The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS), is the oldest institute in the world devoted exclusively to documentation, research, analysis, and publication on Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It was established in Beirut in 1963 and incorporated there as a private, independent, non-profit Arab institute unaffiliated with any political organization or government. It is led by a Board of Trustees composed of scholars, businessmen and public figures from across the Arab world, and by a volunteer Executive Committee elected by the Board.
IPS supports the Institute for Palestine Studies (USA), Inc., in Washington, D.C. [a 501(c)(3) public charity] and the Institute of Jerusalem Studies in Ramallah (West Bank). These offices have operated in Washington since
1982 and in the occupied territories since 1995. The office in the territories was first located in East Jerusalem, where Israeli authorities barred use of “Palestine” in the Institute’s name. It was forced to move to Ramallah in 2000 when Israel’s tightened restrictions on West Bank Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem made it nearly impossible for employees to reach the office.
Throughout the Arab world, IPS is looked upon as the major source of accurate information and analysis on Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and as a model of institutional organization and independence. In the English and French speaking worlds, its publications are widely respected and have become mandatory resources for anyone doing serious research on Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
