Speech: Address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

Context
Yasser Arafat addressed the United Nations General Assembly on November 13, 1974, as the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The speech marked the PLO's formal arrival before the world body and came after years of conflict, displacement and political struggle following the 1948 and 1967 wars. Arafat framed the Palestinian cause as a struggle for national self-determination and appealed directly to the international community for recognition and support.
Delivering a speech to an audience of diplomats and global leaders, Arafat positioned the Palestinian plight within the language of universal rights and anti-colonialism. He emphasized the everyday human consequences of exile and occupation, shifting the conversation from purely military terms to one that demanded political and moral consideration by the UN.

Central Arguments
Arafat insisted that Palestinians were entitled to the same rights enjoyed by other nations, foremost among them the right to self-determination and return. He argued that decades of dispossession and occupation could not be resolved by ignoring the legitimate aspirations of his people, and he called for international recognition of Palestinian claims as a basis for any meaningful settlement.
At the same time he rejected the erasure of Palestinian agency. The speech asserted both a moral and practical right to resist occupation, portraying armed struggle as part of the broader effort to reclaim homeland and dignity. Nonetheless, Arafat sought to place that resistance in an international legal and political context, appealing to the UN to acknowledge the PLO as the representative voice capable of negotiating a solution.

Language and Imagery
The address is best remembered for a striking line that juxtaposed peaceful intent with the reality of resistance: "I come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun." That image encapsulated the dual message Arafat delivered , a willingness to seek peace alongside an insistence on the legitimacy of struggle against occupation. He used vivid personal and national imagery to humanize a conflict often discussed in abstract diplomatic terms.
Arafat combined rhetorical restraint with passion, moving from descriptions of suffering and exile to a firm assertion of rights. The speech balanced emotive appeals with political claims, aiming to win sympathy while laying claim to legitimacy on the international stage.

Immediate Reception
Reactions were sharply divided. Many nations and delegations responded positively, welcoming the PLO's presence at the UN and expressing willingness to engage with Palestinian representatives politically. For numerous post-colonial and non-aligned states, the speech resonated as part of a wider struggle against imperialist legacies and for national liberation.
Other actors, including Israel and its supporters, reacted with hostility and skepticism, rejecting the PLO's methods and some of its rhetoric. The address intensified diplomatic debate and provoked both applause and protest, reflecting the deep polarization surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Impact and Legacy
The speech had a lasting effect on the international status of the Palestinian movement. It helped secure formal UN recognition of Palestinian rights and the PLO's role as a representative actor, opening diplomatic channels that had been previously closed. The address also shifted global public perception by placing Palestinian demands squarely within the UN's human-rights and self-determination framework.
Over time the speech became emblematic of the PLO's transition from a guerrilla movement to a political actor engaged in international diplomacy. Its famous imagery continues to symbolize the tension between aspiration for peace and the realities of armed struggle, and it remains a reference point in discussions about legitimacy, negotiation and the international community's role in resolving the conflict.