Leadership &Organization Behavior

Group Assignment:

Yasser Arafat: The Leader Of His People

Prepared By:

Amer AlsalhiMR121190

Ahmed QeshtaMR121192

2013 – 2014

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Contents

Page

No.

Topic

3Abstract

3Introduction

4Birth & Adulthood

4Palestine Liberation Organization

5PLO After 1982

5Negotiations

6Death

71- Insistence to attain the unlimited

goals

72- Stamina to overtake adversity

83- Extraordinary talent of military

affairs and politics

94- personal charisma to attract his

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followers

105- Commitment

116- Courage

127- Relationships & Communication

13References

Yasser Arafat: The Leader of his people

Abstract

This paper consist of an introduction about the life of

Yasser Arafat from his birth to his death which includes

the main parts and attitudes of him, then we turn to the

main qualities and traits which make him a special leader

and these qualities are insistence to attain goals,

stamina to overtake adversity, extraordinary talent of

military affairs, personal charisma to attract followers,

commitment, courage and the last one is relationship and

communication. The main purpose of this paper to increase

our knowledge about Abu Ammar and to realize what are the

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attributes that make him to became a leader and how we

can learn from his leadership skills.

Introduction:

Became head of the Palestine Liberation Organization in

1969 after 40 years on his birthday in Cairo, Egypt, and

before becoming head of the Palestine Liberation

Organization he founded Palestinian National Liberation

Fatah in 1965. Move between several countries and

delivered his famous speech at the United Nations in

1974, he was announced the independence of Palestine on

15.11.1988, and began negotiations with the Israeli

occupation in Madrid in 1991. The negotiations ended with

an agreement in Oslo, Norway in 1993, and became the

first elected president in Palestine in 1996. Stalled

negotiations at Camp David II in 2000; which led to the

outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada in the same year. In

2002 Israeli occupation besiege Yasser Arafat's

headquarter in Ramallah City, he began to felt tired in

October 2004 and in the same month he traveled to France

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for treatment and died on 11/11/2004. In 2013 some of the

research confirmed that Arafat died poisoned by

radioactive polonium, and Israel accused of killing him.

Birth and Adulthood

Yasser Arafat was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1929 and lived

there until the death of his mother in 1933, then he

moved to live with his uncle in Jerusalem city , and

remained in Jerusalem 4 years and then returned to Cairo

to live with his father. Yasser Arafat when he was

teenager in Cairo had been working in the smuggling of

weapons to the fighters in Palestine to confront the Jews

and the British So, this act shows that Arafat was

nationally since a young age. He studied at the Fouad I

University, Cairo University later, but left study and

joined the fighters against the Jews in 1948, and this

year is known as the Nakba. The fighting ended in the

establishment of the State of Israel. Then Arafat

finished his bachelor degree in civil engineering. After

that he traveled to Kuwait and worked there for several

years, and he met with many revolutionary Palestinian

figures.

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Palestine Liberation Organization

Yasser Arafat contributed in the establishment of the

Palestine Liberation Organization in Kuwait, and became

the third president in 1969, after the organization

passed several large ones Six-Day War in 1967, Israel

attacked several Arab countries, namely Egypt, Jordan,

Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank., and the Dignity

War in 1969 near river of Jordan. PLO was transferred its

headquarters to Jordan, Arafat continued to develop the

organization until he was expelled by King Hussein in

1972, Because of armed clashes that erupted between the

Jordanian army and Palestinian fighters known as "Black

September". Then he moved to Lebanon and engaged in

fighting the Israelis. And form, train, and prepare many

of the armed groups for military action against Israel in

occupied Palestine and Lebanon. In 1974, Arafat delivered

his famous speech in the United Nations in New York, said

his most famous phrase "I came and have an olive branch

in my hand and a gun in the other hand, don't drop the

green branch from my hand.

PLO After 1982

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Arafat left the Lebanon after the so-called war of 1982,

when Israelis besieged Beirut, they asked Arafat to leave

Lebanon to stop the fighting, then he moved to Tunisia.

And he worked in Tunis to assemble fighters and unite

them under the banner of the Palestine Liberation

Organization. Khalil al-Wazir "Abu Jihad" was

assassinated in Tunisia, in 1988. Abu Jihad was a

colleague of Arafat since the beginning of the struggle

against the Israel, which was considered a major blow to

Arafat.

Arafat was led the first intifada in 1987 from exile, and

he helped to continuation the spark of these

confrontations that was become in all over the West Bank

and Gaza. After that he went to the United Nations in New

York City, in 1988 then he delivered another speech, he

was talked about the possibility of a peace agreement

between the Palestinians and the Israelis. After that

Arafat get married for the first time, he was 61 years

old in 1990. Arafat's wife gave birth to a girl in 1995

and called she Zawaa, the name of his mother.

Negotiations

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However, negotiations began in Madrid in 1991.

Negotiations continued in secret for two years under the

auspices of the U.S. and the special supervision of Bill

Clinton, the 42 president for the United States of

America. These negotiations was culminated in the Oslo

agreement in 1993, and provided for the self-rule for

Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem, and

Israel withdraws from this land, and negotiations will

continue to discuss the remaining outstanding issues.

After this was signed several agreements after the Oslo

agreement, most of these agreements focus on the security

situation between the Palestinian and Israeli.

Negotiations was stalled in 2000. After that the Israeli

Defense Minister Sharon was enter the Al-Aqsa mosque,

which led to the outbreak of the second Intifada, Arafat

was support the armed groups to confront Israel. Since

the outbreak of the Intifada the Western countries and

America said Arafat is a person who non-support of peace

in Palestine.

Death

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In 2002 Israeli occupation besiege Yasser Arafat's

headquarter in Ramallah City, The siege continued for a

period of two years and a half without allowing him to

leave his headquarters. In October 2004, Arafat began to

felt some symptoms such as high temperature, vomiting,

and diarrhea, people who are around him thought as just a

flu, but the symptoms continue several days. After that

Arafat traveled to Paris, France for treatment at the

same month. Arafat continued to suffer with the disease

for several days, and doctors in the Percy Military

Hospital admitted they were facing unknown case due to

lack of knowledge about the disease that struck the man.

In Novmber, 2013 Swiss research confirmed that Arafat

died poisoned by radioactive polonium, and Israel accused

of killing him. Suha Arafat, Yasser Arafat's widow, spoke

about the recent findings: "This has confirmed all our

doubts," she stated. "It is scientifically proved that he

didn't die a natural death, and we have scientific proof

that this man was killed."

Yasser Arafat has many qualities that make him a unique

leader and give him the ability to lead the Palestinian

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people and to continue the journey of armed struggle..

These qualities are : -

1- Insistence to attain the unlimited goals

Yasser Arafat had a powerful vision that helped him to

achieve his goals, this appear in his struggle to achieve

his dream of an independent Palestinian homeland. After

the first middle-east war broke out in 1948 between the

Jews and the Arab countries, he frustrated as a result of

Arabs defeat , Although he faced a hard challenges during

the struggle journey, he recovering his soul, strength

and retaining his dream of establish an independent

Palestinian nation and he decided to change the fate of

the Palestinian nation. The journey of challenges started

when he was in Jordan, he created guerrilla attacks on

Israel which make King Hussein of Jordan became disturbed

so, he expelled the Palestinian liberation organization

and Arafat from Jordan. Because he was a leader, this is

did not killed his ambition, but he transfer his work in

Lebanon and continue working toward accomplish his hope.

After the Israeli military invasion, this hope did not

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succeed so, he decided to maintain the organization alive

by moving travel to Tunis and transfer the PLO

headquarters to it.

After a small period he expulsion from Tunis so, he

realized that he cannot rely on any sponsorship of Arab

league any more. Finally he decided to depends on himself

and building an independent nationalist organization,

Arafat had many attributes that lead him to success in

building this organization by passion to Palestine,

energy to continue, patience even achieve the dream ,

faith with God justice and the spirit of struggle. He had

an ability to directed the world attention to the

Palestinian people and their issue. This Quality

considered as a main quality for Arafat Character which

lead to built the PLO.

2 – Stamina to overtake adversity

Yasser Arafat survived several distress, pain and sorrow

throughout his life. He used to moving from country to

country to explain and promote the Palestinian issue

which made his life a constant travel. The movement

details of his private life always seemed in a secret

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way, because he didn’t want to attract the world

attention about his life, he just want from them to be

attention about the Palestinian cause. He escaped from

the death in several times of airplane crush in Libya and

surviving himself from countless assassination which

attempts by Israeli intelligence agencies. On Mar 2002,

Israeli army besiege his headquarter in Ramallah city,

they had submitted an offer to him to come out of

Palestine, even claimed that Killing Abu Ammar is not a

bad choice for them, but he choose to remain in Ramallah

compound. Although all of these threats, he declared that

no one can expel him a way from his country because he

had a concepts of believe of Palestinian issue and the

faith of Victory. It’s the trait of hardiness and

powerful to override adversity that allows him to survive

these woes, never threaten and defeated by these

distress. Also, the hardiness and stamina make him

qualified to face the harsh circumstances, became more

stronger and more committed toward the Palestinian issue

without losing the hope, resistance, insistence and

faith.

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3- Extraordinary talent of military affairs and

politics

When Yasser Arafat was a child, he had an independent

spirit and great ability of Planning and organizing. He

always used to be a leader of a group of children. When

he became young, he concerned more on military and

politics, and his exceptional talent and courage emerged

clearly. After that, he became 17 years old and he

transmit a traffic arms from Cairo to Palestine to be

used versus the Jews and British so, the people

considered him as a hero. Then, he joined to the

university and headed the Palestinian students league,

and his excellent ability of leadership emerged. After

that, he began meeting with the founders of the Muslim

Brotherhood and Liberation Party to fight for the

Palestinian issue and he spent all his spare time to

serve it. In 1958, he established Al-Fatah, an

underground network of secret cells, thereafter. In 1959

the organization supporting the armed struggle against

Israel by publish a magazine. Initially, Fatah was

ignored by a majority of Arab nations, but after that and

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specifically after 1967 Arab-Israeli they take note of

Arafat as a result of a several large victories that

attained by Fatah.

4- personal charisma to attract his followers

Yasser Arafat was dauntless fighter, enthusiastic, and

had the stamina to transcend adversity. These qualities

made the people of Palestine considered him as a symbol

of the Palestinian cause or a symbol of liberation

struggle. Also, he had the strength, ability and charisma

to influence the others, a simple evidence to approve

this fact is that when he began to fight in Gaza against

the Jews occupiers in 1967, his followers or troop who

fought with him were only 400 young persons of

university. After several years, the number of soldiers

who followed him raise to more than twenty thousand. What

is more, his opponents, two secret agents worked close

him, which was commanded by Israel, were too moved by his

spirit to have the heart to poison him. Its just an

inverse example that reflects his uncommon ability of

influence.

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In the last few years, he shunned from the negotiations

with Israel and United States of America so, he spent

these years be fortified in his compound in Ramallah,

although all of these bad circumstances, he maintain his

impact on the Palestinian people. Finally, we can present

another important evidence which approve his affect on

the followers which considered as an core attributes for

anyone to be a leader. This evidence emerged when the

news of his death became spread, more than ten thousand

of people from Gaza and west bank felt of grief.

Furthermore, they weeping and gunmen fired into the air

in mourning.

5- Commitment

Arafat displayed a deep commitment towards the

Palestinian issue, since he was a boy, as he looked to

the Palestinian issue as his own case, starting from his

participation in the 1948 war, or what is known as the

Nakba. This commitment is reflected in the subsequent

Nakba of his attempts to form a national frameworks

student at the University of Cairo and then, he

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participated in the establishment of the Palestine

Liberation Organization. Yasser Arafat expressed a clear

commitment to the Palestinian cause because he suffered

greatly from expelled from several Arab countries for

adherence to the principles of the Palestinian

revolution. When he was speaking in United Nations in

1974, he listed the Palestinian suffering and he said

that his organization and him a scapegoat for this just

cause.

When we talk about loyalty and commitment towards

Palestine, we should be noted that throughout his life,

Arafat was wearing a military uniform and keffiyeh, it's

was designed in the form of map for historic Palestine

and the suit was decorated by flag of Palestine.

Most of the situations that demonstrated this commitment

was seemed in one of his speeches addressed to the

people, the crowd chanted his name, suddenly and without

warning they stopped by Arafat and said "do not shout to

me but Shout to Jerusalem and Palestine".

Observers of the life of Arafat noted the presence of

patriotism in all his speeches and his actions. In 2000,

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the reason that led to the suspension of negotiations and

ignited the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Arafat's refuse to sign the

agreement Camp David II, Which provided for the division

of Jerusalem between Palestinians and Israelis, and said

that Jerusalem for all Muslims, and he can't waives the

right of Muslims. It was also provided for the non-return

of Palestinian refugees to their land.

6- Courage

Arafat was a military man, which that means the courage

consider one of his qualities, due to he faced the large

number of situations, these conditions required him to

show courage to overcome it.

Events that showed the courage of Arafat, when he was a

19 year old he joined to the forces of the Muslim

Brotherhood and participated in fighting the Jews in

1948. Fighting in this age proves that Arafat has great

courage. His courage did not stop at this point, he

continued after the Nakba, and continued his activities

Ignoring the potential risks. In 1969, put out news that

the Israeli army is preparing to enter the area after the

Jordan River, which is the same area where the rebels are

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holed out, some military factions withdrew its troops,

Arafat gave his orders to all the troops to remain in

their places and ready to face the Israelis, which was

considered by some Palestinian leaders that Arafat does

something crazy, the fighters has already immobilized

and fought with honor and dignity. Confrontation ended

and the israeli army returned disappointed to rules, and

called this fight the battle of dignity, because of the

bravery shown by fighters, and a very courageous decision

of the military commander of Yasser Arafat.

Of decisions that needed to brave, the decision to leave

Beirut and go to Tunis, when the Israelis tightened their

grip on the besieged Beirut, Arafat and his forces fought

valiantly the Israelis, and ask him to take a difficult

and very sensitive decision "leaving Beirut", Arafat

agreed to leave Beirut to keep the people who lived

inside and in order not to turn into ruins. The decision

to go to the negotiations and the peace process was a

courageous decision, because the circumstances

surrounding the Palestinian issue before the

negotiations, this decision requires to be aware of

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everything going on around you and your willingness to

overcome problems, was a bold move from Arafat to face

the international community, which had long believed that

the Palestinian cause disagreements and problems in the

Middle East, Arafat gained from this act embarrassed

Israel and forced them to negotiate with him.

And stop the negotiations also very bold and courageous

decision, Arafat was negotiating with the Israelis whose

consider more than Palestinian money, power, and support

of most the countries of the world, even the some of Arab

countries, and Arafat was apparently alone. Arafat

decided to abandonment the option of negotiations and

support the armed groups that facing Israel. In my

opinion Arafat was a very brave person, because when he

stopped the negotiations, he challenged the world.

7- Relationships and Communication

Arafat was had a playful spirit, this trait let him to

seems as someone who is loved by everyone and helped him

to form a special relationship with everyone, no matter

if they are from the public or from the revolutionary

leaders. Arafat was a distinct in building relationships

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with everyone, and the best proof for this, his relations

with Arab heads of states. Started by Gamal Abdel Nasser,

former President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, King

Hussein, the former King of the Hashemite Kingdom of

Jordan, And his relations with the resistance in Lebanon,

and on the international level, Arafat had a lot of

relations with Western countries. For the international

community and presidents, the cause of frequent and

durability of these relations is the statesmanship in his

speech, a kind man who carries the suffering of his

people and he is characterized by charismatic and glib,

how do you ignore him?, this question many persons ask

themself.

On the other side, the relationship with his people, this

relationship was based on the trust and absolute love,

the secret lies here, in Arafat's ability to adopt the

opinions and listen to everyone, whatever the views. The

severity of his people attached to him and his impact on

them, were and still his pictures and quotes from his

speech adorn the walls of the Gaza Strip and the West

Bank. Also a Palestinian Keffiyeh that became associated

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with his name, so all these signs explain of the

relationship between this person and his people.

When Arafat died in 2004, streets of Palestine was filled

in black to mourn the leader and the marches roamed of

all the streets and alleys of the Palestinian cities and

refugee camps in the Diaspora. Of the most important

reason for this very strong relationship with the

Palestinian people, Arafat humility in his actions and

movements. arafat was characterized by simplicity in the

presidential motorcade, visit the hospitals on a regular

basis, and he was very close to the people, for as long

as many people was surprised by his presence, due to the

lack of appearances suggest the existence of an important

figure as head of state. because he continued to struggle

for decades, he knows the meaning of the loss, what the

meaning of the family lose one of her sons, or one of

them injured during the clashes, he used to visit the

families of the martyrs, and continued to support them

financially and morally. Also a manifestation of humility

has worked to strengthen the relationship between Arafat

and his people, it was said that he has only two military

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suits and one of the suits worn the parties, and this

suggests to the simplicity of this man.

References:

- Linda. (2005). Case study of a leader: Yasser Arafat. Retrived on 2 Dec. 2013, from  http://www.runsky.com/homepage/dl/spec/2004/usa4/guo/userobject1ai551522.html

- Yasser Arafat. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved on 2 Dec. 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/yasser-arafat-9187265.

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