document · Speech
Arafat UN General Assembly address, 13 Nov 1974 (English translation of Arabic original)
Arabic 
Palestine 1974-11-13 Tier 2 — primary or translation
Politician: Yasser Arafat
Original source: https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/9639/speech-yasir-arafat-unga
Content
Why therefore should I not dream and hope? For is not revolution the making real of dreams and hopes? So let us work together that my dream may be fulfilled, that I may return with my people out of exile, there in Palestine to live with this Jewish freedom-fighter and his partners, with this Arab priest and his brothers, in one democratic State where Christian, Jew and Muslim live in justice, equality and fraternity.
In my formal capacity as Chairman of the PLO I proclaim before you that when we speak of our common hopes for the Palestine of tomorrow we include in our perspective all Jews now living in Palestine who choose to live with us there in peace and without discrimination. I call upon Jews to turn away one by one from the illusory promises made to them by Zionist ideology and Israeli leadership.
We invite them to emerge from their moral isolation into a more open realm of free choice, far from their present leadership's efforts to implant in them a Masada complex.
We do not wish one drop of either Arab or Jewish blood to be shed; neither do we delight in the continuation of killing, which would end once a just peace, based on our people's rights, hopes and aspirations had been finally established.
I appeal to you to accompany our people in its struggle to attain its right to self-determination. This right is consecrated in the United Nations Charter.
Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat: do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.
War flares up in Palestine, and yet it is in Palestine that peace will be born. How to cite this document
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In-text
(Arafat, 1974) Arafat, Y.. (1974). Arafat UN General Assembly address, 13 Nov 1974 (English translation of Arabic original) [Original language: AR]. palquest.org. Retrieved June 21, 2026, from https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/9639/speech-yasir-arafat-unga
Arafat, Yasser. 1974. "Arafat UN General Assembly address, 13 Nov 1974 (English translation of Arabic original)." [Original language: AR] palquest.org. Accessed June 21, 2026. https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/9639/speech-yasir-arafat-unga.
@misc{doc-document-38ad6a1c-118a-43bb-833f-5060c65e8b3a,
author = {Arafat, Yasser},
title = {Arafat UN General Assembly address, 13 Nov 1974 (English translation of Arabic original)},
year = {1974},
date = {1974-11-13},
howpublished = {Online; hosted at palquest.org},
url = {https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/9639/speech-yasir-arafat-unga},
urldate = {2026-06-21},
language = {ar},
note = {Retrieved via Tayyar at https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/38ad6a1c-118a-43bb-833f-5060c65e8b3a},
} Retrieved via Tayyar: https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/38ad6a1c-118a-43bb-833f-5060c65e8b3a on June 21, 2026. Tayyar is a research host for primary sources, not the author of this document.