Links Page
Compiled and annotated for
RN220Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and the Imagination
Research Assistant: Sarah Schlesinger (Smith College).
Supported by a grant from the BU Humanities Foundation.
Updated June 2007.
To report broken links or suggest other links, please write to mzank@bu.edu
Contents
Government websites
Academic
NGOs
Journalism
Links
Maps
Image Galleries
Timelines
Miscellaneous
Government-sponsored websiteshttp://www.nad-plo.org/
This is the official website of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the PLO. Organized professionally and efficiently, this site provides information on the decision-makers and negotiators, articles updating negotiations on both permanent and interim status issues, fact sheets on the process of negotiations, maps outlining various proposals, and links to frequently requested documents. Although the site is maintained by a PLO organization, the majority of the information is made available through official documents, thus enhancing the validity of the site.
http://www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm
The Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel's official site compiles statistical reports on everything from prices of road building to characterizations of local councils to demographics and related economics of Israeli populations. The statistics are reliable and gathered scientifically, and science is rarely biased. The CBS works with international organizations and provides data to them as well as ordinary citizens; part of their job is to make these statistics available to the public, which they apparently do-- over 500,000 people had requested information from the site in just one month.
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/home.asp
This is the official website of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, maintained by the Israeli government. The site contains the latest news in Israel, which generally focuses on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as updates on the Israeli response to "Palestinian terrorism," information about diplomatic contacts, and links to fact sheets. The real value of this site lies in the convenient links to facts about life in Israel, including government, law, culture, economy, and religion.
http://www.israel-un.org/
This is the official website for Israel's permanent mission to the United Nations. The site explicates Israel’s positions on UN-related issues and provides detailed information about the State of Israel, including updated information on recent events. The unique value of this website lies in the in-depth look into Israel's role in the larger worldwide community, as well as the worldwide community's relationship with Israel.
Academichttp://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/histmod.htm#Israel-Arab
The Cornell University Library's Middle East and Islamic Studies Collection catalogs an extensive list of websites on a number of Middle Eastern issues, but has a particularly pertinent section on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Though it takes some time to go through all of the websites, they are all relevant links and should be checked out, especially the links detailing the peace accords. (Link doesn't work. If you have an update for this or a similar site, please contact the webmaster.)
http://sites.huji.ac.il/archives/
Based in Jerusalem, the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People is in the process of creating an immense archive, documenting the historical past of the Jewish people. Although most of the catalog has not yet been set up on the web, it will ultimately allow you access to a comprehensive guide to resources on Jewish history in the Diaspora, including original documents, photos, microfilms, and articles from Jewish communities around the world. An excellent source for Jewish history.
http://www.palestine-studies.org/
Gateway to resources and journals in Palestine Studies, including the Journal of Palestine Studies (English), the Revue d'études palestiniennes (French), a quarterly which began publication in 1982 and has been independently edited and produced by IPS Paris, the Arabic-language quarterly Majallat al-Dirasat al-Filastiniyah, founded in 1990 and edited in London and Beirut (simultaneously reprinted in Ramallah in the West Bank), and the Jerusalem Quarterly (formerly the Jerusalem Quarterly File).
http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/research-g/jerusalem.html
This website, maintained by the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA), is a superb starting place for web research on Jerusalem. This research guide, organized in a neat outline, contains links and descriptions of many of the most important websites on Jerusalem. The orderly, topic-specific organization makes the site easy to navigate and gives you access to a plethora of information.
NGOshttp://www.cactus48.com/truth.html
This page contains the text from a pamphlet entitled "The Origin of the Palestine-Israel conflict." Published by the organization "Jews for Justice in the Middle East," this document argues that the origin of the Arab-Israeli conflict is the forceful acquisition of Palestinian land during the creation of Israel in 1948, and acknowledges that the Palestinian Arabs have a "real grievance." This website is highly critical of Zionism but presents a side of the argument which most Westerners usually hear in "terrorist," violent terms-- the Palestinian side-- in an intelligent manner, providing extensive historical data to support its position. The pamphlet is organized in a question & answer format, using quotes from such leaders as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, Moshe Dayan, David Ben-Gurion, and Gandhi, among others, to offer clear-cut answers to difficult questions. This group is unabashedly critical of Zionism and the Israeli government's position on Palestine, but its interesting position--that of a group of Jews which understands the Palestinian opposition with intelligent compassion-- is worth reading.
http://www.iris.org.il/
Information Regarding Israel's Security, or IRIS, is an independent organization dedicated to in forming the public about the security needs of Israel. The website and related mailing list is admittedly right-of-center and focuses on what IRIS sees as the ultimate threat to national security-- the Palestinians, and in particular, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and "other terrorist groups." The site is laden with anti-Palestinian propaganda and criticism of the Israeli government for "giving too much." While there are numerous maps and graphs which offer interesting statistical comparisons on a variety of issues, the purposes of such maps and graphs is so biased that it is difficult to ascertain what is truth and what is exaggerated. "Biased" is not a strong enough word for this website, and much of the information is outdated.
http://www.icej.org.il/
This website is the official site of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. The site lists the worldwide events hosted by ICEJ as well as those in Israel, provides links to the publications distributed by the embassy, details current projects, and offers a resource center. ICEJ considers itself to have a "prophetic calling to be a source of comfort to Israel and the Jewish people," and so it sees itself, and the website, as a means of "blessing Israel"; there is a distinctly Christian-missionary tinge to the site and their allegiance is clearly to Israel and the Jewish people, but ICEJ's work is worth investigating. (In Hebrew. For English, find link on the bottom right of the index page.)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Committee_on_Jerusalem
This is the official website of the American Task Force on Palestine (formerly: American Committee on Jerusalem), an Arab-American organization whose goal it is to disseminate the "other" point of view of Americans on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Through educational activities and materials, the Task Force hopes to teach Americans a view other than the pro-Israel perspective which dominates American society. The website follows their efforts through government documents, publications, briefings written by Arab scholars, press releases, and a collection of links to maps and other resources. Though the site does function from the Arab-American perspective, this does not necessarily make it biased; the Task Force's goal is to provide Americans and American policymakers with a balanced point of view of the conflict. The press releases contain accounts of the the Task Force's dealings with the American government and other organizations, and are a valuable resource.
http://www.hrw.org/mideast/is-ot-pa.php
This website is the home of the Human Rights Watch, an international organization dedicated to protecting human rights of all people throughout the world. The section on Israel, the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Authority Territories contains a list of articles and press releases issued by the HRW. This site is one of the view that has neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestinian tendencies; their one and only concern is the protection of civilians. The HRW sees both Israel and the PLO as grossly violating human rights and is not shy about saying so. The only drawback is their assumption that the Western idea of human rights is the right and only idea. Nonetheless, this site is a must for anyone interested in the human rights aspect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
http://www.jerusalemites.org/
Jerusalemites.org is the website of the Jerusalem Forum, a non-governmental organization whose goal it is to educate and expose people to the human dimension of the Palestinian people, their culture, and their history. By appealing to the human side, the Jerusalem Forum hopes to illustrate the attachment of the Palestinian people to the land and, in particular, Jerusalem. This site sheds light on the Palestinian dedication to Jerusalem and the land of Palestine, rather than focusing on the war against Israel, as most other pro-Palestinian sites do. That said, the Jerusalem Forum also sees it as its duty to expose Israeli crimes against humanity, which are presented in a slightly prejudicial way. The human concern of the Jerusalem Forum, however, makes the site worth checking out.
http://www.jcpa.org/jcprog.htm
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a non-profit organization for public policy research and education in Israel. The website details their current projects, programs, and research, as a means of providing the Jewish people with everything they need to know about public life--from water to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to privitization of the Israeli economy.
Journalism and Blogshttp://www.jpost.com
This website is the online edition of the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper. Updated daily, the newspaper lists articles detailing the latest in Israeli and Jewish issues all over the world. Many of the articles focus n the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The website is unapologetically pro-Israel and offers a limited view of the Arab cause--the view that Arabs (not only Palestinians) are terrorists seeking to destroy Israel. While the articles are all newsworthy, the pro-Israeli bias is often so strong that it overrides the intelligence of the articles.
http://electronicintifada.net
Although this website focuses on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it takes a different tact than many other websites-- its main concern is the media coverage of the conflict. The Electronic Intifada claims that it will "equip you to challenge myth, distortion, and spin in the media in an informed way, enabling you to effect positive changes in media coverage of the Palestinians and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict." The site, particularly articles written by the Electronic Intifada staff and the descriptors of other articles, are generally pro-Palestinian, but the site does highlight the undoubtedly biased coverage of the conflict in the media around the world. Once you wade through the propaganda, you can gain access to articles that are truly thought-provoking.
http://www.danielpipes.org/
As one of the world's foremost commentators on the Middle East, Daniel Pipes writes and speaks with convincing authority in his articles, books, and interviews, all of which are cataloged on his website. His expertise runs the gamut in Middle Eastern affairs, but a significant portion of his work relates to Jerusalem and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As a Westerner, he appears to have an inherent bias against the PLO, but he writes about both sides of the argument fairly. The articles are intelligent and easy to read, and although much of what he says is nothing new and shocking, he writes about it so elegantly that it makes you stop and think. The site also offers a mailing list service, so you can receive new articles as they are published.
http://www.maktoob.com/
Maktoob acts a gateway to dozens of Middle Eastern newspapers and weblogs, from Bahraini to Yemeni, and more importantly offers access in English, which many foreign newspaper do not. This website gives you a valuable look at the views of particular countries and their media on a range of topics. If you don't read Arabic, use the search function and type names or topics you are interested in (e.g., Al quds). This will yield a wide array of links in various languages, including English.
Pages with linkshttp://www.jerusalem.com/
Used to be a site for "the news in context" and used to contain articles that, while based on real news about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, served as a political platform for the Jerusalem.com staff. Their bias-- very pro-Israel, very anti-Palestinian-- was so strong that it was difficult to take the articles seriously. Now however it is a mere links page to pro-Israel resources and to very glossy websites relating to interesting places in the city of Jerusalem, including the David Citadel (Tower of David Museum), the Western Wall ("Teaching our Essence"), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Haram Ash-sharif, etc.http://mosaic.lk.net/links.shtml
The links page of the Israeli Mosaic contains an extensive listing of websites about Israel, ranging from education and universities to technology to history. There are also links to a number of internet directories and tourism sites. The links provided will assist any person, but is particularly geared toward those planning to travel to and in Israel.
http://www.lawsociety.org/Links/Index.html
The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment has compiled an impressive list of links to websites about all things Palestinian. The Law Society offers links to academic and research sites, cultural sites, human rights organizations, news sources, Israeli peace groups, and media sites; though this website is clearly pro-Palestinian, the enormous amount of links contain pertinent information about the whole of Palestine, not just the militant Islamic aspect of Palestine. (The link no longer works. It leads instead to a site which seems to be maintained by a group of Jewish defense lawyers. If one looks for the above mentioned Palestinian Society, one finds information on Wikipedia and other sources, but no link to a website maintained by the organization, which, according to an English Wikipedia stub, has been criticized for its alleged anti-Semitism.)http://www.papp.undp.org/
Sponsored by the United Nations and the Programme for Assistance to the Palestinian People, this website contains one of the most comprehensive listings of links about Palestine, Israel, and Jerusalem. With dozens of sites in categories ranging from women's organizations to Arab/Palestinian expatriate links to programs within the United Nations. While some of the links themselves may be biased, the United Nations make every effort to present an unbiased array of links.
http://www.templemount.org/
This website focuses on the Temple Mount and the historical struggles for this important location; the site provides many links to sites about the history of the Temple Mount, including articles, academic websites, and essays, as well as maps of the area and an extensive list of links relating to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. The focus on the actual Temple Mount site, and not on the Temple Mount as a Jewish site, for example, makes this site unique.
Mapshttp://www.culturalresources.com/MP_Century7.html
This page of the Culture 4.0 website contains an extensive list of links to a variety of maps of Jerusalem. Whether you are searching for a contemporary map of the city or an ancient map of the city during Solomon's time, you can find it here.http://www.usm.maine.edu/maps/exhibit1/ Historical maps from an exhibit at the University of Maine.
http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/dinur/links/maps.htm Links to maps from the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/history/early+history+-+archaeology/jerusalem+in+old+maps+and+views.htm Jerusalem in Old Maps and Views from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
http://maps-of-jerusalem.huji.ac.il/ An amazing collection of historical maps, sponsored by the National and University Library and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Image Gallerieshttp://mosaic.lk.net/index.shtml
The Israeli Mosaic is a collection of images of landscapes from all over Israel. In addition to providing beautiful images of important sites in Israel, each page offers a short explanation of the site, its importance in Israeli history, and links to further information, maps, and directions.http://almashriq.hiof.no/palestine/900/910/919/jerusalem/jerusalem-96/jerusalem-picts.html Contemporary and historical photographs of Jerusalem and its environs.
http://holylandphotos.org/browse.asp?s=1,2,6,19 A well organized site with photographs of specific places and buildings in Jerusalem of historical and religious interest.
Historic Timelineshttp://www.centuryone.com/hstjrslm.html
CenturyOne.com has put together a comprehensive timeline of the history of Jerusalem, and although it purports to be the "main events" of Jerusalem's history, the timeline is actually quite detailed in the sense that it includes minor events as well as major. Though the descriptors for each date are short and offer no in-depth information, this site is valuable as a detailed, inclusive timeline.
http://www.archpark.org.il/
This is one of the premier websites about Jerusalem on the web. Created by the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and featuring a detailed timeline with links to each period in Jerusalem's history, this visually stunning and technologically exceptional site gives you an organized look at Jerusalem's past. The timeline contains short descriptions of the major events of each period and the corresponding archaeological evidence, and links will take you to a glossary, historical notes, and a bibliography. Not to be missed is the remarkable 3-d virtual reconstruction of the temple.
http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_main/f1_main.asp?lng=2
The municipality of Jerusalem maintains this enormously detailed timeline on the history of Jerusalem, complete with dates, major events, images, and other media to augment the basic information. The timeline is written from the Jewish historical perspective but is nonetheless worth viewing, if only for its spectacular presentation. (Does not work on Safari.)
Miscellaneoushttp://www.jewishmag.com/9mag/irgun/irgun.htm
This article, a link from the Jewish Magazine website, provides an interesting history of military action in Israel in the 20th century, with a focus on the Irgun, a military group historically known for its use of force. Though there is a clear pro-Irgun (and hence pro-Likud) bias, the article offers a basic summary of how Jews began their military resistance against the Arabs during the period of the Yeshuv and then against the British during the period of the British mandate.
http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/islam_restoration.html
This site explains the Royal Jordanian perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict, focusing on the Hashemite Restoration of Islamic holy places in Jerusalem. The website is useful for gaining insight into the viewpoint of other Arab countries on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and explaining the historical connection between Islam and Jerusalem.
http://www.aish.com/wallcam/
Aish.com sponsors a live camera stream of the Western Wall, accessible through this website. The "window on the Wall" also allows visitors to place a virtual note in the Wall, browse through a gallery of images and prayers, and read about the history of the Western Wall. Although not a particularly academic website-- Aish.com also offers Jewish speed-dating online-- the live image of the Western Wall brings this historical site to life.
http://www.time.com/time/2001/jerusalem/cover.html
Count on a big-time news magazine to create an entertaining website for a serious topic; Time.com has developed an interactive website entitled "Jerusalem as Jesus Saw It," which includes academic essays by David Van Biema and Karen Armstrong, an interactive timeline and map of the city with high-quality images, and a collection of resources on Jerusalem on the web. Although the information is a repeat of most of the basic information about Jerusalem on the web, the presentation of the information is what makes this site unique and valuable.
For further links see http://www.bu.edu/mzank/Jerusalem/p/period8.htm