From the historic 1993 handshake with Yitzhak Rabin to the current tension with Benjamin Netanyahu, Yasser Arafat has held the key to peace in the Middle East. Time and again pronounced politically dead, the Palestinian leader has surmounted opposition &, like the phoenix, risen again, and has now attained the status of world leader. This groundbreaking biography portrays the real PLO leader who has persevered against his enemies. Examines Arafat from the perspective of friends, foes, and family who have dealt with him and known him best, &, most important, Arafat himself. B & W photos.