Geographic Sites in Palestine: Arabic Names and Hebrew Denominations

This is an indispensable reference for researchers and for anyone interested in Palestine's geography and history. It covers the wide range of geographical locations, cities, towns, and villages in Palestine, supplying their original Arabic place names as well as the Hebrew denominations that were applied to them, first by the Zionist movement and later by Israel. It details a process of renaming that continues to this day as efforts are made to Hebraize all Arabic place names in Palestine. The book also serves as a systematic survey tracking changes on the ground, preserving for posterity the original Arabic place names of the land of Palestine, including villages, valleys, mountains, and towns, and ensuring that they remain alive in the minds of researchers and the collective memory of the people of Palestine. A total of around 7000 Palestinian place names have been Hebraized over the past 125 years, including over 5000 geographical locations, several hundred historical names, and over 1000 names of settlements. These changes have been officially approved by a committee originally established for this purpose by the Jewish Agency in 1922. The committee is currently composed of 24 members, including specialized experts, as well as representatives of government ministries, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, and the Israeli military.