Birth date: 1956Birth place: Silwad, West BankBirth name: Khaled MeshaalFather: Imam, name unknown publiclyMother: Name unknown publiclyMarriage: Name unknown publicly, (1981-present)Children: SevenEducation: Kuwait University, Bachelor of Science in Physics, 1978Religion: Sunni Muslim1967 – After the Six-Day War, Meshaal's family moves from the West Bank to Jordan and then to Kuwait.1971 – Meshaal joins the Muslim Brotherhood. 1978-1984 – Works as a physics teacher in Kuwait.1980 – Founds the Islamic League for Palestinian Students. December 1987 – Palestinian cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin founds Hamas, a spinoff of the Muslim Brotherhood. Meshaal joins and becomes the leader of the Hamas chapter in Kuwait. August 2, 1990 – Iraq invades Kuwait. Reportedly, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein decided to invade the small, oil-rich nation in order to pay off debts incurred during Iraq's eight-year war with Iran. Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat throws his support behind Hussein. 1991 – US and coalition forces defeat Iraq and liberate Kuwait. Kuwait then expels 300,000 Palestinians from the country, including Meshaal. 1991 – Meshaal settles in Jordan and leads its Hamas chapter. He is in charge of international fund-raising. 1996 – Becomes chief of Hamas' political bureau. September 1997 – Israeli Mossad agents, posing as Canadian tourists, spray fentanyl into Meshaal's ear in an assassination attempt in Amman, Jordan. The Mossad agents are captured. King Hussein of Jordan tells Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the agents will be put on trial if Meshaal is not given the antidote. US President Bill Clinton also intervenes. Netanyahu reluctantly agrees and Meshaal recovers. As part of the deal, Israel also releases a number of Palestinian and Jordanian prisoners, including Yassin. September 22, 1999 – Meshaal, along with two other Hamas leaders, is accused of illegal political activity and briefly imprisoned in Jordan. After his release, Jordan's King Abdullah II closes Hamas' office in Amman and expels Meshaal from the county. Meshaal moves to Qatar. 2001 – Relocates to Damascus, Syria. March 22, 2004 – Yassin, leader of Hamas, is killed by Israeli air strikes.March 23, 2004 – Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi is named as Yassin's successor.April 17, 2004 – Rantisi is killed by an Israeli airstrike on his car. Meshaal rises to the top of the Hamas leadership, along with Ismail Haniya. January 26, 2006 – Hamas, participating for the first time in Palestinian parliamentary elections, wins a landslide victory. Hamas wins 76 seats, and Fatah 43 seats, in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, giving Hamas a majority.June 14, 2007 – After a week of battles between Hamas and Fatah, Hamas seizes control of Gaza.April 18, 2008 – Former US President Jimmy Carter meets with Meshaal, in Damascus, Syria.December 27, 2008 – Israel launches Operation Cast Lead, air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for continued rocket attacks against southern Israel. A ground offensive begins on January 3, 2009.January 18, 2009 – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declares a unilateral cease-fire in the fighting in Gaza. During the conflict, more than 1,200 Palestinians are killed, along with 13 Israelis.February 1, 2009 – Meshaal meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Speaking of Operation Cast Lead, he praises Iran: "The victory of the people of Gaza was a miracle of God and the Islamic Republic definitely has a share in this victory." Read More – Source
Khaled Meshaal Fast Facts
