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'Mapping' the history of Palestine The Palestine Question in Maps  1878-2002 Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem (PASSIA), 2002 Supported by the Representative Office of Finland, Ramallah Pp. 165 LOCAL POET Yusef Abdul Aziz once said that “in spite of the hundreds of thousands of books published about Palestine and Palestinians, we still have unrevealed millions of documents that confirm and prove that Palestine is ours”. `The Palestine Question in Maps' aims to provide a guide to the Palestine problem from the Ottoman period to the present day. It sheds light on the real territorial dimensions of the conflict, its causes and the numerous schemes posited over time for its resolution. The book is considered one of PASSIA's most important publications, as it provides the reader with first-time published documents attesting that “Palestine belongs to the Arabs”. “This book offers researchers, readers and concerned individuals the opportunity to understand the geographic implications and motivations guiding the political and military aspects of the Palestine Question for over a hundred years,” writes Mahdi Abdul Hadi head of PASSIA. The book includes over 50 maps of the unfolding geographic and demographic complexities during 1878-2002. Each map is accompanied by a detailed text in an attempt to “present a concise and clear overview of the historical, political and socio-economic circumstances providing the backdrop for the individual maps and illustrating their place within the broader frame of Palestinian history”, explains Abdul Hadi in the book's introduction. The text, he adds, serves to “illuminate the factors defining the territorial dimensions portrayed within the maps”. The book is divided into five chapters, discussing and tackling the most important historical and contemporary coloured maps related to Palestine. The first three chapters consist of maps that represent modern Palestinian history in chronological order during 1878-1948, 1949-1991 and 1993-2002. This series of maps focuses on key demographic themes and political landmarks. Chapter four is devoted to the city of Jerusalem and its changing circumstances. Jerusalem, writes Abdul Hadi, “is of such intrinsic importance to Palestinian history and to the resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict”. The chapter discusses in details the most important 10 maps on the old city during 1944-1966, Palestinian and Israeli neighbourhoods in metropolitan Jerusalem, 2000, and the Israeli settlements and Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem, 2000. The final chapter tackles two important issues: water and refugee. Through three maps, the book discusses special issues such as surface water, groundwater, Palestinian refugees (2001) municipal boundaries of Jerusalem (1947-2000) and administrative boundaries. The head of PASSIA writes that the Palestinian issue is a question of a land and its people, as well as of this people's rights, identity and passage through time. “Placing an accurate account of Palestinian history squarely within its territorial dimensions is not only advantageous for those seeking deeper understanding of that history, but is an important step in repossessing a history that has so often been dislocated from its right context,” writes Abdul Hadi. The book also comprises reliable statistics, detailed references and notes. PASSIA is a nonprofit Palestinian institution that seeks to present the question of Palestine in its national, Arab and international contexts through academic research, dialogue and publication. The book can be found at Bustan Lil Kutob bookstore in Shmeisani. Hada Sarhan Monday, November 10, 2003 |