Located in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the central West Bank, the compound houses the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s government offices. In April 2002 (see April 2002 Israeli military invasion/Operation Defensive Shield), the Israeli army raided the compound placed it under siege in an attempt to isolate PA President Yasser Arafat from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The siege was a response to the Second Intifada amid Israeli claims that Arafat and some of his colleagues were supporting terrorism. Arafat was held under house arrest at the compound from April 2002-October 2004, after which he was flown to Paris, France for medical treatment. The Muqataa is also the sight of Yasser Arafat’s tomb. See “Inside Arafat’s compound of rubble.” BBC. 22 September 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1902566.stm; and “Arafat mausoleum opened by Abbas.” BBC. 10 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7088743.stm.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/mutaqaayasser-arafats-compound