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In Memory of Walid Khalidi

On 8 March 2026, the nation and cause of Palestine lost one of its greatest scholars, Professor Walid Ahmad Samih Khalidi, who passed away peacefully in Cambridge MA having celebrated his 100th birthday in 2025. His reputation as the historian of the Nakba through a number of his studies, books and historical collections is well established in Palestine and throughout the world. His contribution to the cultural heritage of Jerusalem and the Khalidi Library is no less notable.  This section celebrates his legacy through the wide media coverage his passing generated and includes notable tributes from around the world.

Professor Walid Khalidi (1925–2026) was a world renowned Palestinian historian. His book Before Their Diaspora is a landmark collection of nearly 500 rare photographs documenting Palestinian life before 1948 — capturing society, culture, and everyday life from the late Ottoman period up to the 1948 Nakba.
Walid Khalidi, Scholar Called Father of Palestinian Studies, Dies at 100 As a historian and diplomat, he gave intellectual shape to his people and made sure that they played a role in negotiating their future.
Grassroots AlQuds mourns the passing of Professor Walid Khalidi, a son of Jerusalem and one of the Arab world’s leading historians, who dedicated his life to scholarship and service to his people.