Schafik Hándal Collections

Item Set

Title
Schafik Hándal Collections
Description
These collections document the life and career of revolutionary leader Schafik Hándal (1930-2006). Hailing from a Bethlehemite family that migrated to El Salvador in the 1920s, Schafik became leader of the Salvadoran Communist Party in the 1960s before going on to become a major figure in the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) that fought against the Salvadoran dictatorship during the war of 1979-1992. After playing a lead role in the Chapultepec Peace Accords of 1992, Hándal went on to be the FMLN's presidential candidate in the elections of 2004 which he lost under contested circumstances to fellow Bethlehemite Antonio Saca. Hándal is recognised today as a major figure in the development of leftist ideology in Latin America. Deeply attached to his Palestinian identity, he was a tireless campaigner for the Palestinian struggle, playing a key role in securing collaboration between the FMLN and the PLO in the 1980s.

The collections contained within the Schafik Hándal Collections have been acquired through Planet Bethlehem's partnership with the Instituto Schafik Hándal in San Salvador which holds the originals of the materials presented here. These materials include photographs and scans of family photos, overseas missions (including to Palestinian refugee camps), the Salvadoran War, the Peace Accords of 1992, the campaign to free Schafik's kidnapped brother, as well as a valuable collection of newspapers, manuscripts and communications held by the institute. Descriptions of the images are provided in both English and Spanish.
Identifier
Schafik Hándal
El Salvador
Subject
Central America
Latin America
Bethlehem
Revolution
Palestine
Palestinian diaspora

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