Protecting Palestinian Archive is a National Duty, Warns of Systematic Erasure of Palestinian Memory: Arab League Chief
Amr Yehia
Secretary-General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Fahmy affirmed in his address on the occasion of Arab Document Day, delivered on his behalf by Ambassador Dr. Faed Mustafa, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Palestine Sector, that marking the 25th anniversary of Arab Document Day this year represents an opportunity to highlight the Palestinian cause, noting that the entire memory of the Palestinian people is being subjected to systematic destruction, theft and falsification after three years of war and genocide waged by the Israeli occupation on Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
The Secretary-General stressed that the conflict in Palestine is not only about land, but extends to history, memory, identity and narrative, including the names of cities and villages, land ownership, population records, maps, manuscripts, photographs and more. He affirmed that protecting the Palestinian archive is not merely a technical or cultural matter, but a national and pan-Arab responsibility to safeguard truth and the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people, calling for utmost priority to be given to collecting, digitizing, publishing and protecting the Palestinian documentary heritage from erasure.
Fahmy called on the Arab Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ARBICA) and Arab archival institutions to explore sharing digital copies of documentary materials on common Arab history within a unified digital repository, as a knowledge infrastructure to unify access to shared Arab documentary memory, in implementation of the MoU signed in 2014. He also urged members of the committee tasked with implementing the Unified Arab Strategy for the Recovery of Looted Arab Archives adopted in 2016 to intensify efforts to recover Arab archives held by foreign and colonial powers.
The Secretary-General concluded by praising the role of the Palestinian National Archive and the grave national responsibility it bears, as well as the efforts of Arab archives and the Egyptian National Library and Archives, which prepared an expanded edition of the documentary book on Palestine, stressing: "Let us make this year's Arab Document Day a clear message that Palestinian memory will remain preserved, that Palestine's history will not be erased, and that truth will always find a document to testify to it."
The General Secretariat of the Arab League organized its annual Arab Document Day for 2026 under the theme "The Palestinian National Archive: Memory Under Occupation... From Erasure to Preservation," affirming the centrality of the Palestinian cause and highlighting the systematic targeting of Palestinian memory by the Zionist entity aimed at erasing Palestinian identity, obliterating its cultural landmarks, and stealing and falsifying historical facts.
The event was organized in coordination with ARBICA, with the participation of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), heads of Arab archival institutions, a large group of Arab documentalists and archivists, and permanent delegates of Arab member states.
Arab Document Day included a documentary exhibition titled "Palestine in Arab Documents," featuring reproductions of documents on Palestine available in ARBICA member archives. The event also honored Palestinian institutions and personalities with distinguished contributions to preserving Palestinian memory, in addition to honoring the Arab League for its prominent role in supporting the Palestinian cause since its founding and preserving Arab documentary memory.
The program also featured a panel discussion titled "Palestine in Arab Documentary Memory," addressing the Arab League's role in preserving Palestinian documentary memory, efforts to preserve and make Palestinian heritage accessible through joint Arab action, the role of archival institutions in documenting Arab states' support for the Palestinian cause, and protecting Palestinian national memory from annihilation, with Gaza as a model.
It is worth noting that an expanded edition of the book "Palestine in Arab Documents," containing a large collection of documents on Palestine available in Arab archives, was launched in cooperation with the Egyptian National Archives.
This year's Arab Document Day marks a quarter-century since the launch of the initiative established by ALECSO in 2001.
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