Abstract

Pinhas Rutenberg, the Russian-born engineer and Zionist who electrified Palestine, was a list maker. The list he drew up on 4 November 1926 would prove particularly significant. It marked a decisive turn in the Palestine Electric Company’s endeavor to define its borders of operations. Would the grid stop at the west bank of the Jordan River, or extend farther east? The impetus for the question was the advanced plans for a regionally integrated hydro-electrical system that would harness the motive force of the Jordan and Yarmuk rivers and satisfy the area’s demand for electrical power and light indefinitely.