Who Is Raja Shehadeh?
Via Creative Folkestone
Words by Falasteen Mansour
Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer, author, and founder of Al-Haq, a human rights organization with a focus on Palestine. Shehadeh grew up in Ramallah, and although his family is originally from Yaffa, they were forced to flee during the Nakba.
Shehadeh’s father was also a lawyer and specialized in land based laws within Palestine - he would settle disputes over land, and also knew the intricacies of Israeli regulations and restrictions regarding Palestinian land. Shehadeh had a complicated relationship with his father, which he details in his book, “We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I” in which he discusses his father’s background as a political figure (and at one point, political prisoner). Shehadeh’s father was tragically murdered in 1985, but Shehadeh continued his legacy within the legal field.
Shehadeh has written multiple novels, and his book “Palestinian Walks” was the recipient of an Orwell Prize. The book documents a series of walks Shehadeh takes around Palestine, and the ways the land itself changes over time under occupation. “Strangers in the House” is Shehadeh’s memoir and provides an in depth look at his upbringing and life as a young man. All of Shehadeh’s novels are extremely engaging and give a look not only into Shehadeh’s personal family history, but the Palestinian struggle as a whole.
Al Haq, Shehadeh’s human rights organization, is based in Ramallah, and was founded for the purpose of protecting Palestinian rights under the thresholds of occupation. Established in 1979, the organization began with the focus of legally analyzing Israel’s role within the occupied territories, but soon expanded to cover broader areas such as women’s rights. The turning point for Al Haq came during the First Intifada in 1987, given the major political and social upheaval that soon ensued.
Overall, Shehadeh has used both his legal expertise and writing prowess to amplify and advocate for the Palestinian cause and continues to be a public figure in the academic sphere.
Sources:
Haq, A. (2024). History. Al Haq . https://www.alhaq.org/about-alhaq/37.html
National Book Foundation. (2023, October 3). Raja Shehadeh. National Book Foundation. https://www.nationalbook.org/people/raja-shehadeh/
Shehadeh, R. (2024). We could have been friends, my father and I: A Palestinian memoir. Other Press.
Shehadeh, R. (2014). Palestinian Walks: Forays into a vanishing landscape. Scribner.
Shehadeh, R. (2002). Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine. Penguin Publishing Group.
