Chronology, Pictures and Quotes

In 1929- Mohammad AbdelRauf Arafat AlQidwa AlHussieni was born in Gaza to a well-off merchant family. Biographies say he was born in Cairo, Arafat claims he was born in Jerusalem on August 4th.

In 1948- As Britain withdrew from Palestine Mandate, Arafat took part in defending the land from the Israeli army which marched on to occupy 78% of historical Palestine, depopulating and razing over 400 Palestinian villages and creating the refugee problem through the displacement of 800,000 Palestinians.

In 1952- Arafat was an engineering student at Cairo University. Arafat joined the Palestinian Students League after Egyptian colonel Jamal Abdel Nasser seizes power. He then formed the Palestinian Graduate Association.

In 1958- Following his graduation with an engineering degree Arafat moves to Kuwait and works using his degree. While there, he and a small group of Palestinian refugees formed Fatah, a secular movement advocating the liberation of Palestine. In 1964 the Palestinian Liberation Organization PLO was established. In 1965 Fatah Offices were created throughout the Arab world in order to expand the scope and interest of revolutionary ideas.

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