In a discreet two-year operation, prominent Palestinian author Raja Shehadeh arranged for his personal archives to be relocated from the West Bank to Scotland, safeguarding decades of historical documentation from potential destruction by Israeli military forces.
Shehadeh, 75, is the award-winning author of over 20 books and has maintained a daily diary since 1967, chronicling life under Israeli occupation starting from when he was a teenager. His writings provide a front-row account of pivotal events, including his tenure as a human rights lawyer and his service as legal advisor to Palestinians during peace negotiations with Israel.
Concerned that his archives, stored in his Ramallah garage, could be targeted in military operations, Shehadeh collaborated with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Exeter. The project involved high-standard digitization performed around the clock by three specialists, followed by the gradual mailing of physical documents to avoid detection.
The fear of losing these records stems from historical precedents, including the 1948 Nakba and the 2002 invasion of Ramallah, where private papers were frequently destroyed. With the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, Shehadeh felt an urgent need to preserve his collection, fearing soldiers might burn the documents if discovered.
Beyond his diaries, the archive contains extensive records of Shehadeh’s four-decade pursuit of justice regarding the 1985 assassination of his father, Aziz Shehadeh. After obtaining Israeli police investigation files in 2025, Shehadeh confirmed his suspicion that the primary suspect—a man who had threatened his father from prison—was not properly investigated, likely due to his status as a collaborator.
Shehadeh views his writing and his act of preservation as forms of *sumud*, or steadfastness. He believes that documenting history and remaining on the land are essential strategies for Palestinian resilience against efforts to displace them.
The digitized materials are now accessible online through the University of Exeter’s humanities collections.
This archival work is vital, but I wonder how accessible these materials truly are for researchers outside the UK?
I hadn’t realized the scale of the logistical effort involved. Mailing documents gradually to avoid detection is both clever and nerve-wracking.
What an incredible story of quiet courage. Preserving history like that is a profound act of resistance.