Yasser Arafat

Palestinian leader

Contemporary influential 136 sayings

Sayings by Yasser Arafat

We are fighting for justice and human dignity, and we will never surrender.

1975 — Interview with Le Monde
Controversial Unverifiable

Our people will continue their struggle until they achieve their national aspirations, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

2000 — Speech at the Arab Summit
Controversial Unverifiable

The Palestinian people are not terrorists; they are freedom fighters.

1974 — Speech to the UN General Assembly
Controversial Unverifiable

We extend our hand for peace, but peace with dignity and justice.

1988 — Speech in Cairo
Controversial Unverifiable

The Palestinian cause is the cause of all Arabs and all free people in the world.

1973 — Speech in Algiers
Controversial Unverifiable

We will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

2001 — Interview with Al-Jazeera
Controversial Unverifiable

Our struggle is a struggle of existence, not a struggle of borders.

1970 — Interview with Newsweek
Controversial Unverifiable

The Palestinian people have the right to resist occupation by all means, including armed struggle.

1982 — Speech in Beirut
Controversial Unverifiable

We are fighting for the return of our refugees to their homes and properties.

1985 — Speech in Tunis
Controversial Unverifiable

The Palestinian revolution is a torch that illuminates the path for all oppressed peoples.

1979 — Speech in Havana
Controversial Unverifiable

We will never give up our claim to Jerusalem, our eternal capital.

2000 — Speech in Ramallah
Controversial Unverifiable

The Zionist entity is a cancerous tumor that must be eradicated.

1970 — Speech in Baghdad
Controversial Unverifiable

Our struggle is a continuation of the struggle of our forefathers against colonialism and imperialism.

1968 — Speech in Cairo
Controversial Unverifiable

We are the true owners of this land, and we will never abandon our rights.

1974 — Interview with Time magazine
Controversial Unverifiable

The Oslo Accords were a tactical step, not a strategic one. We will continue our struggle.

1994 — Private conversation, revealed later
Controversial Unverifiable

We will not allow any force to dictate our destiny.

1982 — Speech in Tunis
Controversial Unverifiable

The intifada is the uprising of a people yearning for freedom and independence.

1988 — Speech to the UN General Assembly
Controversial Unverifiable

Jerusalem is not for sale, and it is not for negotiation.

2000 — Speech in Ramallah
Controversial Unverifiable

We are fighting for the children of Palestine, for their future and their dignity.

1970 — Interview with CBS News
Controversial Unverifiable

The Palestinian cause is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

1974 — Speech at the Arab Summit
Controversial Unverifiable