Institute for Palestine Studies

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The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) is the oldest[1] independent non-profit, public service, research institute in the Arab world. It was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963[2] and has since served as a model for other such institutes in the region. It is the only institute in the world which is solely concerned with analyzing and documenting Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict.[2][3] It also publishes scholarly journals and has published over 450 books.[4]

It is led by a Board of Trustees comprising some forty scholars, businessmen, and public figures representing almost all Arab countries. The Institute currently maintains offices in Beirut, Paris, Washington, and Ramallah,[5] each with its own full-time director.

Contents

Organization [edit]

The IPS currently maintains four offices on three continents. The Beirut office, the IPS headquarters since its inception; the Washington, DC office, established in 1976; a small office in Paris, established in 1981; and the Ramallah office, established (originally as the Institute of Jerusalem Studies) in 1995 which moved to Jerusalem in the year 2000. The Beirut office also houses the IPS Information and Documentation Center and the Constantine Zurayk Library, the largest library in the Arab world (and one of the largest in the world) specializing in Palestinian Affairs, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Judaica, and Zionism.

It is independent of government, party, or political organization.[4] IPS activities are financed by income from its endowment, contributions and gifts from donors, and sales of its publications. The organization receives significant funding from the al-Qattan family.[6]

While the Board of Trustees, which meets once a year, oversees the IPS activities, administratively it is run by an Executive Committee composed of Board members assisted by a staff of about 50.[citation needed]

Library [edit]

The Institute's library is located at the Institutes's headquarters in Beirut. It is the largest in the Arab world specializing in Palestinian affairs, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and Judaica, with over 40,000 volumes, 400 current periodicals, 5,000 reels of film plus newspapers, maps, documents, and a large collection of private papers.[4][7] It is also interested in studying and promoting knowledge of Hebrew.[4]

Publications [edit]

Since its inception, IPS has published over 600 books, monographs, occasional papers, and documentary collections in English, Arabic, and French.[citation needed] It has co-publication agreements with Columbia University Press in New York and Oxford University Press in England, among others, and has co-published works with a number of universities and research centers in Palestine and various Arab countries. It also puts out four quarterlies: The Journal of Palestine Studies (co-published with University of California Press), since 1971 in Washington, DC; Majallat-al-Dirasat-al-Filastiniyah, since 1990 in Beirut; Jerusalem Quarterly, since 1998 in Ramallah; and Hawliyyat al-Quds, since 2003 in Ramallah.

The Institute publishes four quarterly journals in English, French, and Arabic. These are independently edited and published from Washington, Paris, Jerusalem, and Beirut respectively. The journals are:

  • The Journal of Palestine Studies, which was established in 1971.[8][9] It is published and distributed by the University of California Press on behalf of the institute. The current editor is Rashid Khalidi of Columbia University.
  • The French quarterly, Revue d'études palestiniennes,[4] which began publication in 1982, is independently edited and produced by The Institute for Palestine Studies - Paris. The Revue is printed and distributed by Editions de Minuit. (previous editor Samir Kassir)
  • The Arabic-language quarterly,[4] Majallat al-Dirasat al-Filastiniyah, was founded in 1990. It is edited in London and Beirut and is simultaneously reprinted in Ramallah in the West Bank for distribution in the Palestinian Territories.
  • The Jerusalem Quarterly (JQ) (Arabic: Hawliyat al-Quds) was conceived in 1998 as the Jerusalem Quarterly File, and is published by the Institute of Jerusalem Studies (IJS), an affiliate of the Institute for Palestine Studies. The Jerusalem Quarterly publishes historical features and contemporary analysis of aspects of city life and reviews. The journal is available quarterly online, and in print copy through paid subscription.[citation needed]

It has also published over 450 books.[4] It has published many first-person Palestinian accounts of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[10]

Board of trustees [edit]

The Institute is led by a Board of Trustees composed of Arab scholars, businessmen, and public figures. A volunteer executive committee, elected by the Board, manage the regular activities.[3] The trustees come from most Arab countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.[11]

Present board (partial listing) [edit]

Previous board of trustee members (partial listing) [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Tarazi Fawaz, Leila (2009). Transformed Landscapes: Essays on Palestine and the Middle East. The American University in Cairo Press. p. 350. 
  2. ^ a b Efraim, Karsh (2008). The Arab-Israeli Conflict: The 1948 War. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 92. ISBN 1404218424. 
  3. ^ a b "The UAE hosts Board of Trustees meet of Institute for Palestine Studies", AMEInfo.com, May 07, 2007, http://www.ameinfo.com/119240.html
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Institute for Palestine Studies", Michael R Fischbach, in Philip Mattar, Encyclopedia of the Palestinians, Infobase Publishing, 2005, pp222-3
  5. ^ "Resources", Center for Palestine Studies, Columbia University, http://www.columbia.edu/cu/palestine/resources/
  6. ^ Noam Ben Zeev, "The Palestinian Rothschilds", Ha'aretz, May.02, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/general/the-palestinian-rothschilds-1.245143
  7. ^ Wedgeworth, Robert (1993). World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. ALA Editions. p. 453. ISBN 0838906095. 
  8. ^ University of California Press, Journal of Palestine Studies
  9. ^ Rebecca L. Stein, Ted Swedenburg, Palestine, Israel, And The Politics Of Popular Culture, Duke University Press, 2005, p 17
  10. ^ Eugene L. Rogan; Avi Shlaim (2007). In Eugene L. Rogan and Avi Shlaim. The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948 (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. xx. ISBN 978-0521699341. 
  11. ^ Institute for Palestine Studies Board of Trustees

External links [edit]

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