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Palestine, officially known as the State of Palestine, is a country in southern Levant region of the West Asia. The country shares is bordered with Israel to the east, north and west, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. It encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, collectively known as the Palestinian territories. Palestine has a total land area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi) while its population exceeds five million people.The Palestinian people are mostly Arabs, while Kurds, Turks, Armenians and Assyrians are also found. Majority of Palestinian people are Muslims, with minority includes Christians, Samaritans and Druze. Jerusalem is the proclaimed capital, Ramallah is administrative center and Gaza is largest city, as of 2023.

The wider historic region of Palestine, the country's history is deeply rooted in religious significance. Located in Fertile Crescent, the region is referred to as "cradle of civilization". Palestine gave rise various groups such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. The region have been ruled by the Canaanites, Philistines and Israelites. Jerusalem, along with Bethlehem and Hebron are among the holiest cities, revered by the Jews, Christians and Muslims. During the Muslim conquest of the Levant in 7th century, the region came under Islamic control. Successive Islamic Caliphates' rule continued, until the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099. Following Saladin's conquest of Palestine in 1187, the Islamic rule was restored. Between 13th century to 16th century, the Mamluk Sultanate ruled. The Ottoman Empire conquered the region in 1516 and ruled for the next 400 years, until the World War I. Following the British conquest of Palestine in 1917, Mandatory territory was established under the League of Nations, setting up stages for the conflict.

The modern Palestinian state have been in conflict since 1948, which was triggered during the British rule. Following the establishment of Mandate, British government facilitated immigration of the Jews, supporting the Zionist movement. Intercommunal tensions increased between the Zionist Jews and Arabs (Christians and Muslims). In 1947, the United Nations prepared a partition plan for Palestine, rejected by the Arabs. The 1947–1949 civil war and the 1948 war resulted displacement of Palestinians from the lands captured by Israel, known as Nakba. The subsequent Arab–Israeli wars, including the Six Day War in 1967 saw entire Palestinian territories being occupied and Israel established illegal settlements. Palestinian militant groups, including the PLO led several armed rebellions against Israel. After 1993–1995 peace treaties, the interim government was formed to govern certain parts. Following the end of the second intifada, Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip. However the occupation of the West Bank continues. The 2006–2008 civil war resulted Hamas takeover of the coastal enclave.

As of 2024, Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 145 member states of the United Nations. It is a semi-presidential republic. Due to the ongoing conflict Palestinians are subjected to the ongoing occupation, restrictions on movement, blockade by Israel, violence by Israeli settlers and Zionist terrorism. Palestine's borders, the legal and diplomatic status of Jerusalem, and the right of return of Palestinian refugees remain unsolved. Israel has built illegal settlements in the West Bank, where to 600,000 Israeli settlers reside. The Gaza Strip is ruled by Hamas and the West Bank is governed by Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. Today, there are nearly 7 million Palestinian refugees around the world, with some of them within the country. Despite these challenges, the country maintains an emerging economy and sees frequent tourism. Palestine have potential reserves of crude oil and natural gas. It is a member of several international organizations, including the United Nations, Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. (Full article...)

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Fedayeen from Fatah in Beirut, Lebanon, 1979

Palestinian fedayeen (from the Arabic fidā'ī, plural fidā'iyūn, فدائيون) refers to militants or guerrillas of a nationalist orientation from among the Palestinian people. Most Palestinians consider the fedayeen to be "freedom fighters", while the Israeli government describes them as "terrorists". Considered symbols of the Palestinian national movement, the Palestinian fedayeen drew inspiration from guerrilla movements in Vietnam, China, Algeria and Latin America. The ideology of the Palestinian fedayeen was mainly left-wing nationalist, socialist or communist, and their proclaimed purpose was to defeat Zionism, "liberate Palestine" and establish it as "a secular, democratic, nonsectarian state". Emerging from among the Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled from their villages as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, in the mid 1950s the fedayeen began mounting cross-border operations into Israel from Syria, Egypt and Jordan. The earliest infiltrations were often to access the lands agricultural products they had lost as a result of the war, or to attack Israeli military, and sometimes civilian targets. Israel undertook retaliatory actions targeting the fedayeen that also often targeted the citizens of their host countries, which in turn provoked more attacks. Fedayeen actions were cited by Israel as one of the reasons for its launching of the Sinai Campaign of 1956, the 1967 War, and the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon. Palestinian fedayeen groups were united under the umbrella the Palestine Liberation Organization after the defeat of the Arab armies in the 1967 Six-Day War, though each group retained its own leader and independent armed forces.

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View of Bethlehem, 1898
View of Bethlehem, 1898
Credit: NicFer

Beit Sahour (lit. Place of the Night Watch) is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority. The population of 12,367, is Christian and Muslim.

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A display of Hebron glass at a shop in Hebron.

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Yasser Arafat
Our basic aim is to liberate the land from the Mediterranean Seas to the Jordan River. We are not concerned with what took place in June 1967 or in eliminating the consequences of the June war. The Palestinian revolution's basic concern is the uprooting of the Zionist entity from our land and liberating it.

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Muhammad 'Izzat Darwaza (Arabic: محمد عزت دروزة; 1888–1984) was a Palestinian politician, historian, and educator from Nablus. Early in his career, he worked as an Ottoman bureaucrat in Palestine and Lebanon. Darwaza had long been a sympathizer of Arab nationalism and became an activist of that cause following the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916, joining the nationalist al-Fatat society. As such, he campaigned for the union of Greater Syria (modern-day Levant) and vehemently opposed Zionism and foreign mandates in Arab lands. From 1922 to 1927, he served as an educator and as the principal at the an-Najah National School where he implemented a pro-Arab nationalist educational system, promoting the ideas of Arab independence and unity. Darwaza's particular brand of Arab nationalism was influenced by Islam and his beliefs in Arab unity and the oneness of Arabic culture. Later, Darwaza co-founded the nationalist Istiqlal party in Palestine and was a principal organizer of anti-British demonstrations. In 1937, he was exiled to Damascus as a result of his activities and from there he helped support the Arab revolt in the British Mandate of Palestine. He was incarcerated in Damascus by French authorities for his involvement in the revolt, and while in prison he began to study the Qur'an and its interpretations. In 1945, after he was released, Darwaza eventually compiled his own interpretation entitled al-Tafsir al-Hadith. In 1946, he joined the Arab Higher Committee led by Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, but resigned the next year after being disenfranchised by al-Husayni's methods. He left for Syria afterward and briefly aided in the unity talks between Syria and Egypt in the mid-1950s. By the time of his death in 1984, Darwaza had written over thirty books and published numerous articles on the Palestinian question, Arab history, and Islam.

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Demographics: Definitions · State of Palestine · History · Name · People · Diaspora  · Refugee camps · Arab citizens of Israel

Politics: Arab Higher Committee · All-Palestine Gov-t · PLO · PFLP · Depopulated villages

Today: Fatah · Hamas · Islamic Jihad · Political parties · PNA · Hamas gov-t · Governorates · Governorates · Cities · Arab localities in Israel · PNC · PLC ·

General: Flag · Law

Palestine: West Bank · Gaza Strip · E. Jerusalem

Religion: Islam · Christianity · Judaism · Dome of the Rock · Al-Aqsa Mosque · Great Mosque of Gaza · Cave of the Patriarchs · Church of the Holy Sepulchre · Basilica of the Annunciation · Church of the Nativity · Joseph's Tomb · Rachel's Tomb · Lot's Tomb · Nabi Samwil

Culture: Art · Traditional costumes · Cinema · Cuisine · Dance · Handicrafts · Language · Literature · Music


Religions in Palestine


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