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SITES IN PALESTINE

• Al-Bireh Municipality
• Amro and Associates Law Office, Ramallah
• Arabcare Medical Services
• Central Election Commission
• Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
• Halhul Municipality
• Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP)
• Jerusalem Water Undertaking (Ramallah District)
• Nablus Municipality
• Negotiation Affairs Department, Palestinian Authority
• Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
• Palestinian Legislative Council
• Palestinian Ministry of Education
• Palestinian Ministry of Health (Nablus)
• Palestinian Ministry of Information
• Palestinian Ministry of Labour
• Palestinian National Authority Official Website (PNA)
• Population, Housing and Establishments Census 1997 website
• Ramallah Municipality
• The Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC)
• United Nations, Office of the Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories
• Wafa, Palestine News Agency

Al-Bireh Municipality: http://www.al-bireh.org/ - The border between Al-Bireh and neighbouring Ramallah has, over the years, become a grey area for most of the residents of both towns. However, both towns have separate municipalities and two distinguishable characters. This website offers a City Profile, Historical View, The City Council, Public Services, Public Health, Economic & Trade Services, Social & Cultural Services and Sports, complete with photographs. Added to Complete Guide: 16 February 1998. Top of page.


Amro and Associates Law Office, Ramallah: http://www.law-amro.com/ - Established in Hebron 1961 by Yaser Hasan Amro. In 1968 the firm moved to Amman, Jordan and later in 1995 established offices in Ramallah, Palestine. Amro & Associates is a Law firm specilize in General Civil Practice, Corporate, International Trades, Agency and Distributorship, Construction, Foreign Investment, Taxation, Banking, Insurance, Securities, International Property Law, Labor Law, Litigation before all Courts and Arbitration. The firm has been assigned to prepare several draft laws and regulations. Information also provided on the firms partners and clients. Added to Complete Guide: 28 January 1998. Top of page.


Arabcare Medical Services: http://www.arabcare.com/ - Arabcare launched a pretty good webpage, which promised to move out of the construction stage into something very entertaining. The homepage has sobered up a little, with many of the former animated gifs permanently on holiday. Good material on the organisation, staff and activities already exists, and there are a few nice touches such as a "Customer Satisfaction Survey" to be filled in "if you or your family and friends have received medical services at Arabcare or one of our insurance accredited centres or doctors, we would like to hear from you." There is a kids section and a section including pastel watercolours, entitled, "Jerusalem Gallery" is supposedly there to calm the nerves of recovering patients. This is a serious institution though: Arabcare's plans for the future include tele-medicine. Added to Complete Guide: 6 February 1997. Review last updated: 17 December 1997. Top of page.


Central Election Commission: http://www.planet.edu/~cec - The aim of the CEC homepage is "to provide a concise and up-to-date information source about the Palestinian [national] elections", last held at the beginning of 1996. The website includes articles, election timetables and results. There is also information on the consituencies, electorial register, national council and president, the procedure for Jerusalem, election observers, and the electorial law. Simple, but informative. Review last updated: 17 December 1997. Top of page.


Gaza Community Mental Health Programme: http://www.gcmhp.net/ - The first real based-in-Gaza homepage from an NGO or individual, the GCMHP's website is full of information, including: Philosophy & Strategy, Research Center, Training Department, Selected Cases, Women, Human Rights, Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj's homepage, Conferences, Guests' Opinions, an Inside look at Gaza, and even a poem about Palestine. Apart from much of this not-found-anywhere-else information, some of the writings found on Eyad El-Sarraj's page are well worth reading. Added to Complete Guide: 3 March 1998. Top of page.


Halhul Municipality: http://www.halhul.pna.net/ - Once you get past the first two pages, not bad in information terms, considering no one has ever heard of Halhul outside of Palestine. You will find information on history, geography (near Hebron), population (25,000), municipality, and a breakdown of frequencies of local industry. There are five "Diaper Filling Shops" for example, whatever they may be. Added to Complete Guide: 17 March 1998. Top of page.


Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP): http://www.hdip.org/ - HDIP is an independent, non-profit organization devoted to policy research and planning concerning development issues and health care in Palestine. HDIP was established in 1989 by a group of researchers and health practitioners committed to improving the status of health care for all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. HDIP has expanded to serve as advocates for better government policies on behalf of overlooked groups as women, youth and the disabled. HDIP is aims at being a resource for policy makers, development agencies, health care organizations, individual researchers and students who require quality, up-to-date information, research and ideas about health care and other development issues in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Added to Complete Guide: 9 February 1998. Top of page.


Jerusalem Water Undertaking (Ramallah District): http://www.jwu.org/ - The JWU offers its 1995 annual report, information about its installations, how to apply for employment and details of its services. A humerous graphic of a dancing water drop and a clear layout tells us its not all just sewers and pipes at JWU, on this well executed site. Last modified in March 1996. Review last updated: 5 March 1998. Top of page.


Nablus Municipality: http://www.nablus.org/ - Still under construction but a tasteful design and interesting history section show promise. Added to Complete Guide: 5 March 1998. Top of page.


Negotiation Affairs Department, Palestinian Authority: http://www.pna.org/nad/ - If you have a look at this webpage you will understand why the Palestinians keep getting screwed in the negotiations. Honestly, there was no nicer way to put this. Added to Complete Guide: 3 March 1998. Top of page.


Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics: http://www.pcbs.org/ - An English/Arabic website with a wide selection of current statistics from the Occupied Territories. Areas covered include Population, Climate, Labour & Wages, Balance of Payments, Agriculture, Education & Culture, Trade, Tourism, Living Conditions, Government, Finance, Environment, Health Service, Energy, Housing Conditions, Industry, Land Use, Victimization (i.e. crime), Construction, Gender & Children, Transport & Communication, Elections, and Prices. Pick your topic and seek knowledge! More websites like this please. The PCBS is also the organ responsible for conducting the Palestinian census - the results of which are now online. Review last updated: 14 December 1998. Top of page.


Palestinian Legislative Council: http://www.pal-plc.org/ - An English/Arabic website reproducing the biographies and aims of the LC members, the speaker's homepage (with video and audio to come), the texts of laws currently under discussion, info about the PLC, and a free discussion area. Unfortunately the answers to the questions in the 'Questioning Our Ministers' section are not published. A few other teething problems are apparent, related to the organisation and updating of information. Overall, however, what is there so far is good. Added to Complete Guide: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Palestinian Ministry of Education: http://www.pna.org/moe/moe.htm - Under construction. Added to Complete Guide: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Palestinian Ministry of Health (Nablus): http://www.palnet.com/archive/health/ - The Palestinian Ministry of Health (Nablus) surfaced on PALNET via two health-related reports that make interesting reading, concerned with the impact of the Israeli policy of closure on access to health services for Palestinians. A number of statements on the end-September clashes around the West Bank appeared on the site, unfortunately the last time it was updated. Review last updated: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Palestinian Ministry of Information: http://www.pna.org/ - The first PNA general information website but no longer the official one. It's import has decreased since the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation website at www.pna.net came online. Information on this website, however, is available in Arabic and English, although one of the main English links for the Ministry of Higher Education goes to an Arabic document. Garoudy, the infamous French revisionist historian, has been given airtime in the "Key Issues" section with a publication called "Biblical and Historical Myths", for some inexplicable, self-defeating reason. Added to Complete Guide: 13 January 1997 / Review updated: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Palestinian Ministry of Labour: http://www.pna.org/mol/ - A good start as Palestinian Authority websites go, with English/Arabic) information about the ministry, its publications (only in Arabic), statistics, the Palestinian Employment Program, an International Conference on Employment to be held in February 1988 and a reference paper on the National Palestinian Vocational Technical Education and Training Strategy. Added to Complete Guide: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Palestinian National Authority Official Website: http://www.pna.net/ - The "official" PNA website from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. One problem is the appearance of numerous non-official articles on this official site, including unsolicited material received on e-mail. Layout and information on this website improved a lot in 1997, evolving into a useful source for articles, reports, statements and speeches about the country, the peace process, business opportunities, and jobs, with much more in the pipeline. Rumour has it that this website - managed by a five-person team - was established by presidential decree after Yasser Arafat saw the equivalent Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs website online one day. It doesn't have the breadth of information available on the MFA site, as it is still early days and only one or two of the five-person team are content providers, in comparison with three for the MFA website. It does, however, have a search engine. If you are publishing information about Palestine on the Web, this must be a definite "related sites" link as well as, of course, the Complete Guide to Palestine's Websites! The arrival of a quality PNA website was greeted with delight by all of us working on the Internet in Palestine. All that is missing is a related listserv to send its updates to our e-mail boxes. Golden Olive frenzy! Added to Complete Guide: 3 June 1997. Review last updated: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Population, Housing and Establishments Census 1997 website: http://www.palphc.org/ - A huge amount of information on this page about the end-1997 national census that got the Israelis so uptight when it deemed to include Jerusalem. Information includes Legal Foundation, Historical Background, History of Censuses in Palestine, Census Stages, Justification, Census Contents, Outputs, Main Variables and Indicators, Confidentiality, Census Date Count Down, a message from the Offices of National Director, National Committee, Sub Committees, Supporting Committees, Acknowledgment For Donors, Donors Contribution, Census Plan, Dissemination and Publication Plan and Prelimintary Results, and an Appeal For All Palestinians to: fund it or make a technical contribution. If that wasn't enough, there is also the Census Progress in Pictures, Census Publications and...Other Activities. The budget for the census was US$7 million, supplied by the Palestinian Authority, UNFPA, the World Bank, UK and Norway. Added to Complete Guide: 18 December 1997. Top of page.


Ramallah Municipality: http://www.ramallah-city.org/ - Similar in many ways to the Al-Bireh Municipality website above, the Ramallah Municipality website basically offers more information, including a profile, history, details of the town council, projects, culture, and its role as a resort. The latter is perhaps a little misleading. Although Ramallah once enjoyed the reputation as the second most popular summer resort in the Arab World during the early 1960s, the Israeli occupation terminated this role completely through travel restrictions and de-development. Added to Complete Guide: 16 February 1998. Top of page.


The Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC): http://www.upmrc.org/ - UPMRC is a grassroots, community-based Palestinian health organization, founded in 1979 by a group of Palestinian doctors and health professionals seeking to supplement the decayed and inadequate health infrastructure caused by years of Israeli military occupation. UPMRC is one of the largest NGOs in Palestine with national health programs emphasising prevention, education, community participation, and the empowerment of the individual. Tour this website for more information on health conditions in Palestine, the local efforts to provide comprehensive health care to Palestinians, and our contributions to building a Palestinian statehood and civil society. Added to Complete Guide: 9 February 1998. ry 1998. Top of page.


United Nations, Office of the Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories: http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/mepp /unsco/unfront.html - UNSCO is the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories, established in June 1994 by the Secretary General of the United Nations. The mandate of the Special Coordinator is to provide guidance to and facilitate coordination among UN programmes; represent the United Nations at donor coordination meetings, and assist the Palestinian Authority and donors in coordinating international assistance; maintain contact with non-governmental organizations operating in the West Bank and Gaza; and support the implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles. The current Special Coordinator is Chinmaya R. Gharekhan. You will find UNSCO/World Bank fact sheets about closure, quarterly reports, a directory of NGOs in Gaza, and links to other UN resources. Added to Complete Guide: 21 December 1997. Top of page.


Wafa, Palestine News Agency: http://www.wafa.pna.net/ - The official Palestinian news agency. I have Arabic Microsoft Windows 95, this website was designed using Microsoft Frontpage, I've set my browser's Western encoding to Arabic fonts and I still can't view this website. What does it want, my firstborn?! Added to Complete Guide: 17 March 1998. Top of page.