On Sunday, November 6, 2023, in Al-Muntada Hall of the Yasser Arafat Museum as part of the event "In National Memory - Companions of the Path." Yasser Arafat Foundation commemorated the birth anniversary of Dr. Haider Abd al-Shafi.

The event began with the Palestinian national anthem, followed by a minute of silence and recitation of Al-Fatiha for the souls of the founding president, Yasser Arafat, and the late national leader, Dr. Haidar, as well as all Palestinian martyrs.

The Foundation then showed a film entitled "The Fighter Doctor," which depicted the pivotal moments in Dr. Haider's life.

Several members of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, the "FATH" movement's Central Committee, the Revolutionary Council, leaders of the National Action groups, and a big crowd attended the commemoration.

Dr. Ahmed Soboh, Director General of the Yasser Arafat Foundation, stated, "This year, we commemorate one of Yasser Arafat's companions as part of the "In National Memory" program, which the Foundation is implementing for the second year in a row, and which sheds light on symbols, leaders, and founders whose lives were associated with Palestine and Yasser Arafat."

Dr.Soboh explained that the program's goal is to send a message to the younger generations, encouraging them to be proud of the revolution and what the martyrs' leaders offered, as well as to instill hope in their hearts and continue on the path of resistance until Palestine is free.

Dr.Mustafa Al-Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, stated that it is difficult to talk about a great national figure like Haidar Abdel-Shafi since his life reflected the history of an entire stage in the Palestinian people's lives. Dr. Haidar was distinguished as a student, doctor, and politician by his bias toward the poor, his affiliation with the Palestinian cause, his willingness to work for resistance at any cost, and his willingness to risk his life for the principles he adhered to. According to Dr. Mustafa, he was also distinguished for his honesty, political purity, and rejection of partisan and regional extremism, in addition to his total sincerity in striving for internal national unity, till his name became linked with it.

Barghouti pointed out that Abd al-Shafi was also distinguished by his ability to influence internationally, and by his deep and scientific awareness of the dangers posed by the Zionist movement, most notably colonial settlement. He added: he fought the national struggle and practiced the medical profession, and proved that a political leader can be truly professional.

In the same context, Ambassador Salah, son of the late Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi said: "My father was close to the people and hated what kept him away from them despite their different political colors."

Salah indicated how his father began his involvement in political work, and how was in direct contact with the concerns and problems of people, and he listened carefully to them, and this is what made him engage in political work under the principle of serving citizens and meeting their needs. Salah continued, that his father, Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi attributed the crisis in political work to the crisis of morals in that milieu, and he always repeated the verse of the poet Ahmed Shawqi, "But the morals of nations are as long as they remain, so if their morals are gone, they are gone". He also recalled some of his father's humane stances, that what he used to call out in public was practiced in his private family life, in terms of how he raised his children on democracy, equality, justice, and respect for the opinions of others.

Salah added that his father had a deep and absolute faith in the capabilities and energies of the Palestinian people, and despite all the crises in the Palestinian cause from his birth in 1919 until his departure in 2007, he did not lose that faith and confidence in the Palestinian people, stressing the importance of investing and employing those energies in serving the Palestinian cause.

Salah recalled that the most difficult coexistence with my father was the period of internal Palestinian division. In addition, he thanked the Yasser Arafat Foundation for its effort in documenting the biographies of personalities that had an impact on the Palestinian national cause.

In the end, there was also a photo gallery showing the most important historical stations in the life of the late Dr. Haider Abdul Shafi.