Mahmoud Chreih was born in 1952 in Burj al-Barajneh (Beirut). His family had emigrated from the town of Tarshiha (in the Upper Galilee) in 1948 after the Zionist gangs expelled them from their town. He studied elementary in Burj al-Barajneh 1958-1964, middle school in Ghobeiry (1964-1967) and secondary school in International College in Beirut (1967-1971). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, then worked as an assistant to the United States of America in Beirut (1981-1987), then worked as an American assistant in the United States of America (1981-1987), since July 1987.