The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat founded the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) in 1958 in Kuwait aiming at an independent Palestinian state.

On Jan. 1, 1965 Fatah claimed the first bombing attack on an Israeli water tunnel at the start of its armed struggle against Israeli occupation.

In 1968, Fatah became the mainstream of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Arafat and recognized internationally as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinians.

In 1982, Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invaded Lebanon to get rid of the PLO forces which intensified their attacks on northern Israel.

The war in Lebanon ended up with PLO withdrawal from Lebanon to Tunis and other Arab countries.

In Nov. 15, 1988, just one year after the Intifada (uprising) broke out in the Palestinian territories against Israel, Arafat announced establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its territories being occupied.

Arafat had then recognized the existence of the state of Israel, and called for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians according to the UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.

Secret talks between the PLO and Israel in Oslo, Norway led to the signing of Oslo agreements in 1993 under which the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established for self-rule in Gaza and part of the West Bank.

On Jan. 20, 1996 the first ever parliamentary elections were held with Fatah winning most of the seats in the legislative council as the radical Hamas and other militant factions boycotted the vote.

After Arafat died in November 11, 2004, Mahmoud Abbas was elected PLO leader and the president of the PNA and called the second parliamentary elections on Jan. 25, 2006.

But the ruling Fatah, whose popularity among the Palestinians dropped over corruption and internal disputes, is facing strong challenge from Hamas running in the parliamentary elections for the first time.

According to recent polls, Fatah kept ahead of Hamas by a narrow margin and could lose dominant control of the parliament over the last ten years and have to share power with Hamas in the future government.

Source: Xinhua