| The Maps
and Survey Department was established in 1983 in
order to assess and identify geographical developments
in Jerusalem as well as the West Bank. As the
Department developed, it produced several land mark maps
which identified Israeli settlement expansion, land use,
and water aquifers.
Included in
its portfolio, the Map Department produced, in 1987, a
map of all Israeli settlement (1967-1987) in the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip. This map has been continually
updated since. In 1990, a volumous work of
producing a map of Historic Palestine was finished,
detailing the location and name of all pre-1948
Palestinian villages.
When the
Palestinian Authority was created in 1994, the
responsibilities of the Map Department were changed as
Palestinian Ministries began to produce maps of the West
Bank and Gaza. As a result, the Map Department
serviced the new Ministries with information and maps.
Providing these Ministries with updated information has
remained a central task for the Map Department.Other
responsibilities establishd by the supervisors of the
department include the following:
1. Buying all
maps on Jerusalem, whether from the British mandate or
the Jordanian period. These maps, which are
impressive in size and number, are considered today a
reference for land researchers.
2.
Buying Israeli maps of the size 1/1250 in order to
study the construction development between 1967 and
1997.
3.
Collecting maps directly related to land confiscation
from 1967 until today.
4. Study of
the policy of building permits since 1990 until today.
5. Study of
Arab property in West Jerusalem and collecting maps
related to this issue.
This last task
includes collecting Palestinian land property titles
from West Jerusalem in an archive. As
approximately 73% of West Jerusalem is pre-1948
Palestinian property and as neither property claims,
whether collective or individual, nor the Palestinian
right of return (UN Resolution 194) has been resolved,
this work is of priority.
If you have
outstanding property claims and have tax records or
proof of ownership, please forward them to the address
below. This office will also address any questions
you have regarding the properties.
Contact:
Mr. Khalil Tufakji
The Maps and Survey Department
The Orient House
P.O. Box 20479
Jerusalem, Palestine
Tel/Fax: 972-2-628-5264
Tel: 972-2-628-5265
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