The IJS is a branch of Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS), a highly respected institution, which is very influential in the Palestinian context. For the last six years IJS cooperated closely with Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs), mainly in publishing the Jerusalem Quarterly (JQ) journal. This kind of cooperation helped enhance regularity, size, and content of JQ. Heinrich Böll Stiftung grant was also crucial in helping to develop an electronic page and archive. The year 2011 was the first year in a three-year understanding between the two institutes to take the cooperation a step further into a strategic one.
In 2012 IJS will publish 4 issues of Jerusalem Quarterly (JQ) and 2 issues of Hawliyat al-Quds. The issues will focus on Israeli policies in the city of Jerusalem in terms of declared intent to ‘maintain demographic balance’ in the meaning of emptying the city of many of its Arab citizens.
The Institute will also organize 10 seminars in order to maintain a dynamic relation with the public sphere. The main targeted audience for the seminars is researchers, academics, civil society actors and journalists. These monthly seminars will focus on Palestinian political future and discourse, relations with Diaspora, reconciliation, elections, governance and human rights and other topics from a scholarly and research perspectives.
IJS organizes in July 2012 its annual conference on the current situation and the status in the Jordan Valley – being part of areas classified as ‘areas C’ – from legal, developmental, human rights and political aspects. The academic and research perspectives on each of level will inform the publication program, fitting the overall objectives of the Institute.
Social history
On 31 January 2012, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Ramallah welcomed official representatives, partners, colleagues and friends on the occasion of the farewell of the former director Mr. Jochim Paul and the welcome of the new director Dr. René Wildangel at Leaders Hall in Al-Maysoun, Ramallah. The reception came within the framework of the visit of the Co-Chairman of the German Green Party, Mr. Cem Özdemir and Member of the German Parliament, Mr. Jerzy Montag and the presentation of a project by our partner The Institute for Jerusalem Studies.
Mr. Ralf Fücks, Co-President of Heinrich Böll Stiftung, opened the floor with a welcome address, followed by the key note speeches of Dr. Nabil Shaat, Commissioner of International Relations of Fateh and the Co-Chairman of the Green Party Mr. Cem Özdemir.
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation by The Institute for Jerusalem Studies on “Social History in Palestine Electronic Archive”. The Institute for Jerusalem Studies has made digital materials from Palestine available that will help provide online research and information resources about Palestine. The archive includes inter alia “Family Papers”, a resource for social history, and the “Municipal Archives”, historical documents from the municipalities Al-Bireh, Ramallah and Jenin. Heinrich Böll Stiftung Ramallah has supported the archiving of the “Family Papers”.
We would like to thank Dr. Nabil Shaat, Mr. Cem Özdemir, the official representatives from the German Representative Office Ramallah, our partners, colleagues and friends for their coming and our partner The Institute for Jerusalem Studies for the presentation.
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Farewell/ Welcome Reception - 31 January 2012
Selected Photos from the event