Palestinian Diaries Find Safe Haven in Scotland

A significant collection of Palestinian historical records, totaling over 5 million words across tens of thousands of pages, has been securely archived at the University of Edinburgh. The archive primarily consists of the personal journals of Raja Shehadeh, a prominent Palestinian author and lawyer, which he began documenting in 1967 at the age of 15. The collection also includes materials belonging to his late father, Aziz Shehadeh.

Shehadeh decided to relocate his archive due to increasing fears for its safety amidst escalating conflict in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. He described the archive's new home in Scotland as a safe place with robust security measures, bringing him considerable relief. He emphasized that despite its relocation, he and his heirs retain full copyright and control over the intellectual property.

The transfer process involved collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the University of Exeter's Digital Archive of the Middle East, and a Palestinian team from Jerusalem's Educational Bookshop. This effort ensured the digitization and careful packaging of documents, some found on unconventional items like boarding passes and napkins.

Shehadeh views the archiving of his personal history at the University of Edinburgh, an institution linked to the Balfour Declaration, as a modern act of resistance. He stated that his archives, along with his father's, serve as a testament to the failure of the Balfour Declaration's intention to erase Palestine. The University of Exeter will publish selected entries online to coincide with the official launch on September 3.

The archive's relocation was necessitated by the dangerous conditions in Palestine, where many family archives have reportedly been destroyed. While its natural home would be Palestine, the current instability made external intervention crucial for preservation. The University of Edinburgh plans to make the collection an open-access resource for global researchers and students.