Lesson 1/55 min
Palestine: groups, accords and leaders
Basics
- The official name is the State of Palestine. Independence was declared in Algiers on 15 November 1988 (Yasser Arafat). Algeria was the first to recognise it (1988).
- Known as the “Land of the Lord” and the “Holy Land”. Jericho is among the world's oldest cities (per the books).
- On 29 November 2012 the UN General Assembly gave Palestine “non-member observer state” status. Zubair's “independent state status in 1998” is wrong.
- Palestine became UNESCO's 195th member in 2011.
- Exam question “which has no sovereignty?” – Palestine (the book's answer).
The PLO and Fatah
| Item | Facts |
|---|---|
| PLO | Palestine Liberation Organization; formed 1964 (asked in the 23rd BCS). Both books call Arafat its founder; in fact it was set up in 1964 on the Arab League's initiative and Arafat became chairman in 1969. |
| Headquarters | Now Ramallah; formerly Tunis (asked in the 10th BCS) |
| United Nations | First invited to the General Assembly in 1974 |
| Orient House | A historic building in East Jerusalem (1897); linked with the PLO (DU question: the PLO's headquarters) |
| Fatah | The PLO's largest faction; founded as a movement in 1959, including Arafat; headquarters Ramallah; led by Mahmoud Abbas |
| Force 17 | A Palestinian guerrilla unit (Rajshahi University question) |
| WAFA | Palestine's national news agency, founded in April 1972, based in Ramallah |
| UNRWA | The UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees |
Hamas
| Item | Facts |
|---|---|
| Meaning and founding | Hamas means “zeal”; founded 14 December 1987; founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin |
| Wings | Military wing: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades; social wing: Dawa |
| Base | Gaza; an office abroad in Doha, Qatar. Rajshahi University asked: Hamas is a guerrilla organisation. (DU: of which country? Palestine) |
| Leader | The books name Khaled Meshaal (head) and Ismail Haniyeh (prime minister) – out of date. Haniyeh was killed in 2024 and Yahya Sinwar in October 2024; Khalil al-Hayya was named the new overall leader on 20 July 2026 (reports) |
The intifadas
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| First intifada | 8 December 1987 – 1993 |
| Second intifada | 28 September 2000 – 2005; it began around a visit to the Al-Aqsa area (DU: Ariel Sharon) |
| Third call | December 2017: after Trump's Jerusalem announcement Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh called for a third intifada |
“Intifada” is Arabic for uprising, resistance or shaking-off – the Palestinians' mass uprising against Israeli occupation. “Black September” refers to the clashes between the PLO and the Jordanian army in September 1970; in exams Black September is a guerrilla organisation (the books' answer). The Nakba (“catastrophe”): in 1948 more than 700,000 Palestinians left or were driven from their homes.
The Oslo accords and the peace process
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| 20 August 1993 | Agreement reached in Oslo, Norway |
| 13 September 1993 | The Oslo accord is signed in Washington between the PLO and Israel; mutual recognition and a roadmap to self-rule; Israel did not accept an independent Palestinian state (15th BCS: 13 September 1993) |
| 1 July 1994 | Arafat comes from Tunisia to Gaza (16th BCS) |
| 1994 | Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres share the Nobel Peace Prize |
| 15 January 1997 | The Hebron Agreement (PLO–Israel) |
| 2003 | The Roadmap: the aim of an independent Palestinian state by 2005 (24th BCS) |
Palestinian leaders
| Name | Facts |
|---|---|
| Yasser Arafat | Born 1929 in Cairo (Egypt); formed Fatah; PLO chairman in 1969; died in Paris on 11 November 2004; buried in Ramallah. “Enjoyed head-of-state status without being a head of state” (25th BCS) |
| Mahmoud Abbas | Also known as Abu Mazen; PLO chairman since 11 November 2004; president of Palestine since 2005; still in office in 2026. In October 2026 elections were postponed to September 2027 (reports) |
Check yourself
In which year was the PLO formed?
At a glance
- 1
The PLO was formed in 1964; Arafat became chairman in 1969; headquarters Ramallah (formerly Tunis).
- 2
The Oslo accord was signed on 13 September 1993 in Washington; Arafat reached Gaza on 1 July 1994; Nobel Peace Prize 1994.
- 3
The first intifada began on 8 December 1987; the second on 28 September 2000; Hamas was founded on 14 December 1987.
- 4
Fatah is the PLO's largest faction; Hamas's military wing is the al-Qassam Brigades; headquarters Gaza.
- 5
Palestine became a UN observer state in 2012; independence declared 15 November 1988; Algeria recognised it first.
- 6
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has been president since 2005; Hamas's new leader is Khalil al-Hayya (2026).