Translated by: Tamara Barakat 

Abdel Mohsin Al-Qattan was born in Jaffa in 1929. He began his studies at the Ayyubid School there, and then joined the Anahda College in Jerusalem, headed by the Palestinian educator, Khalil Sakakini. In 1951, he graduated from the American University in Beirut with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

From the beginning of the eighties, Al-Qattan was involved in social, development and charity work. He was one of the founders of the Welfare Association, the Governor of Palestine in the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the American University in Beirut. He has provided scholarships for many Palestinian and Arab students to support them in their university studies. He has also provided support to many organizations such as the Centre for Arab Unity Studies, the Ahmad Bahaa Edin Foundation, the Institute for Palestine Studies, Birzeit University, and many other institutions.

Despite having a successful business career, he was also involved in the Arab and Palestinian politics. He represented his country in many international visits. He accompanied Ahmed Al-Shuqairi to China in 1964 and supported the emerging PLO in its early days in Kuwait.

In 1969, he was elected as the Spokesperson of the Palestine National Council during the Council’s meeting in Cairo. However, he resigned from this post a few days later, due to the refusal of the PLO factions to agree on a unified command of the organization’s military and financial assets. This marked the end of his direct involvement in politics. He remained a member in the PNC until his resignation in 1990, alongside with his friends, Edward Said and Ibrahim Abu Loghod, in protest against the PLO’s pro-Saddam stance during the Gulf Crisis.

In 1994, he launched the A.M. Qattan Foundation in London, which became fully active in Palestine in 1998, through a group of programs and projects in the fields of art and culture.

In May 1999, he came back to Palestine and visited his hometown, Jaffa, for the first time since 1948. He was also given an honorary doctorate from Birzeit University.

In March 2011, he announced his decision to allocate a quarter of his wealth to establishing a Fund to ensure the independence and sustainability of his Foundation, and its ability to create the needed social change. He also announced that he will support the establishment of an independent strategic studies institute, focused on different topics related to the Palestinian issue.