About the Institute for Palestine Studies

The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) was established in Beirut in 1963 as an independent non-profit research institution, unaffiliated with any political organization or government. The creation of the institute, the first of its kind in the Arab world, occurred at a time when the Palestine Question was regaining its central place in inter-Arab politics and when Palestinian identity was regaining its vitality. Three Arab intellectuals, Constantine Zurayk (Syria), Walid Khalidi (Palestine) and Burhan Dajani (Palestine), sought ways to confront the challenge brought about by the creation of the State of Israel on the greater part of Palestine, the expulsion of its inhabitants, their enduring Nakba, and the expanding threat posed by Israel to the Arab world. In an environment where Israel and its supporters had a virtual monopoly over the Israeli-Palestinian narrative, they considered that their specific role pertained to the realm of knowledge and values, and thought it necessary to initiate a sustained collective effort that would preserve, develop and disseminate an accurate account of the conflict from its origins in the nineteenth century onwards, and provide a powerful case for Palestinian historical rights.