At the remarkable age of 100, Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi passed away on Sunday, 8 March.
Gone but never forgotten, we pay tribute to “the historian of the Palestinian cause,” whose groundbreaking research chronicled the Nakba and shaped the study of Palestine, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire scholars, policymakers, and readers around the world.
From Oxford to the Institute for Palestine Studies
Walid was born in Jerusalem in 1925 into a family engaged in intellectual and civic life, and his early years in Ramallah and later at St. George’s School in Jerusalem laid the foundation for a lifelong curiosity about history, politics, and society.
After completing his education in Palestine, Walid went on to study at the University of Oxford, graduating in 1951. Oxford not only broadened his perspective but also prepared him for a career that would take him across continents, combining teaching, research, and scholarship.
He began teaching political studies at the American University of Beirut, where he influenced generations of students and developed a reputation for rigorous, thoughtful scholarship.
Building on this experience, he later joined Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs as a research fellow, continuing to explore the history of Palestine and the complexities of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
By 1963, Walid had co-founded the Institute for Palestine Studies with Syrian intellectual Constantine Zurayk and Palestinian economist Burhan Dajani. The institute became the first organisation dedicated to careful research into Palestinian society and history, and, under Walid’s leadership, it helped formalise the study of the Nakba, providing scholars with a framework to examine the events of 1948 and their lasting impact.
Throughout his career, Walid focused on uncovering aspects of history that had been overlooked or deliberately hidden. For example, he was the first to reveal the details of ‘Plan Dalet', the strategy used by Zionist forces to seize control of Palestine and displace its population, using archival research, official documents, and personal testimonies to clarify long-obscured events and lay the groundwork for future scholarship on the Nakba.
Alongside his work at the institute, Walid continued to teach and lecture widely, holding positions at Oxford and other universities, delivering lectures at Princeton, and being elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
As for his books, Walid produced a body of work that carefully documented Palestinian history and the Nakba, combining meticulous research with accessible scholarship.
One of his earliest major works, Palestine Reborn (1992), brought together essays and articles exploring the history and politics of Palestine, including the post-1967 peace process. In it, Walid emphasised the distinct identity of the Palestinian people, critiqued Israeli security arguments against Palestinian statehood, and advocated for a demilitarised, independent Palestine.
Later in 1992, he published All That Remains, a landmark study that catalogued more than 400 Palestinian villages destroyed or depopulated in 1948. Drawing on archival research, maps, and eyewitness accounts, Walid reconstructed the lives of the communities that had been erased, making it a foundational reference on the Nakba.
Around the same period, he compiled Before Their Diaspora, which used archival photographs to provide a rare visual record of Palestinian society before 1948, preserving images of daily life in towns and villages that had largely disappeared.
In 2005, Khalid edited From Haven to Conquest: Readings in Zionism and the Palestine Problem until 1948, a comprehensive anthology of primary sources, articles, and historical documents detailing the development of Zionism and the displacement of Palestinians before the establishment of Israel. The collection challenged prevailing narratives and remains an authoritative, evidence-based resource for scholars studying this period.
Beyond his books, Walid’s research included influential articles on the Fall of Haifa, Plan Dalet, and other key events of the Nakba, many of which were published in the Journal of Palestine Studies, which he founded. These writings continue to serve as essential references for understanding the scale and complexity of the 1948 displacement.
His scholarship earned widespread recognition. He received the Prize of Distinction in Cultural Achievement in the Arab World from ALECSO in 2002, an honorary doctorate from Birzeit University in 2011, and the Jerusalem Order of the Star of Honor from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2015.
In 2025, the 14th Palestine Book Awards presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, honouring his decades-long dedication to documenting Palestinian history and supporting the Institute for Palestine Studies.
A historian in the halls of power
Walid’s influence extended beyond the walls of academia into the realm of diplomacy, where his knowledge of Palestinian history and politics proved invaluable.
After the Naksa, he began advising the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations, bringing a historical perspective to the unfolding discussions. His diplomatic engagement continued in 1983 when he joined an Arab Summit delegation to the British government, and in the mid-1980s, he served as a special adviser to the secretary-general of the Arab League, shaping policy with a scholar’s insight.
This experience culminated in his participation in the joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation to the 1991 Madrid peace conference, where he worked to advance the Palestinian position on the international stage.
Throughout these roles, Walid consistently championed a two-state solution, advocating for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders coexisting peacefully alongside Israel. He articulated this vision in a 1988 Foreign Affairs article, describing it as “the only conceptual candidate for a historical compromise of this century-old conflict,” reflecting his commitment to a negotiated and just resolution.
A legacy remembered
Understandably, Walid inspired admiration across generations of scholars, writers, and colleagues, and both those who knew him personally and those shaped by his work continue to reflect on his lasting impact on Palestinian history and memory.
Prominent Arab intellectual and political philosopher Azmi Bishara described Walid as “the son of Jerusalem,” who devoted his life to ensuring that Palestine would not be forgotten.
He added, “He is one of the most significant architects of the Palestinian national narrative against Zionist falsification, using the language of diligent history and documentation. His contribution to Palestine’s history will never be forgotten.”
Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi remembered him as “the architect of memory,” reflecting on his efforts in All That Remains to preserve what had been lost: “Through his masterpiece, Khalidi led a heroic ‘rescue mission’ of memory. He built an alternative archive for the villages and landscapes the occupation tried to erase from the map.”
As for Palestinian academic Camille Mansour, she emphasised Walid’s meticulous scholarship, calling him “the power of precision” and noting that “his obsession with methodological rigour — from the smallest footnote to the largest map — is what gave the Palestinian narrative its unshakable credibility in elite global circles like Harvard and Oxford.”
Those who have since passed also left their reflections on Walid's life and work. Novelist and intellectual Elias Khoury described him as “the guardian of the home,” emphasising his moral and scholarly dedication: “He didn't write history with academic detachment; he wrote it with the heart of a rebel. For Khalidi, documenting the Nakba was the only way to rebuild the Palestinian home destroyed in 1948.”
Bayan al-Hout, a Palestinian historian, remembered him as "an inspiring mentor who showed that historiography is an act of struggle, placing the Palestinian cause within a global human context and ensuring that their voice was heard in every international forum."
Finally, Palestinian sociologist Salim Tamari reflected on the institutional legacy Walid left behind, calling him “the institutional pioneer”: “Walid Khalidi moved the Palestinian narrative from emotional nostalgia to rigorous academic research. He built the institutional foundations that made our history an undeniable global reference.”
[Cover photo credit: Instagram @ampalestine]
Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region
Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_/@zainabmehdiwrites_