Renowned Palestinian author and lawyer Raja Shehadeh has transferred his lifelong journals to the University of Edinburgh to protect them from destruction. The massive archive documents nearly 60 years of Palestinian history and resistance.

  • Raja Shehadeh's archive contains over 5 million words spanning nearly 60 years.
  • The collection has been moved to the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Research Collections for safety.
  • The decision was driven by fears of destruction amid escalating conflict in the West Bank and Gaza.

In a significant move to preserve the historical memory of Palestine, Raja Shehadeh, the acclaimed writer, lawyer, and public intellectual, has officially transferred his personal journals to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The archive, which began with a 15-year-old's diary entry in 1967, serves as a meticulous chronological record of the Palestinian experience under various regimes and occupations.

The collection is staggering in scale, comprising tens of thousands of pages and exceeding 5 million words. Shehadeh began writing just weeks before the 1967 Six-Day War, a pivotal moment that saw Israel capture the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. For Shehadeh, the act of writing was not merely a personal habit but a tool for understanding a period of extreme flux and confusion.

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Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that this transfer is more than a mere academic acquisition; it is a strategic act of cultural preservation. By moving these documents to a secure, climate-controlled environment in Scotland, Shehadeh ensures that the primary source material of Palestinian daily life remains immune to the physical destruction currently plaguing archives and libraries in the occupied territories.

The preservation of personal narratives is the ultimate act of resistance against the erasure of national identity.

The decision to relocate the archive was accelerated by the events of late 2023, specifically the increased Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the devastating war in Gaza. Shehadeh expressed profound relief upon seeing his life's work stored behind double locks and air-conditioning, far from the reach of military raids.

The logistics of the transfer were a collaborative effort. The University of Edinburgh partnered with the Digital Archive of the Middle East at the University of Exeter and a dedicated team from the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem. This coalition worked to digitize and transport the documents, including materials belonging to Shehadeh's late father, Aziz Shehadeh, a prominent Ramallah lawyer.

Beyond his diaries, Shehadeh is the founder of Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organization. His most recent work, Forgotten: Searching for Palestine’s Hidden Places and Lost Memorials (2025), continues his lifelong mission of documenting the geography and memory of his homeland.

Did You Know?: Raja Shehadeh's first diary entry in 1967 was about protecting bees in his garden, which he now views as an early, subconscious rallying cry against the dispossession of his people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the University of Edinburgh chosen for the archive?
Shehadeh has a deep, long-standing relationship with the city, having launched 14 of his books at the annual Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Will Raja Shehadeh stop writing his diaries now that they are archived?
No; Shehadeh maintains that diary-keeping is an essential part of his daily existence and he continues to document his thoughts.