Who
are we?
Welcome to Cyber
Palestine.
I began this project in 1985 under a project called "Biladi: The Palestine Database." Biladi was the first-ever database for a computer that
detailed the history of Palestine and included many of the major
historical documents, a timeline of events, a chronology that you could
expand by adding entries to the vast database of entries I already
created, and a database of every single Palestinian village, town or
city that existed up until Israel was created in 1948 and its occupation
armies began the systematic destruction of anything Palestinian in the
lands that they controlled. In mid-1990, I began converting the computer software program to web-based access.
In this database, you will
find the names of Jewish/Zionist (the term the Israelis use) settlements
that were established prior to 1948.
Some people spend their
time building model ships. Others, collecting keepsakes. I embarked on
this journey in 1985 mainly because no such database of its kind
existed. When the World Wide Web was finally opened to the public, I
realized that I could place the entire database (after painstaking
conversion that is still not completed) on the Internet for others to
learn and understand that Palestine exists. That the Palestinians have a
history. That they had a culture and presence in what is now Israel and
that existence cannot be denied.
The database of villages
is the main focus, currently. It lists every single Palestinian village
and Israeli site that existed prior to 1948. The listings include the
"popular" map coordinates so you can use any map of Israel and find
exactly where the location is. Or, you can use the longitude and
latitude which are also provided. There is a brief description of the
location and the Palestine District where it is located, to help you
also find it on the Palestine Map. And it includes the most current
population statistics and a historical note about the city. In many
cases, the city was destroyed or replaced by an Israeli city and that is
noted also.
Currently, you open the
village database and select the city you are looking for by alphabetical
listing. Once in the listing group, you can scroll down to find it. The
listing system is simplified to make finding the names easier. The most
difficult task is the transliteration of Arabic sounds into English but
I try to use the most simplest system.
Eventually, you will be
able to create a family history and a photograph, and I will place it in
the database and link it to your city for others to read.
I continue to update all
of the databases.
Who are we?