PARIS, France (CNN) -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, 75, the
leader who passionately sought a homeland for his people but was seen by many
Israelis as a ruthless terrorist and a roadblock to peace, died early T
hursday in Paris.

Arafat had been sick with an unknown illness that had been variously
described as the flu, a stomach virus or gallstones. He flew to Paris last week
seeking medical treatment and was hospitalized with what Palestinian officials said
was a blood disorder.

For five decades, Arafat -- adorned with his trademark checkered kaffiyeh --
was the most prominent face of Palestinian opposition to Israel and the push
for a Palestinian state, first as the head of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, which carried out attacks against Israeli targets, and later as the
leader of the quasi-governmental Palestinian Authority after parts of the West
Bank and Gaza were returned to Palestinian control.

His death leaves no clear immediate successor in the often fractious world of
Palestinian politics.

The Palestinian constitution provides that the speaker of the Palestinian
House of Representatives assumes temporary power if the president dies or is
found to be unable or incompetent to rule.

The constitution calls for elections within 60 days to fill the post
permanently.

The president holds office for five years and can stand for re-election once.

Arafat was first elected head of the PLO in 1969, and by 1974, Arab leaders
recognized the group as "the sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian
people.

In 1994, Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Israeli leaders
Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, for their work on the Oslo accords, seen at
the time as a breakthrough toward an independent Palestinian state and a
permanent peace with Israel. Yet a decade later, Arafat died without seeing his
dream of a Palestinian homeland come true.

At a summit at Camp David, Maryland, in 2000, Arafat decided to turn down a
U.S.-brokered deal offering Palestinians control of most of the occupied
Palestinian territory. Three months later, intense fighting broke out between
Palestinians and the Israeli army.

Israel -- in retaliation for increased terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian
targets -- severely restricted Arafat's movements, confining him to his West
Bank compound in Ramallah in December 2001.

Continuing violence, along with corruption and economic problems, raised
questions at home and abroad about Arafat's ability to lead the Palestinian
Authority.

In 2003, under pressure from the United States and members of his own
Cabinet, Arafat appointed Mahmoud Abbas to the new position of prime minister, a move
designed to decentralize power. But Abbas resigned less than six months
later, saying he didn't have enough support to do the job.

In July, Arafat announced a program designed to unify security forces and
tackle corruption after his frustrated second prime minister, Ahmed Qorei, also
tried to resign.

Arafat is survived by his wife, Suha Tawil, whom he married in 1991, and
their daughter, Zahwa, who was born in 1995.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/10/arafat.obit/index.html

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