Title: UNISPAL - UN Information System on the Question of Palestine

Source/Sponsoring Agency: United Nations. Division for Palestinian Rights

URL: http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF?OpenDatabase

Date Checked: 11/4/2002      Status: Active

Date Annotated: 11/5/2002

Topics: Economics; Foreign Law; Human Rights Law; International Law; Politics

Other keywords: United Nations; Palestine

Contents: The United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights has gathered an enormous array of full-text UN documents on the Palestinian question and Arab-Israeli conflict. The documents emanate from the General Assembly, Security Council, numerous Commissions, and non-UN bodies such as the World Bank. Reports, resolutions (with voting records), and press releases make up the bulk of the material here, but there is also a great deal of other grey literature. The UNISPAL database is searchable by phrase, title, keyword, thesaurus term, date, and by issuing entity, subject, or document type. Some of the subject headings used include: credentials, house demolitions, holy places, land, settlements, and women. Results can be sorted by date or relevance. Although the website is undated, on the day it was reviewed it contained documents issued that very day. Given the huge number of documents--letters, recommendations, working papers, agreements--and the rather brief subject arrangement, it may be challenging to retrieve a precise piece of documentation. Still, this is an essential resource for materials on the United Nations and the Palestinian cause.

Author of Annotation: A. Carson