The Passing of Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout: The Voice of Palestinian Memory
Historian, academic, and journalist Bayan Al-Hout dedicated her life to documenting Palestinian history, resisting occupation, and defending the narrative of her people.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - The Palestinian cause has lost one of its most prominent advocates — the academic, historian, and journalist Bayan Nuwayhed Al-Hout, who combined intellect with activism, bold words with field struggle.
She passed away in Beirut on Sunday morning at the age of 88, after a life devoted to research, documentation, and defending the Palestinian narrative.
Born in Al-Quds in 1937 to a family deeply rooted in thought and resistance — her father, Ajaj Nuwayhed, was one of the founders of the Arab Independence Party in 1932 — Bayan lived in Al-Quds for 25 years before the family fled the city in April 1948 following the Nakba. They relocated to Lebanon and then to Amman in 1951.
She completed her secondary education in Ramallah, attended the Teachers' College, and later studied at Damascus University. There, she joined the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party but resigned in 1961 in protest at the Syrian-Egyptian separation, which she considered a national setback.
In 1959, she moved to Beirut with her family and enrolled at the Lebanese University to study political science. There, her professional journalism career began — working at Dunia Al-Mar’a magazine, then Al-Sayyad, where she gained recognition for her coverage of the Algerian revolution.
She conducted interviews with prominent intellectuals and Arab nationalist figures such as Mehdi Ben Barka, Sati' Al-Husri, and Zaki Al-Arsuzi.
Political Formation and Commitment
In 1962, Bayan married Palestinian freedom fighter Shafiq Al-Hout, a founding member of the Palestine Liberation Front – Return Path.
Their union deepened her involvement in the Palestinian national movement, bringing her into contact with key figures such as Kamal Adwan, Salah Khalaf, Abu Yusuf Al-Najjar, Nicola Durr, Ibrahim Abu Lughod, and Samira Azzam.
Bayan Al-Hout never ceased pursuing knowledge. She earned her degree in political science from the Lebanese University in 1963, a diploma in public law in 1970, and another in political science in 1971. She completed her Ph.D. in political science in 1978 under the supervision of Palestinian historian Anis Sayigh, presenting her dissertation titled "Political Leadership and Institutions in Palestine 1917–1948."
During the Lebanese Civil War, she moved to Cairo with her children and obtained her Doctorat d’État in political science. She later returned to Beirut and began a new chapter in academic and research work.
A Monumental Research Effort
Bayan dedicated years of her life to documenting the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, gathering testimonies from survivors, victims' families, medics, and volunteers.
Her work aimed to challenge the official Israeli narrative presented in the Kahan Commission Report and culminated in a landmark publication released in 2003 by the Institute for Palestine Studies.
The book is a rare documentary work that was later considered as potential legal evidence for international trials — though political interference prevented this outcome.
She taught as a university professor and contributed to numerous intellectual and academic journals devoted to the Palestinian cause. She edited respected journals such as Al-Mustaqbal Al-Arabi and Palestinian Studies, and collaborated with research institutions like the Center for Arab Unity Studies and the Palestinian Research Center.
She also held leadership roles in the General Secretariat of the Arab National Conference, the Islamic National Conference, and the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Foundation.
A Rich Intellectual Legacy
She authored and edited several important books and studies, including:
Documents of the Palestinian National Movement 1918–1939 (1979)
Political Leadership and Institutions in Palestine 1917–1948 (1981)
The Mujahid Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam in the History of Palestine (1987)
Palestine: The Cause, the People, the Civilization (1991)
Memoirs of Ajaj Nuwayhed (1993)
Sabra and Shatila: September 1982 (2003)
The Problematic of Arab Consciousness and Memory (2012)
Talks and Correspondence of Ajaj Nuwayhed (2022)
Men from Palestine as I Knew Them (2023), a compilation and classification of her father’s work
Deep Loyalty and Family Legacy
In a tribute article, writer Suleiman Bakhti noted that Bayan Al-Hout held deep loyalty for her mother Jamal Salim (Um Khaldoun). In 2012, she compiled and published her mother’s literary quintet: "Funerals of the Martyrs," "The White Dove," "For My Mother," "Exile at Home," and "The Fedayeen."
These works portrayed chapters of Palestinian struggle. Bayan also gathered her mother’s poetry under the title "Zayzafouna of the Path," which she diligently edited to preserve its poetic, emotional, and national spirit. The volume was published in 2021 by Nelson Publishers.
Bayan Nuwayhed Al-Hout’s life was one of intellect, sacrifice, and deep-rooted loyalty — to family, to memory, and above all, to Palestine. (PW)
Source: Palinfo