Freedom Road Socialist Organization mourns the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (1929-2004). We regret the loss of a freedom fighter who worked tirelessly for the emancipation of Palestine.

At the age of seventeen he joined with the Fatah movement and began his lifelong struggle for the freedom of Palestine. In 1969, Yasser Arafat emerged as a key leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. In that capacity, he came to personify the yearning of the Palestinian people for self-determination.

For the loss of a leader who worked to free Palestine, we express our sadness and vow to strengthen our work to end the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation of Palestine. We are confident that a united, collective leadership of the Palestinian national movement will emerge and carry forward the fight for the liberation of Palestine.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Nov 13, 2004