Arafat's creation, and he became its leader at an early age. Arafat took it through a dizzying series of crises and defeats, often of his own making, yet also ensured that it survived, grew, and gained influence. Disavowing terrorism repeatedly, he also practiced it constantly. Arafat's elusive behavior ensured that radical regimes saw in him a comrade in arms, while moderates backed him as a potential partner in peace. After years of devotion to armed struggle, Arafat made a dramatic agreement with Israel that let him return to his claimed homeland and transformed him into a legitimized ruler. Yet at the moment of decision at the Camp David summit and afterward, when he could have achieved peace and a Palestinian state, he sacrificed the prize he had supposedly sought for the struggle he could not live without. Richly populated with the main events and dominant leaders of the Middle East, this detailed and analytical account by Barry Rubin and Judith Colp Rubin follows Arafat as he moves to Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, and finally to Palestinian-ruled soil. It shows him as he rewrites his origins, experiments with guerrilla war, develops a doctrine of terrorism, fights endless diplomatic battles, and builds a movement, constantly juggling states, factions, and world leaders. Whole generations and a half-dozen U.S. presidents have come and gone over the long course of Arafat's career. But Arafat has outlasted them all, spanning entire eras, with three constants always present: he has always survived, he has constantly seemed imperiled, and he has never achieved his goals. While there has been no substitute for Arafat, the authors conclude, Arafat has been no substitute for a leader who could make peace.

Customer Reviews:

He Never Missed an Opportunity to Miss an Opportunity.......2006-11-07

I suppose I can be forgiven for being just a bit skeptical of a book about a radical Arab written by a couple American Jews. Could it ever have any claim to objectivity? Maybe in an American bookstore, I would have been inclined to pass it up. But I live in Beijing, China, where such books don't grow on trees. A Chinese friend put the book in my hands. I have been a bit puzzled and curious about the way Arafat is viewed as a revolutionary hero in China, yet China strives to maintain good relations with Israel, a nation whose very existence Arafat never accepted. So I read the book.

Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not saying that the book is totally objective in every respect. But it is a very well-written discussion of the relationship problems Arafat had, both with Israel, and with the leaders of the Arab nations, who were supposed to be his supporters. Bottom line: Arafat didn't get along with anyone.

In one sense, Arafat made this book for the writers, because he was so consistent in his complete inability to come to some kind of workable agreement with Israel. His whole life and work epitomized Abba Eban's statement about the Palestinians, who "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Personally, I don't think the statement is entirely fair when applied to the Palestinians, but it certainly is an appropriate statement about Arafat, who never gave up fighting the nation with whom he, more than any Arab before him, had the opportunity to make peace. If the peacemakers are blessed, Arafat is among the most cursed of all men. So how did such an ornery cuss gain such prominence? Part of his success is certainly due to his knack for self-promotion, and the brazenness of his contempt for Israel. But I must also admit that I fear much of his prominence came from the lack of regard for the plight of the Palestinians by Israel. Sarah didn't want Ishmael in her house, so the bondwoman had to leave. Israel seems to have the same feeling about the Palestinians. They shouldn't be part of the family. Israelis often protest when I talk about this, because (and they are right about this) Palestinians living in Israel have the same rights as Jews. The problem, though, is that many of the Palestinians do not live in Israel proper, and thus are not entitled to those rights. And the Israelis certainly have not invited them all in. That, really, is the point. I don't want to get carried away on that point, but it has to be mentioned in order to keep this in perspective. What I mean is that we should not blame Arafat for all the problems between the Palestinians and the Jews. He did not create the situation he so hopelessly mismanaged. Arafat's problem is that he just could not bring himself to accept any arrangement that allowed Israel to exist.

This is a good book. It is very negative, but I don't think unfairly so. I am assuming that this book is not your only source of information on the whole Israeli--Palestinian problem. I do feel that the Israelis have not cared enough about the plight of the Palestinians. This book does not stand alone. There needs to be much more exploration into the problem as a whole. But as far as Arafat himself is concerned, the authors did an excellent job of showing how much he stood in the way of progress on this issue, and the extent to which he was responsible for promoting violence even to the end of his life. As historians, their job is not finished. But as prosecutors, they won their case hands down.

extremely biased.......2005-08-15

This was an extremely biased account of Arafat and should not be ready by anyone seeking an unbiased biography. Throughout the book, the authors repeatedly condemn Arafat's refusal to agree to a peace deal, even though every deal offered him fell short of Israel's compliance with international law and withdrawal from Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967. While Arafat had many legitimate failures and weaknesses, blaming him for Israel's occupation is laughable and that seems to be the sole objective of this book.

On p. 162, the authors explain that, "...many Palestinians did not believe Israel would ever accept reasonable terms and that the peace process was a trick to ensure their permanent subjugation. While such beliefs were reinforced by specific Israeli actions...they far exceeded the evidence. To think that [Israeli government] wanted to keep control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip permanently was a serious misconception, which continued to have enormous negative consequences for Palestinian interests." I found it incredible for this claim to be made without addressing Israeli settlements and Israel's systematic support of them. Illegal settlement construction has been funded by the Israeli government and Israeli officials indicated they have no intention of ever relinquishing all settlements on occupied territory. I therefore disagree with the authors' claim that Palestinians' beliefs far exceeded the evidence and that it was a misconception to perceive permanent settlement construction as Israel's permanent control of the West Bank and Gaza.

On p. 248, the authors state, "By signing some variation on the offers made by Barak and Clinton, Arafat could have ended the occupation, removed all settlements from Palestinian-ruled territory, freed prisoners in Israeli hands, and controlled the al-Aqsa mosque. By refusing to do so he was ensuring that all these problems continued into the indefinite future." The truth is that Arafat was never presented an offer that would have removed all settlements from Palestinian land. Notice the use of the words "Palestinian-ruled territory." Israel proposed to annex the larger settlements on occupied land, placing them into "Israeli-ruled territory" and Arafat rightfully said no. There is no mention of the fact that the occupation consists of war crimes, that the settlements violate international law, and that Israel's colonization-like behavior ensures that these problems will continue into the indefinite future. The authors' bias consistently manipulates facts to make them appear consistent with their views of Arafat and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The last two chapters of the book are dedicated to spinning an argument of why the continued occupation is solely the fault of Arafat and not Israel. According to the authors, Arafat could have ended the occupation, therefore it is his fault that the occupation continues. A ridiculous claim considering the occupation would immediately cease if Israel simply makes a commitment of adhering to international law and leaves the occupied territories. It is also an unfair level of blame cast upon Arafat, considering that all of the "generous" peace deals offered by Israel consisted of keeping some of Palestinian territory, keeping settlements on Palestinian land, and refusing the right of return to Palestinian refugees- all violations of international law. Arafat was indeed a difficult man for Israel to make a deal with, but blaming him for the occupation caused by Israel's military aggression and biblical claims to Palestinian land is ridiculous.

Very good book about a very bad man.......2004-11-11

This is a very good book about a very bad man.

Even if you are not pro-Israel, what people don't realize is that Yasir Arafat was killing American's way back in the 1960's and 1970's.

He was responsible for the killing if US Ambassador Cleo Noel Jr. in 1973.

Arafat is evil, pure evil. This book will show you why.

Dull & polemical .......2004-10-28

"Biographies" like these are made by collecting newspaper clippings about someone you have never met and paraphrasing them. The usual subjects are pop stars and Hollywood actors. No interviews, no original material of any sort, and certainly no enlightenment. A hard-line journalistic pamphlet.

Update May 6, 2006: I am amused to see that a hit-squad has been systematically giving negative points to all reviews on this page which appear to be pro-Arafat. This to miss the point -- being pro-Arafat or anti-Arafat does not make this any the less a dull and polemical pseudo-biography which tells us nothing other than what (as another reviewer has said) we already know, that right-wing Israeli journalists loathed him.

But to the main issue -- there is a far more interesting and revelatory biography of Arafat available now in paperback, "Arafat: From Defender to Dictator" by Said K. Aburish. This scathing book written by a Palestinian insider will tell you a great deal more about Arafat's early life, and why his leadership of the Palestinian cause went so badly wrong in the decade before his death. Check the Aburish book out, probably the definitive statement of the agonized, frustrated way Palestinian intellectuals view Arafat.

lies.......2004-09-24

THis book was one of the worst bios I have ever read, it was increadably biased, it almost sounded like it was written by fox news. Very little reaserch went into this book, the authors gave their opionion at every turn

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He knew how to fight, but.....
Portrait of an evil man
Arafat! The father of the palestinian revolution!!
Arafat is a murderer, nothing less.
not as good as...

Arafat: The Biography
Tony Walker , and Andrew Gowers
Manufacturer: Virgin Books Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1852279249

Book Description

Over thirty years ago Yasser Arafat swept onto the world stage as leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a machine in one hand and an olive branch in the other. In that time he became many things to many people: terrorist, Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and to the Bush Whitehouse, a Pariah once more. Now, following his death in Paris, we review hundreds of frank and revealing interviews with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Arafat himself, to separate the man from the myth and look towards the future for this troubled land.

Customer Reviews:

He knew how to fight, but............2006-10-13

The author did not describe the drama encroaching Lebanon when the heavy exchange of artillery struck horror into the hearts of the unprepared Lebanese people in the areas of Tyre, Sidon and Beirut now congested by hundreds of thousands of refugees uprooted from the South.
PLO presence and activities (whether justified or not) in South Lebanon prompted sever retaliations from Israel to the detriment of all (Christians and Moslems) Lebanese.

At times Arafat's reactions to present events unfairly summoned up the images of historical past occurrences.
For example: In 1982 and in the middle of the raging war between PLO and Israel, Beirut was described `the next Stalingrad' - to emulate the Soviet's army victory over the Germans in 1942 -.

Like a wounded leader amid very tough and challenging circumstances, Arafat transpired prowess born of ignorance.
Arafat was the honest image of a man whose sickness of heart was mixed in reports from the foreign correspondents to show us the picture of a foxy leader mingled in fear, steadfastness and foresightedness.

Arafat's interference in Lebanon's petty politics prompted many Lebanese to emigrate. Outside the foreign consulate buildings people queued for a visa to `security and freedom', some tried to storm the premises, some guaranteed a place in the long line of waiting since mid-night, only to submit their applications to be able to leave.
The pandemonium outside and on the stairs was worse than ever especially during rainy and cold nights.

Perhaps one point of common consolation is, like the Palestinians, also the Lebanese had feeling of humiliation and unjust.
Standing at the doorsteps of foreign embassies to quit one's country was an appalling sight.
It was inhuman.
It was dishonouring.
It was offensive
It was misdemeanour.

Arafat knew how to fight a war, but the irony is that he couldn't learn how to win one.

Portrait of an evil man.......2006-07-16

Arafat was an evil man.

In his life, what did he achieve?

He killed a lot of Americans and Israelis. His Palestinian people are in lousy shape. While Israel has built up a democracy and world class economy, and have created tens of thousands of jobs for Americans, all the Palestinians can do is create more suicide bombers.

Thus us the legacy of Arafat. A failure and a loser.

Arafat! The father of the palestinian revolution!!.......2006-01-10

Arafat! The leader who knew how to move all the power of the palestinian revolution from Tunisia into the heart of palestine!!
Arafat! The only arabic leader who was elected democratically in 1969, 1985 and 1994!!
Arafat! was smart enough in to survive for more than 35 years in the jungle of all the pro-american and anti-palestinian regimes(namely: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria)!!
Arafat! THE NOBLE PRIZE WINNER !!
The ex-prime israeli minister Goldameir said: "They (the palestinians) do not exist, We (the jewish) are the only palestinians..." !! Arafat told Goldameir: "WE EXIST HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE...." !!
Arafat! The military leader who won against the IDF in the battle of Karama, Beirut and finally in the humiliating defeat and withdrawal of the israeli army from the Gaza!!
Arafat! "OH MOUNTAIN!! THE WIND WILL NEVER SHAKE YOU!!"

Arafat is a murderer, nothing less........2004-04-27

This book paints far to nice a picture of Arafat.

That any American can be pro-Arafat is mind-boggling. Arafat hates the West just a bit less then he hates Israel.

He has murdered thousands. He is a despicable person and is in no way a legitimate political leader.

not as good as..........2003-09-15

This book needs some clerification. I reccomend Harts "Arafat" and Aburishs 'Arafat' above this. This book tries to paint a picture of Arafat as a great legitimate political leader. But this book does not show the whoel picture. It makes Arafat out to be more then a terrorist and does nto weigh the effort that he was a viscious murdered of children(which he was for most of his life). THis book does take into account his many twists and turns but it probably gives Arafat too much credit and is not as interesting as other works on the man.

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Yasser Arafat (A & E Biography)
George Headlam
Manufacturer: Lerner Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822599023

Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization

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A middle-schooler's review

Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization
Diana L. Reische
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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Customer Reviews:

A middle-schooler's review .......2006-12-15

"The man has no life outside the PLO. The PLO is his life." Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization dives into the life of Yasir Arafat, a man who has fought for his whole life trying to gain a homeland for Palestinians. It tells of his struggles for Palestine with Fatah and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). He could be regarded as a hero-or as a terrorist. His fight went on till the end of this book, in which he had gained and lost a lot for Palestine, and the fight with Israel still goes on. This book was very thick in politics and could get extremely tedious, so I do not recommend it to anyone who is not very interested in Middle Eastern politics.

One reason why I didn't like this book was that it didn't really tell details about any point in time in Arafat and the PLO's fight against Israel, it simply gave the facts and moved on. For example, it could have talked a lot about Arafat's siding with Saddam Hussein against Kuwait; but it wasn't even explained why Kuwait was invaded. Also, I believe that it would have been more interesting if t had given more detail about the time period with the Intifada. The book could have told more about Arafat's training in terrorism as well, but it only talked about his drive.

Another thing that prevented this book from being enjoyable was how it skipped around from time to time very frequently. It explained the entire book briefly in the introduction, which made it confusing to read the rest of the book because it seemed to go back in time. Also, in the description of the 1970's, an important detail about a 1973 happening would be told, and the book would next talk about the 1980's, then back to the 1970's, going against geologic time. Lastly, it mentioned important people's names very early in the book and didn't talk more about them till a lot later, when the name was so much as forgotten.

Yet one more reason that this book made me cringe was that it described Yasir Arafat as a terrorist one second and a hero the next; by the end of the book, I didn't know what to think of him. In the introduction, Arafat was described as a man who devoted himself, everything he had, to Palestine. Later, a listing of terrorist attacks that were either partly or completely his fault became the object of description. As a child, he was said to be chubby and quiet, then in his later years as a child, suddenly, he was training children on the street to be soldiers.

Overall, Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization was a boring and badly written book with scattered thoughts, years, and descriptions throughout. Unless you have a passion for badly written Middle Eastern politics, I would not recommend this book to you.
-K. Carson

Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution

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Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution
Andrew Gowers , and Tony Walker
Manufacturer: Interlink Pub Group Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Arafat: From Defender to Dictator

ASIN: 0940793865

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The ultimate tribal chief
To know Arafat
Bad book about a bad man
Very well researched
ok

Arafat: From Defender to Dictator
Said K. Aburish
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1582340005

Book Description

In this meticulously researched and iconoclastic work, Said Aburish, the internationally respected Palestinian political analyst and writer, turns the popular western perception of Yasser Arafat upside-down. Far from being the benign heroic freedom fighter who has kept the hopes of his displaced people alive, Arafat is revealed as a narrow-minded operator, out of touch with reality, whose personal ambitions and lack of understanding of democratic principles have made him a deterrent to real peace in the Middle East.

Aburish exposes the unsound foundations of Arafat's leadership, and shows that his PLO has never been a revolutionary movement; rather Arafat and the PLO have always represented an elite group of Palestinian families who have grown ever more rich. Moreover, Aburish has discovered from hitherto silent but impeccable sources that since 1963, when Arafat first established contact with the CIA in Beirut, the PLO has conducted a secret dialogue with the US, amounting to a betrayal of its people- in effect an agreement to avoid military or economic confrontation with Israel.

Aburish goes on to demonstrate that, in his current role as President of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat has created one of the ugliest expressions of absolute dictatorship, even by Middle Eastern standards, in the world today. He concludes with a stimulating analysis of the likely future for Palestine and of the crucial world implications.

Customer Reviews:

The ultimate tribal chief.......2006-02-17

A political biography of a man who became the most recognizable figure of the 20th century. Anything pertaining to his private life is only mentioned so long as it has direct bearing on his behavior as a politician.

A harsh yet compassionate portrayal of Arafat, a man who came to embody the essence of Palestinianness, as much for the rest of the world as for the Palestinians themselves. A restless man, with an inherent need to be involved in politics, to become a leader rather, a need that found expression in the search for a Palestinian identity, and a need that found justification for its existence in the quiet plea of the Palestinian people for a father figure, a guiding light, someone to drag them out of oblivion, lift their spirits and give them a sense of purpose.

Convincing, fearless, charming, uncompromising, intensive, delicate, full of ideas and energy, elusive, manipulative, impulsive, stubborn, totally unorganized, are only some of the adjectives and expressions Abu Rish uses to describe Arafat, who felt more at home commanding and subordinating than leading in anything that required any sort of direction.

The symbol of Palestinian resistance, of a country and its people, he has to be credited with single-handedly succeeding in drawing attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. On the downside, his talents were not sufficient to adapt to opportunities, whenever these presented themselves, he had no understanding of modern economics and instead adhered to a tribal system of giving and receiving, he was essentially uneducated and unable to grasp the essence of International politics, in other words make calculated decisions and formulate strategies based on accurate evaluations of and within a contemporary political environment. Matters were further aggravated by his insecurity and obstinate insistence on being the center of attention, which meant he excluded from his entourage people who were of any real worth and could offer valuable and informed advice.

A detailed and revealing biography of a tribal chief. An outstanding tribal chief maybe, but one who, as such, stood no chance of surviving in the current political arena.

To know Arafat.......2005-09-05

Being a palestnian, I thought that I whitnessed, heard and read enough about Arafat. I never thought that I need to read his biography. This book proved me wrong.

The author has well researched this book, and have tackled all the stories and myths that surrounded Arafat.

I enjoyed the first chapters of the book, about Arafat early life, which was very informative.

However I expected more from the author specially in discussing the episodes of Jordan and Lebanon, because it has affected Arafat's and PLO's policies towards Arabs, Israel, peace and armed struggle.

The book lost a point because of the chapters discussing Oslo. While in these chapters the writer cites many examples about Arafat turning to a dictator, nothing really changed in Arafat. He was a defender and dictator at the same time from his early days. The only difference is that Arafat adopted unpopular policies which made him more open to criticism.

This book stops at 1997. I would be interested to see the author writing about the remaining period of Arafat's life between 1997 and 2004 in a future edition of this book.

Great effort, and recommended read.

Bad book about a bad man.......2004-11-11

Said Aburish downplays much of the evil of Yasir Arafat.

At his core, Arafat is a terrorists and a murderer. Arafat hates not only Israel, but the west.

Even if you are not pro-Israel, what people don't realize is that Yasir Arafat was killing American's way back in the 1960's and 1970's.

He was responsible for the killing if US Ambassador Cleo Noel Jr. in 1973.

Very well researched.......2004-09-24

Even though an interview with Arafat in which he could have offered some justifications to counter Aburish's accusations, the book still managed to safely sail to the shore of objectivity.
With or without Arafat, the amount of information acquired from his aides and from news reports makes the book fairly credible.
The book revolved around two main themes: First, Arafat has always put his leadership concerns over all other matters including vital Palestinian interests. Second, the Israelis never intended to recognize the Palestinian leadership as the representative of the Arabs residing in the occupied territories. Instead, it opted for trying to deal with the Jordanian leadership as the representative of these Palestinians and using a policy of an iron fist with them.
An articulate Aburish argues that the peace process was born dead for three main reasons. Arafat's tribal behavior and corruption made him impose his leadership on the Palestinians living in the territories whereas the real leadership was offered by the residents themselves such as Al-Shafi, Ashrawi and Husseini. Second, the Israeli never stopped creating new realities by constantly expanding their settlements in Palestinian territories and errecting new ones, a situation which made the Palestinians always doubtful of the Israeli true intentions toward a durable peace.
While Arafat believed that some Israeli concessions would beef up his leadership after he was ejected from Beirut in 1982 and lived since then in Tunisian exile, Israel thought that with minimum concessions it could force Arafat to police and supress the Palestinians living under occupation.
The end result (not in the book), was the collapse of the peace process and an increase in violence, which creates a bleak picture of the future of peace and makes both the Palestinians and the Israelis head into oblivion.

ok.......2004-09-24

While I agree with some of the things he says, such as his views on Saddam, I do not think he truely understands the situation that Arafat is in. If Arafat is as corrupt as the author claims, maybe he is, that still does not explain the actions of Sharon. If the jewish state truely wanted peace, the peace plan offered by Barak years ago would have never been taken off the table, it is obvious that isreal wants peace on its terms,which means the land. It wants peace but, also wants the land. Even if Arafat was the most honest leader that still would not have given the palastinian people a truely viable, seperate state, free of constant incurtions from isreali toops. The peace plan of Barak did not address the settlements, which would have given Isreal the excuse to keep its toops in the Palastinian state. Consider this, would americans have liked the fact that after their revolution, the British were able to keep their toops in their cities, I think not

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Yasir Arafat
Elizabeth Ferber
Manufacturer: Millbrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 1562945858

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Good book about an evil man
Good book about a bad man
Interesting but light on facts...
The Mystery of Arafat

The Mystery of Arafat
Danny Rubinstein
Manufacturer: Steerforth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883642108

Book Description

In this Middle East book of the year, Rubinstein really does solve the Arafat mystery, --Middle East Quarterly

Customer Reviews:

Good book about an evil man.......2006-07-16

Arafat was an evil man. In his life, what did he achieve? He killed a lot of Americans and Israelis.

What more is there to say?

Good book about a bad man.......2005-07-11

This is a good book. But the real mystery of Arafat is why people liked him? He was a murdered. He murdered jew and gentile alike. He murdered arabs, americans and orientals.

He was evil.

Interesting but light on facts..........2003-02-10

If your interested in knowing a little bit about this man, I'd recommend one of the many biographies. Rubenstein's book doesn't unveil any secrets or shed any light on the unknown. We all know he's completely dedicated to his cause and manipulative..what successful politician isn't? The book is filled with second and third hand accounts and sometimes even unconfirmed rumor.

The Mystery of Arafat.......2001-07-25

The chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization has long puzzled observers, including his biographers (note the titles of two books about him published in 1990: "Behind the Myth: Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Revolution" and "Arafat: In the Eyes of the Beholder"). How has someone so deeply flawed as an individual and a leader managed to achieve so much and acquired so much authority? Rubinstein, a columnist at the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, makes answering this "mystery of Arafat" the goal of his book. "How is it that someone who looks so strange and is so lacking in seriousness can at the same time be considered a statesman and revolutionary of the first order?" In his slight but rich study, Rubinstein takes up basic questions about Arafat: Where was he born? What is his real name? Why does he look so grubby? Why does he travel so maniacally? Why did he get married on the sly?

With brilliant insight, the author shows that every aspect of Arafat's public persona-from his stubbly face to his doing business late at night-fits a single pattern. In all these ways, he has "accurately and persistently . . . reflected the distress and the needs of the Palestinian public." Rubinstein convincingly shows how everything Arafat does (even not shaving) seeks "to provide the Palestinian revolution, of which he is the center, with legitimacy." Arafat's success, in other words, derives from his being able to create a myth in which his own personality fuses with the Palestinian cause. In 1995's Middle East book of the year, idiomatically translated, Rubinstein really does solve the Arafat mystery.

Customer Reviews:

Yasir Arafat = Pure Evil.......2003-11-21

This is short and to the point: Arafat is a murderer! He is a full Terrorist.

What more is there to say?

The only thing more disgusting that Arafat are those who defend him.

How can Americans defend him when he admittedly ordered the deaths of Americans?

Interesting, not the best biography.......2003-11-01

First off their is nothing 'misunderstood' about Mr. Arafat as this book contends. The authors think somehow that just because someone murders children is no reason to condemn him or even critique him. To begin with the bias does not help this book. ALthought he authors ahd much access to Arafats people they seem to have been taken in by some of his propoganda, something the PLO is expert at.

Their are only a few books on Arafat. "Arafat terrorist or peacemaker' by Hart is the most biased towards arafat. 'Arfat: defender to dictator' by ABurish is one of the more ciritcla ones. two new biographies of Arafat have recently been released one is biased and the other one is more nuetral. I would have to say this book is the worst of all of them. THis volume doesnt uncover much new evidence and yet it also fails to give a critical history of the PLO. The PLO was invovled in almost taking over and destroying two countries, Jordan and Lebanon. The PLO was thrown out of Syria and Egypt for these very reasons. Arafat himself, despite his success at survival, is not a lovable character, certainly not as lovable as the authors make him out to be. Harts volume is more insightful while Aburish's is more palistinian oriented.

The saga of Arafat is not over and we will need to wait for a full appraisal of his life. The recent resignation of Abbas does not bode well For Arafats leadership and neither does the rise of Hamas. This book is dated and its not thats special.

A Decent Review of Arafat's Life.......2001-07-22

I recommend this book to anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding of Yasser Arafat's life and role in both the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the internal politics of the Arab world. Based on an series of interviews conducted by the authors as well as primary documents (many of which are provided in translation at the end of the book, a useful bonus), this book chronicles the life of Arafat from his early days in Cairo and Jerusalem up to about 1990, and throws in a basic history of the Arab-Israeli conflict to boot. This book is at its best and most readable when it relays the personal reminscences of Arafat, his aides, and his rivals in the Arab world, who provide a perspective upon the major events of the Arab-Israeli conflict that you cannot find elsewhere. Also to its credit, as other reviewers have mentioned, this book provides a great amount of information on the various Palestinian factions comprising and outside of the PLO, and the characters behind each one of them (although it manages to largely ignore certain major players, such as Abu Nidal).

This book does, however, have several major flaws which relegate to secondary status in a library of books on the Middle East. Firstly, the book is a bit too biased towards Arafat, much like Patrick Seale's "Assad", which fawns upon the late Syrian dictator. One can excuse the affection they display for Arafat, however, as it was probably necessary in order to gain such impressive access to the Chairman and his inner circle. Still, one would have liked to see the comments of Arafat and his associates treated with greater critical analysis and balance. Furthermore, the authors' prose and organization leaves much to be desired. They lack the compelling narrative voice of a Thomas Friedman, Edward Said, or Bernard Lewis, resulting in a text that often comes across as very dry and stilted, particularly in historical background passages. They organize the book episodically rather than chronologically, which could result in great confusion regarding the timeline of events for someone not already very familiar with modern Middle Eastern history. Finally, this book tries to do far too much in a single volume. It begins as a very personal account of Arafat's life, yet at times abandons the story of Arafat entirely and becomes a generic history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is as though the authors wrote several separate books, took a few chapters from each, and threws the pages together. The result is a disjointed, often haphazard history of the Arab-Israeli conflict with slightly more emphasis on Yasser Arafat than is usual in such works.

In sum, this book has merit and provides certain insights and primary information not to be found elsewhere. It is not suitable as an introduction to the Arab-Israeli conflict, but should be read only after one has already acquired a basic familiarity with the subject matter. It is otherwise a useful addition to the library of the serious student of Middle Eastern history.

Arafat + History of the PLO.......2001-01-15

This book was a great book. Not only does it serve as a biography of Arafat, it also serves great as a general history of Fatah, the PLO, and the struggle for Palestinian liberation. So what if it calls legitimate attacks against Israel terrorist attacks? It is a small matter in this case since everything else is pretty unbiased. Even as someone who has a pretty good knowledge of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, one thing I appreciate is having it spelled out to me that the PLO is an UMBRELLA organization that comprises Fatah, PFLP, DFLP, Saiqa etc... And that Arafat the leader of the Fatah faction and for a time not the leader of PLO soon became that leader in 69. Hence we now have his association with PLO/Fatah faction. For the longest time my mind was just a muddle until I was able to order these various liberation organization in time and space. I also have alot more respect for Arafat as a person devoted to the Palestinian cause. I have been a bit more on the extreme side previously and currently, however, I can see the definite advantages of a political solution. I liked this book and found it highly informative. I learned alot. If you want to learn about Fatah, the PLO, and Yasir Arafat, definately get this book.

My only problem with the book is the last chaper from "Oslo to Hebron". It should have been broken up into several better written pieces. However, I appreciate the addition of this chapter in the 97 print. The story is still unfolding.

Good book.......2000-12-09

Although a bit dated, the book gives a good synopsis about Arafat's life as well as the history of the PLO. Learned quite about Araft. The list of people they interviewed is quite impressive; those people they did interview make the book what it is. Very easy to read and engrossing as well.

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