Name: Yasser ArafatTitle: President of the Palestinian Council, Leader of the PLO

Background: Born in 1929 as Mohammed Abed Ar’ouf, he was nicknamed “Yasser,” which means “easy.”

Arafat became involved with the Palestinian cause as a teenager and later as a leader in arms smuggling before the Arabs were defeated by Israel in 1948. He then went to Cairo and studied civil engineering. Upon graduation, he formed the group Al Fatah. In 1968, Arafat became the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and 20 years later had warmed to diplomacy, telling the United Nations that the PLO would recognize Israel as a state.

Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 because of the Oslo Peace Accords.

Spotlight: Arafat is under Israeli house arrest in Ramallah and was prevented from joining a peace talk session earlier in the week by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. His compound is currently under attack.