Muna 1944, Arafat akanyoresa kuYunivhesiti yaMambo Fuad I uye akapedza kudzidza muna 1950. Kuyunivhesiti, akabatanidza maJuda mukukurukurirana uye akaverenga zvinyorwa naTheodor Herzl nevamwe vakakurumbira veZionist. Pakazosvika 1946 aive murudzi wechiArabhu uye akatanga kuwana zvombo kuti zvipfuudzirwe muBritish Mandate yePalestine, kuti zvishandiswe nevasina kurongeka muArab Higher Committee neHondo yeMasoja eHondo Tsvene. Munguva ye1948 Arab-Israeli Hondo, Arafat akasiya Yunivhesiti uye, pamwe nevamwe maArabu, vakatsvaga kupinda muPalestine kuti vabatane nemauto eArab kurwisa mauto eIsrael nekugadzirwa kwenyika yeIsrael. Zvisinei, pachinzvimbo chekujoinha mauto evanhu vePalestine, Arafat akarwa pamwe neMuslim Brotherhood, kunyangwe asina kujoina sangano. Akatora chikamu muGaza muna 1956 (iyo yaive nharaunda huru yekurwisa mauto eArabhu muPalestine) uye akaenderera mberi achitsigira mauto eArab mu
Muna 1949