The secret quest to preserve Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh's diaries
Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh has successfully moved his extensive personal diaries, which document decades of life under occupation, to the University of Edinburgh for preservation. The effort was a discreet, two-year mission to protect the archives from potential destruction during military operations.
Why it matters
These diaries provide a rare, long-term historical record of the Palestinian experience, serving as a vital primary source for future historical research.
The world's leading Palestinian writer, Raja Shehadeh, has been on a mission to save his most personal work: his diaries.
The award-winning author of more than 20 books has been documenting decades of Palestinian life, starting in 1967 at the very beginning of Israel's occupation of the West Bank when he was a teenager.
His diaries capture a unique voice and front row view of history: his meetings with world leaders, his work as a human rights lawyer, and his role as legal advisor to the Palestinians during peace talks with Israel.
Shehadeh, now 75, feared his diaries and archives — kept in his garage in the West Bank city of Ramallah — were at risk of destruction from Israeli military operations. (The Israeli foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment about Shehadeh's fears.)
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