Early Life and Career Background
Abdel Bari Atwan was born on 17 February 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa and Muhammad Atwan lived in Isdud. He was one of their 11 children. After receiving his primary school education at the camp, his schooling was continued first in Jordan in 1967, and then in Cairo, Egypt.
In 1970, he entered Cairo University where he studied journalism and also received a diploma in English-Arabic translation. After his graduation, he started work as a journalist, first with the Al Balaagh newspaper in Libya, then with Al Madina in Saudi Arabia. In 1978, he moved to London, where he has lived ever since, and assumed a job with Asharq Al Awsat, a major Saudi-owned international daily. In 1980, he set up the London office of Al Madina and in 1984 returned to Asharq Al Awsat.
In 1989, Al Quds Al Arabi was founded by expatriate Palestinians and Abdel Bari Atwan was offered the job as editor-in-chief, which he has held since. The paper has as of 2007 grown into one of the major pan-Arab dailies, and is known for its strident Arab nationalism and defense of the Palestinian cause. It has been banned and censored repeatedly in several Arab countries for vocal criticism of what the paper alleges is their autocratic rule and excessive deference to Israel and the USA. As editor of Al Quds Al Arabi, Abdel Bari Atwan has become a well-known Arab public figure, and is a regular guest on Dateline London on BBC World, Sky News, Al Jazeera English and CNN World, as well as on several Arabic-language networks. He has contributed numerous Opinion Editorials to a variety of English newspapers including the Guardian, the Mail on Sunday,the Scottish Herald and others; he writes regularly for Gulf News and Turkish Star Gazette.
He has written two books, see below, a third, 'After bin Laden - al-Qa'ida the Next Generation' will be published by Saqi books in October 2012. Atwan has contributed chapters and essays to several academic and specialist books and journals.
Known for his lively delivery, Atwan regularly gives talks and lectures around the world at a variety of events and venues from the Edinburgh Festival to Harvard University.
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