Israeli Palestinian conflict

The negative messages , as characterized above, mostly appear on maps in Arabic distributed throughout the PA areas and in the Palestinian education system. At the same time there are exceptional maps (mostly in English) in which Israel is mentioned by name and distinctly Jewish–Israeli cities are marked. These are mainly maps issued by bodies which rely on Western aid , or maps addressing Western audiences , for which the PA or various Palestinian entities seek to put on a “positive” facade and obscure or even remove the harsh messages emerging from the Arabic maps disseminated in the PA areas.

Following are some examples:

Map A : “ Road Network ” map issued by PECDAR¹in English.

¹ PECDAR “Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction” was formed in 1993, immediately after the signing of the “Oslo Accords” and was involved in the development and reconstruction of the PA economy. PECDAR served (and serves) as the Palestinian entity responsible for coordinating and channeling the aid funds provided by the donor states and was involved in infrastructure projects. PECDAR manages its budgets with transparency and is inspected and monitored by representatives of the donor states. Because of its dependency on the money and external supervision of the donor states, this body is obligated to be extra cautious and this is reflected by the “positive” messages (namely the mention of Israel's name) appearing on its maps.

Map B : “Tourist Map of Palestine the Holy Land”. The map was issued by the PA Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in cooperation with PECDAR.

Map C : “Palestinian West Bank and Gaza in the Current Regional Context” taken out of an English atlas of Palestine issued by “ Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem ” (ARIJ) (January 2002). The atlas's data was compiled with the assistance of external elements (Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland) and the PA (Bureau of Statistics).

Map D : “the State of Palestine” map prepared by the PA Ministry of Transportation and the Palestinian Geographical Center” in 1995, after the Oslo Accords.

Map E : “Water Sources” map prepared by PASSIA : Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs” ²

² PASSIA is an independent association of Palestinian academics set up in 1987. Its objective (as defined on its web site) is to present the Palestinian problem in its national, Arab, and international context through academic study, dialogue, and publications. PASSIA members are affiliated with Fatah.

Map A - Palestinian Road Networ

Source : The map was issued by PECDAR, without a date. Scale: 1:150,000

Comments on Map A:

Israel's name is mentioned next to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

The “green line” appears on the map and includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Predominantly Jewish–Israeli cities - such as Tel Aviv (printed in larger letters than Jaffa), Bat Yam , Holon, Givataim, Ramat Gan, and Natanya – appear on the map.

The term “settlements ” is only used in reference to Israeli communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

This map, which was published in English by a body financed by donor states, the World Bank, and the EU, includes positive statements which do not appear on the Arabic maps aimed at the Palestinian target audience.

Map B- Tourist Map of Palestine, The Holy Lan

Source : The map was published by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities,
in cooperation with PECDAR (the date of publication is not mentioned).

Comments on Map B:

Israel's name is mentioned next to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt.

The “green line” appears with the West Bank and Gaza Strip in it.

Predominantly Jewish-Israeli cities appear on the map, for instance: “Tel-Aviv Jaffa”, Herzliah, Natanya.

Tourist sites are only marked in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There is no trace of Jewish tourist sites or those within Israel despite the fact that the map refers to all of “Palestine” as the “Holy Land”.

This English map, which was issued by the PA in cooperation with PECDAR, includes positive expressions which do not appear on the Arabic maps aimed at the Palestinian target audience.

Map C- “Palestinian West Bank and Gaza in the Current Regional Context”

Source: a map taken from Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza) Atlas (page 6).
The Atlas was published by the “Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem” (ARIJ), January 2000.

Comments on Map C:

Israel's name is mentioned next to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.

The “green line” appears and includes in it the West Bank and Gaza Strip .

The cities “ Tel Aviv Jaffa ” and Ashdod appear among the names of cities in Israel (as well as Haifa, Nazareth, Ramla, and Beersheba).

“Al-Quds, Jerusalem” (circled in red) appears east of the “green line”.

This English map appears in an atlas which was produced with the professional assistance of the Palestinian Authority and foreign bodies. This map, and other maps included in the atlas, consist of positive expressions which do not appear on Arabic maps aimed at Palestinian target audiences.

Map D- Map of “The State of Palestine ”

Source: the map was drawn by the PA Ministry of Transportation and the
“Palestinian Geographic Center”, 1995; scale: 1:150,000

Comments on Map D:

Israel's name is not mentioned .

The “green line” is marked (the cease-fire line which is called the “ hudna line” in Arabic).

Predominantly Jewish-Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv, Natanya, Bat Yam, Herzeliya, Ramat Hasharon are mentioned on the map.

Jerusalem (“Al-Quds”) appears on both sides of the “green line”.

This map, which was issued by the Palestinian Transportation Ministry in 1995, two years after the Oslo Agreement, includes some positive expressions, although Israel's name is not mentioned.

Map E - Map of “Water Resources”

Source: a map drawn by “PASSIA” which appears in a file of maps on the PA web site (www.PNA.GOV.PS)

Comments on Map D:

The map was taken from the PA Internet site, from a file of maps in English.

The name Israel appears on the map; Tel Aviv appears; the “green line” is marked. These features also appear on additional maps on the web site.

The maps on the Internet site include positive expressions but these were designed to serve PA propaganda interests in terms of Western audiences.