Palestinian struggle for self-determination and statehood during the Cold War
Palestinian national movement
The Palestinian national movement evolved during the Cold War from regional dependence to an independent anti-colonial struggle. Following the 1948 Displacement (Nakba), Palestinians initially relied on Arab state intervention. The creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964 and its subsequent takeover by Fatah and guerrilla factions after the 1967 Six-Day War marked a shift toward self-reliance. Navigating Cold War dynamics, the movement engaged in armed resistance, international diplomacy, and internal debates between Marxist and nationalist ideology. The movement achieved global recognition at the UN in 1974 and eventually transitioned toward diplomatic negotiations, culminating in the 1993 Oslo Accords and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority.
People
Birth
Death
Origin
Age (Death)
| 1908 | |
|---|---|
| 1926 | |
| 1929 | |
| 1933 | |
| 1935 | |
| 1935 | |
| 1935 | |
| 1938 | |
| 1944 | |
| 1946 |
Timeline
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
| Year | Palestinian national movement |
|---|---|
| 1908 |
Birth of Ahmad Shukeiri (Period: 1908 (Some sources state January 1), Location: Tibnin (present-day southern Lebanon))
Birth and Childhood in Tebnine (Period: 1908–1916, Location: Tebnine, Tulkarm, Acre)
|
| 1924 |
Secondary Education in Jerusalem (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1926 |
Enrollment and Expulsion at American University of Beirut (Ahmad Shukeiri)
Birth of George Habash (Period: August 1, 1926 (Some sources state he was born in 1925, or on August 2), Location: Lydda (present-day Lod, Israel))
|
| 1927 |
1927 Beirut Student Demonstration and Expulsion (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1928 |
Legal Studies and Practice in Jerusalem
|
| 1929 |
Birth of Yasser Arafat (Period: August 24, 1929 (There are various theories regarding his date of birth, with some sources listing August 4 or August 24), Location: Cairo, Egypt (Although there is a Jerusalem theory for birth_place, the Cairo theory is predominant))
|
| 1930 |
Youth in Jaffa and Participation in Palestinian Youth Organizations
Participation in Independence Party (Istiqlal Party)
|
| 1933 |
Marriage (Ahmad Shukeiri, Naseeba al-Sadi)
Birth of Abu Iyad (Period: August 31, 1933, Location: Jaffa, merged into present-day Tel Aviv, Israel)
|
| 1935 |
Childhood and Primary Education in Cairo (Edward Said, Period: 1935–1947, Location: Cairo, Egypt)
Birth in Safed and Becoming a Refugee (Period: 1935–1948, Location: Safed, Syria)
Birth of Khalil al-Wazir (Period: October 10, 1935, Location: Ramla, in central present-day Israel (Ramla/Ramleh), not Ramallah)
Birth of Edward Said (Period: November 11, 1935, Location: Present-day Jerusalem (then Mandatory Palestine under British rule))
Birth of Mahmoud Abbas (Period: November 15, 1935, Location: Safed (present-day Tzfat in northern Israel))
|
| 1936 |
1948 Palestine War
|
| 1938 |
Birth of Nayef Hawatmeh (Period: November 1935 (Exact date unconfirmed; some sources state he was born in 1934 or 1938), Location: As-Salt, Jordan (Salt))
|
| 1939 |
World War II
Exile to Cairo and Return to Palestine (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1940 |
Youth in Cairo and Palestinian Student Movement
|
| 1944 |
Medical Education and Relief Activities in Native Lydda (George Habash)
Birth of Leila Khaled (Period: April 9, 1944, Location: Haifa, present-day Israel)
|
| 1945 |
Establishment of Arab Information Office in Washington
1945 Arrest by British Mandate Authorities
|
| 1946 |
Birth in Nablus and Childhood in Ramallah (Period: 1946 – 1950s, Location: Nablus, Ramallah)
Participation in Arab Higher Committee
Birth of Hanan Ashrawi (Period: October 8, 1946, Location: Nablus, West Bank, Palestinian Territories)
|
| 1947 |
1948 Displacement and Expulsion of Palestinians (Edward Said)
School Life in Jerusalem
Nakba (Mahmoud Abbas)
Nakba (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1948 |
Expulsion from Ramla and Relocation to Gaza (Khalil al-Wazir)
Bilal Said Incident (Experience of Family Land and Property Loss)
Studies at Victoria College and Expulsion
1948 Displacement of Palestinians (Nakba)
Evacuation from Haifa to Lebanon
Evacuation from Jaffa to Gaza
Expulsion of Lydda Residents (Lydda Death March)
|
| 1949 |
Participation in UN as Part of Syrian Delegation
|
| 1950 |
Founding of Fatah
Founding of Arab Nationalists' Movement (ANM)
Participation in Arab Nationalists' Movement (ANM)
Studies in Medicine, Philosophy, and Sociology
Palestinian Fedayeen Insurgency of the 1950s
Meeting with Yasser Arafat
Legal Studies at Damascus University
Participation in Fatah and Organizational Activities
|
| 1951 |
Refugee Support and Clinic Operation in Jordan
Study Abroad at Mount Hermon School
Appointment as Assistant Secretary-General of Arab League (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1952 |
Participation in and Departure from Muslim Brotherhood
Studies and Student Movement at Al-Azhar University
|
| 1953 |
Research at Princeton University and Harvard University
|
| 1955 |
Departure from Muslim Brotherhood and Formation of Armed Struggle Organization
1955 Zohar Reservoir Bombing Operation and Israeli Military Retaliation
|
| 1956 |
Activities as Teacher and Studies in Education and Psychology (Abu Iyad)
Second Arab-Israeli War
|
| 1957 |
Bombing Incidents and Repression of Arab Nationalist Movement Affiliates in Jordan
Service at Qatar Ministry of Education (Mahmoud Abbas)
Appointment as Saudi Arabian Ambassador to UN (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1958 |
Relocation to Damascus and Political Activities
Arab Nationalists' Movement Activities in Lebanon and Iraq
Marriage (Mahmoud Abbas, Amina al-Fanous)
Death Sentence for Political Activities in Jordan
|
| 1959 |
Activities in Kuwait and Founding of Fatah
Participation in Arab Nationalists' Movement
Marriage (Abu Iyad, Cousin)
|
| 1960 |
PFLP's Alignment with Marxism-Leninism
Arrest and Imprisonment in Iraq
Involvement in National Liberation Front of South Yemen
Leadership of Fatah Armed Wing Al-Assifa
Activities as PLO Senior Official
|
| 1961 |
Marriage (George Habash, Hilda Habash)
|
| 1962 |
North Yemen Civil War and Yemeni Revolution
Marriage (Khalil al-Wazir, Intisar al-Wazir)
Marriage (Edward Said, Maire Jaanus)
|
| 1963 |
South Yemen War of Independence
Opening of Fatah's Algeria Office
Faculty Position at Columbia University
Enrollment at American University of Beirut and Student Movement (Leila Khaled)
English Teacher in Kuwait
Participation in Arab League as Palestinian Representative
|
| 1964 |
Studies and Student Movement at American University of Beirut
Drafting of Palestinian National Charter
Formation of Palestine Liberation Army
Establishment of PLO and Assumption of First Chairmanship (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1965 |
Initiation of Armed Struggle by Fatah
Establishment of Fatah Military Leadership
Internal PLO Power Struggles over Leadership
|
| 1966 |
1966 Detention Incident of Fatah Leaders
|
| 1967 |
Establishment of Early Fatah Security Apparatus
Refusal of Right of Return by Israeli Authorities
Founding of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Participation in Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Resignation as PLO Chairman (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1968 |
Authoring of Memoirs and Political Writings
Battle of Karameh
|
| 1969 |
Entry into Fatah Central Committee and Appointment as Chief of Security (Abu Iyad)
Doctoral Research at University of Virginia
Participation in PFLP External Operations Department
Assumption of PLO Chairmanship (Yasser Arafat)
Formation of Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP)
TWA Flight 840 Hijacking Incident instead of TWA Flight 693
|
| 1970 |
Renaming to Democratic Front and Assumption of Secretary-General Post (Nayef Hawatmeh)
Development of Youth Organizations and Underground Networks in Occupied Territories
Marriage (Edward Said, Mariam Cortas)
Raid and Closure of Birzeit University and Detention of Ashrawi
Marriage (Leila Khaled, Fayez Rashid)
Jordanian Civil War (Black September)
Movement by Jordanian Government to Detain and Track Hawatmeh
Dawson's Field Aircraft Hijackings
Attempted Hijacking of El Al Flight 219
Dawson's Field Hijackings (Multiple Aircraft Hijackings)
|
| 1971 |
Suspicions Surrounding Black September Organization and Munich Incident
Development of PLO Security and Intelligence Apparatus in Lebanon
|
| 1972 |
Lod Airport Massacre
Suspicions of Funding Munich Olympic Incident
Munich Massacre
|
| 1973 |
Establishment of English Department at Birzeit University
Activities in General Union of Palestinian Women
Fourth Arab-Israeli War
|
| 1974 |
Rivalry with PLO and Formation of Rejectionist Front
Translation of Arafat's UN Speech
Participation in Legal Aid and Human Rights Activities
Appointment as Head of PLO Negotiating Department (Mahmoud Abbas)
Involvement in Drafting PLO's Ten-Point Program
Address to the UN General Assembly
|
| 1975 |
Lebanese Civil War
Marriage (Hanan Ashrawi, Emile Ashrawi)
|
| 1976 |
Entebbe Airport Hostage Crisis
|
| 1977 |
Participation in Palestinian National Council (PNC)
|
| 1978 |
Lebanese Conflict and Israeli Invasion of South Lebanon
Publication of "Orientalism"
Establishment of Support Facilities at Tel al-Zaatar Refugee Camp
Studies in Moscow and Rostov
Opposition to Camp David Accords and Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty
Relocation to Tunisia (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1979 |
Participation in Palestinian National Council
|
| 1980 |
PLO Security Activities in Tunisia
Death of Ahmad Shukeiri
Death in Amman (Ahmad Shukeiri)
|
| 1982 |
Relocation of Base to Tunisia
Relocation to Tunisia and PLO Activities (Khalil al-Wazir)
1982 Lebanon War
First Lebanon War
Sabra and Shatila Massacre
|
| 1983 |
Siege of Tripoli and Second Withdrawal from Lebanon
|
| 1985 |
1985 Bombing of PLO Headquarters in Tunis
|
| 1986 |
Appointment as First Secretary of Palestinian Women's Organization (Leila Khaled)
|
| 1987 |
First Intifada
Participation in First Intifada Political Committee
Organization of First Intifada
|
| 1988 |
Declaration of Palestinian Independence and Shift to Recognition of Israel
Shift to Diplomatic Course on Palestinian State Recognition
Involvement in Declaration of Palestinian Independence
Death of Khalil al-Wazir
1988 Tunis Assassination Incident
|
| 1990 |
Marriage (Yasser Arafat, Suha Arafat)
Political Dialogue on Two-State Solution
Struggle with Leukemia and Death (Edward Said)
|
| 1991 |
Official Spokesperson at Madrid Middle East Peace Conference
Death of Abu Iyad
Assassination of Abu Iyad
|
| 1992 |
Relocation to Amman (Leila Khaled)
|
| 1993 |
Opposition to Oslo Accords
Clash with PLO Leadership over Oslo Accords
Critique of Oslo Accords and Departure from PNC
Clash with Palestinian Leadership over Oslo Accords
Election to PFLP Central Committee
Internal Palestinian Clashes over Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
Signing of Oslo Accords
|
| 1994 |
Establishment of Palestinian Authority and Return
Nobel Peace Prize Award (Yasser Arafat)
Establishment of Independent Commission for Human Rights
|
| 1995 |
Oslo II Accord
|
| 1996 |
Palestinian Authority Presidential Election
Appointment to and Resignation from Post of Minister of Higher Education and Research (Hanan Ashrawi)
|
| 1998 |
Founding of MIFTAH
|
| 1999 |
Founding of West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Founding of AMAN
|
| 2000 |
Second Intifada
Camp David Summit
Resignation as PFLP Secretary-General
|
| 2002 |
Siege of Arafat's Ramallah Headquarters
|
| 2003 |
Appointment as Prime Minister of Palestinian Authority (Mahmoud Abbas)
Death of Edward Said
|
| 2004 |
Death of Yasser Arafat and Cause of Death Controversy
Death of Yasser Arafat
|
| 2005 |
Election to PFLP Politburo
|
| 2006 |
Election to Palestinian Legislative Council
Conflict and Split between Fatah and Hamas
|
| 2007 |
Unification within PLO and Participation in Palestinian Political Dialogue
|
| 2008 |
Death of George Habash
Death (George Habash)
|
| 2009 |
First Female Member of PLO Executive Committee
Criticism over Prolonged Regime and Postponement of Elections
|
| 2012 |
UN Recognition of Palestine as Non-Member Observer State
|
| 2023 |
Appointment as Chair of Board of Trustees of Birzeit University (Hanan Ashrawi)
|
| 2026 |
Death of Nayef Hawatmeh
Death of Hanan Ashrawi
Death of Leila Khaled
Death of Mahmoud Abbas
|
| Unknown |
Marriage (Nayef Hawatmeh, Unconfirmed in Public Records, Period: Details Unknown, Location: Details Unknown)
|
Map
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Element |
Asia
World
Related Links
| Group | List |
|---|---|
| West Asia | Establishment of Israel Palestinian national movement Iranian Revolution |
Comments