There is a parallel between Yasser Arafat's career and the career of Vito Corleone, the main character in The Godfather. Both men started out as leaders of their own personal gangs of dedicated followers. Corleone was the head of the Corleone crime family; Arafat was head of Al-Fatah, the Palestinian terrorist group. Also, both men had to compete with several other similar groups. Corleone had to worry about at least four other Mafia crime families; Arafat had to worry about competition from at least a half-dozen other terrorist groups.
In the case of Don Corleone, during the 1950's, the rival crime families began to feud amongst themselves. So the leaders of the various families called a meeting where it was decided that the heads of the families would form a commission which would referee the disputes between the families. In the case of Arafat, during the 1950's, the heads of the various Palestinian terrorist groups formed a group called the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The purpose of the PLO was to coordinate the activities of the groups like Hamas, Al-Fatah, and Black September.
Over the years, Don Corleone ruthlessly dealt with the leaders of the other families and thereby raised his own status and importance in the Mafia. In a similar manner, Arafat used assassination and other means over the years to rid himself of competition from the rival leaders of the terrorist community now known as the PLO. By the 1970's, Arafat had effectively become head of the PLO. In short he elevated himself to a position which might be called "the Godfather of anti-Israeli Terrorism." And -- irony of ironies! -- he managed to get the PLO recognized by the rest of the world as the official organization representing Palestinian interests.
The above facts will help you to understand why the Israelis generally believe that the present leadership of the PLO under Arafat is not the right bunch to negotiate with.
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