Die wörtliche Bedeutung jedes palästinensischen Unterbezirksnamens von 1945 und jedes israelischen Bezirks

1. Acre “Hot sand / heated sand” [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287219293_What_is_in_a_name_Akko_-_Ptolemais_-_Akka_-_Acre](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287219293_What_is_in_a_name_Akko_-_Ptolemais_-_Akka_-_Acre) and it is on a coastal area.
2. Safad from Hebrew root צפה “to watch / look out” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Safed](https://www.britannica.com/place/Safed)
3. Tiberias stemming from the river Tiber [Tiberis/Tifernus may be a pre-Indo-European substrate word related to Aegean tifos „still water“](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber#:~:text=Tiberis%2FTifernus%20may%20be%20a%20pre%2DIndo%2DEuropean%20substrate%20word%20related%20to%20Aegean%20tifos%20%22still%20water%22%2C)
4. Nazareth possible roots נצר “branch” or נצר “to guard / watch” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Nazareth-Israel](https://www.britannica.com/place/Nazareth-Israel)
5. Beisan / Beth-Shean “House of ease / respite” [https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/back-to-beth-shean/](https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/back-to-beth-shean/)
6. Haifa possibly from root חפה “to cover / shelter” or חוף “shore” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Haifa](https://www.britannica.com/place/Haifa)
7. Jenin might better translate to „heavenly gardens“ in arabic as it comes from the root (or is the root) for heaven Jannah https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/05_j/001_jnn.html
8. Nablus from Greek *Neapolis* “New City” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Nablus](https://www.britannica.com/place/Nablus)
9. Tulkarm from Arabic طول + كرم “length/long + vineyard” but it has an older meaning „Grape Mountain“ [حينها عرفت باسم „طور كرم“ التي تعني „جبل العنب“، وقد حُوّر اسمها فيما بعد إلى „طولكرم“](https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2014/11/19/%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%85#:~:text=%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%20%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%20%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%20%22%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%B1%20%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%85%22%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%8A%20%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%86%D9%8A%20%22%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A8%22%D8%8C%20%D9%88%D9%82%D8%AF%20%D8%AD%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%91%D8%B1%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7%20%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%20%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF%20%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89%20%22%D8%B7%D9%88%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%85%22)
10. Jaffa / Yafa from Hebrew יפה “beautiful” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Jaffa](https://www.britannica.com/place/Jaffa)
11. Ramle from Arabic رمل “sand / sandy place”
12. Samaria from Hebrew שמר “to guard / watch” but [its initial meaning would have been watch mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaria#:~:text=watch%20mountain%22%2E)
13. Jerusalem / al-Quds root قدس meaning “holy / sacred” [https://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/D03564/2011_4/2011_4_AWAISIK.pdf](https://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/D03564/2011_4/2011_4_AWAISIK.pdf)
14. al-Khalil ( [official arabic name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron_Subdistrict,_Mandatory_Palestine#:~:text=Hebron%20Subdistrict-,%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84,-%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%AA%20%D7%97%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9F)) [the city’s Hebrew name (Ḥevron) and Arabic name (Al-Khalīl) both refer to Abraham’s epithet as “the friend of God](https://www.britannica.com/place/Hebron-city-West-Bank#:~:text=the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Hebrew%20name%20%28%E1%B8%A4evron%29%20and%20Arabic%20name%20%28Al%2DKhal%C4%ABl%29%20both%20refer%20to%20Abraham%E2%80%99s%20epithet%20as%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20friend%20of%20God%2E%E2%80%9D)
15. Ramallah from Arabic رام الله “hill / height of God” [https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/New_Light_JQ_59_0.pdf](https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/New_Light_JQ_59_0.pdf)
16. Beersheba באר שבע “well of the seven / well of the oath” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Beersheba](https://www.britannica.com/place/Beersheba)
17. Judea “land of Judah” (Judah associated with praise / thanksgiving) [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Judah](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Judah)
18. Gaza from Hebrew [עזה meaning “citadel / stronghold”](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica%2C_Ninth_Edition/Gaza) Pure speculation here, but it could go back to the Philistine language. The problem is that almost nothing of that language survives.
19. Tel Aviv “hill of spring” [https://www.britannica.com/place/Tel-Aviv-Yafo](https://www.britannica.com/place/Tel-Aviv-Yafo)

It’s as if one was using traditional regional names because they and their ancestors have been living there in an un-broken chain for millennia and the other is using cardinal directions on a compass and a few borrowed names because they’ve been gone so long that they’ve lost their connection to the place.