Modern Palestine. History. Modern map of Palestine. After the creation of Israel

Palestine and Israel are undeniably the most bizarre states in the world. Let's start with the fact that a small handful of Jews who survived the Second World War were able to receive the largest indemnity for those times from Germany, for the total destruction of the Jewish nation. But, this same handful of Jews received a fair amount of territory on the site of an ancient state, long forgotten by everyone and mentioned only in connection with biblical events. Then Jews from all over the world came to these lands, realizing the long-standing dream of their people - finding the Promised Land. In a few years, using the power of money and weapons, this piece of land has turned into a sovereign powerful independent.

As for the map of Palestine and Israel, the borders of these states. Naturally, the Arabs did not really like the fact that a new state was formed, and they declared war on the Jewish people. But he repulsed the attack of the Arab army, moreover, he went on the offensive and defeated the entire Arab army on his head. But, you need to know the Arab people, they did not accept defeat, because the whole point, in principle, is how to accept defeat from a people who never have their own lands and territories.

And therefore, in the division of territories to this day, they do not make any concessions and compromises, since they cannot bear such a humiliation of the entire Arab people. The division of territories is still going on between the Arab world and the Jews. From the side of Palestine, there are constant performances by Arab extremists and shelling. Most likely, the Arabs still hope that in the near future, at the cost of various efforts, they will erase from the map of Palestine and Israel - a strange formation - Israel.

As for Palestine itself, this state is even more mysterious and interesting. Palestine today has become so accustomed to the image of a fighter against Israel, so imbued with this spirit of struggle against the Jewish state, that it is unlikely that it will be able to live today in a different way - without wars, calmly.

But, at the same time, mutual confrontation does not prevent the Arab population from working in Israel, and from having and using the state.

But, as for the tourist map of Palestine and Israel, its merits should be appreciated by all tourists without exception. Since everything is marked on the map, so are Palestine, popular tourist routes, biblical places. Moreover, on the map of Palestine and Israel, not only large cities and major Israeli resorts are marked in all details, other settlements, rivers and reservoirs, as well as states neighboring Israel and Palestine are also marked. In addition, using the map, you can find out the administrative structure of Israel and Palestine.

The map of Palestine and Israel clearly shows that Palestine is divided into several geographical areas - the Coastal Plain, which is located in the Mediterranean Sea, Galilee - in the northern part of the country, Samaria - the central part, located north of Jerusalem, and Judea - the southern part of Palestine, in which includes Jerusalem. And one more area - the eastern bank of the Jordan River - Transjordan.

By the way, exactly the same geographical concepts are mentioned in the Bible. Today, the territory of Samaria and Judea is more often called the West Bank of the Jordan River, this name is more commonly accepted in Russian-language sources. If you look at the map of Palestine and Israel, then it displays not only the administrative division of the state, but also the landscape and geographical position. For example, on the territory of Samaria, Galilee and Judea, there are also mountain groups, valleys and deserts.

The map to the south shows the mountainous Judean plateau, in the center of the state - the Samaria mountains, and a little further away - Mount Tabor, the famous skiing - Hermon, the famous Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah lived in a cave. Here on the map you can see all the water bodies of the countries - and Lake Tiberias, which is located below sea level and the Dead Sea - a unique body of water located 418 meters below sea level. The Dead Sea is the deepest land basin on earth.

The Gaza Strip - by decision of the United Nations - is a part of the territory that was specially allocated for Arab Palestine. As you can see on the map of Palestine and Israel, the Gaza Strip is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The eastern and western borders of the Gaza Strip are with Israel, and the southwestern with Egypt. If we talk about the area of ​​the Gaza Strip, then it is approximately 360 square kilometers, while the length is 50 kilometers, and the width of the Gaza Strip ranges from 6 to 12 kilometers. Between Palestine and Israel there is an agreement signed in Oslo, according to which the state of Israel fully provides military control and military protection of the airspace of the Gaza Strip, as well as some of its borders on land and at sea, that is, territorial waters. Today, most of the population of Palestine - the Gaza Strip - are refugees who once left the territory of Israel during the wars. On the territory of the Gaza Strip, the population density is at the level of Berlin in Germany, which is about 4 thousand people per square kilometer.

But, nevertheless, the main advantage of the map of Palestine and Israel is that on it you can look at and see detailed diagrams of different Palestinian autonomies - Tel Aviv and Eilat, Nazareth and Bethlehem, Tiberias and Haifa. By the way, the most famous tourist places for tourists are necessarily displayed on the map, all tourist routes are indicated for sights and holy places, for historical monuments and architectural ones. For example, on the map you can easily find a popular exotic farm in Tiberias where crocodiles are grown - Hamat Gader. Here, on this farm, you can see a fascinating and sometimes shocking crocodile show.

Using a detailed map of Palestine and Israel, you can easily get to any locality in the country without any problems and difficulties. The map clearly and clearly depicts road communication schemes in Israel, gas stations are indicated, as well as roadside cafes and restaurants, shops and all interesting places that you should definitely visit when traveling through the amazing and unique country of Israel.

By the way, on many maps that are sold for tourists, including the map of Palestine and Israel, all firms and offices that are engaged in car rental or rental are indicated, and therefore this issue is removed from the agenda, since with the help of maps, you can easily find such a firm or office.

Among other things, the map of Palestine and Israel displays all the necessary telephones, Internet points, e-mail addresses of various firms and companies, as well as a brief description of a particular area and information about the country. On the map you can also find hotels and hotel complexes, restaurants and cafes that are popular among tourists.

I must say that for many travelers a map is a kind of guide to the country, as well as a storyteller about its sights, historical places, a brief historical reference book, a “navigator”, and, of course, a guide who will tell about cities and towns, about roads and routes, about the history of the country and its present.

Evgeny Yanovich, President of the Middle East Institute, answers these questions
Satanovsky*
- In fact, Palestine is not only a geographical concept, but also
philological. It is a province of the Roman Empire, named after
I remember that during the time of Emperor Hadrian, by the name of the Philistines *, people from
Greek islands, more than a thousand years before his era, conquered
coast in Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod to erase the historical
memory of Israel and Judah. After the suppression of the Bar Kokhba uprising, the Romans
tried to clear this territory of rebellious Jews and populate it
Roman colonists. But the Jews continued to live in many places (Jerusalem,
Haifa, Safed) actually before the spread of Zionism and mass aliyah
the latest time. Many of the descendants of those Jews who never came from there
left, were converted to Christianity or Islam.
The assertion that Arabs have inhabited Palestine from time immemorial causes
bewilderment.
In Palestine, in addition to the Jewish tribes, immigrants from India settled,
> Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt. During the Ottoman Empire, the Circassians settled.
> There were two or three Alawite villages. Druze live in Lebanon, Syria and
> Northern Israel. But the modern state on this territory was
> formed one-the State of Israel.**
> There were no other states on this territory in historical time,
> except for the Jewish states, and on their ruins "by inheritance" several
> centuries there were states of the crusaders. The rest of the time it was
> province: Egyptian pharaohs, Roman Caesars, Turkish sultans,
> british crown. Palestine, as a state with a capital and ruling
> dynasty never existed. And this is one of the roots of why
> a Palestinian state has not arisen even today, although in recent decades
> the whole world is busy creating it.
> The situation in the Middle East can be called both a "peace process", and
> capitulation of Israel-depending on the approach. For decades
> the international community is engaged in it - several thousand diplomats,
> politicians, officials, journalists, the UN, international organizations, foundations,
> Foreign Ministries and the US State Department. The situation is driven into an absolute deadlock by them. Today
> crumbling before our eyes, like all pyramids built on sand,
> the concept of two states for two peoples on one small
> territories. It crumbles because not every nation can build
> own state. Otherwise, there would be as many thousands of people in the world
> states, how many peoples exist.
> Despite unprecedented assistance of several tens of billions of dollars,
> invested over 60 years in the construction of the Palestinian state, it is there and
> did not occur. The question of what kind of genus: Nashashibi or Husseini, Ashrawi or Al Hindi
> - which of the Palestinian "nobile" will lead Palestine - a matter of deadly
> fighting clans. The same as in Italy of the times of the Montagues and Capuleti.
> It was impossible to understand before Garibaldi who would rule a united Italy, and before
> Bismarck-a united Germany, these " quilts" of Europe. So and
> now it is impossible to understand who will become the main leader in the Palestinian political
> stage, which will be located in the Palestinian capital. in Jerusalem, as
> requires " the world community", or in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis? Who
> will rule Palestine? Jibril Rajub, whose ancestral inheritance is Jericho?
> Mohammed Dahlan, who retreated to the West Bank after losing power in
> Gaza? Some of the "strong people" of Nablus, Bethlehem or Ramallah? Unknown.
> The civil war in Palestine is a consequence of the fact that there is no recognized
> center, not a single leader.
> Today, Palestine is a series of cities and villages, tribes and a settled population
> with different ethnic backgrounds. Some of them go back to the Jews and
> Samaritans. Others - to the Greco-Roman settlers. Very few real
> Arabs, in particular, two large families who remained in Gaza when the main
> part of the Arab army went to Misr-Egypt. They are reluctant to marry even
> their neighbors, remembering that they are the Arabs-unlike everyone else.
> We know the descendants of the Armenians and those who are descended from the Greeks, Indians,
> Turkmens, Kurds, Gypsies and immigrants from Georgia. We know the descendants of the liberated
> British Sudanese slaves. Such an "explosive mixture" is characteristic of everything
> Middle East, built on large families and tribes, in Europe for a long time
>gone in the past. This has not yet happened in Palestine. It's not fault, and it's not
> trouble-a stage of historical development.
> Palestinians are the most educated people in the world with almost a
> education. The percentage of the population with higher education obtained in
> Europe, Russia, USA, Canada, Australia at the expense of the UN and national grants.
> Palestinian teachers, with the exception of a small number of educational
> institutions of the Islamic type, building education on secular models.
> CORR.: And this applies to those living in Gaza?
> ES: - Of course. There are a sufficient number of free schools with high
> Arab East level of teaching. The UN allocates money. Palestinians
> created a good system of school and university education. Jews are
> made for themselves at their own expense, the Palestinians-at the expense of others. So
> reasoning about how they "suffer from the Israeli occupation", not too
> match reality. Gaza is built up with decent houses, why not
> show its view from the sea. "Blockade and occupation" does not look quite like
> I would like the Palestinians.
> The collapse of the British Empire gave rise to Palestinian refugees, bringing them into
> the world around. If this had not happened, no Palestinians the world would have
> today did not know. They would be one of the peripheral groups of the Arab world.
> There would be a Palestine divided between Syria, Egypt and maybe
> Saudi Arabia. And it is unlikely that the fate of the Palestinians would be happier,
> than the starving Egyptian fellah. "Israeli occupation" turned out to be for
> the softest and most liberal Palestinians they knew. She can't
> compare neither with the Egyptian nor with the Jordanian.
> Why have the Palestinians become the shock troop of the Islamic world, acting
> against Israel? And that was the only role they were seen in Damascus
> Baghdad, Cairo and Riyadh. Why did they become "Jews of the Arab world"?
> This is largely due to two factors. Educated Palestinians -
> doctors, teachers, engineers, technicians, university lecturers - live in
> the Arab world as strangers, disloyal to local authorities. They are reminded
> 1970 attempt to overthrow King Hussein in Jordan ended in massacre
> "Black September"; civil war in Lebanon initiated by Arafat in
> 1975-76, which was stopped only by Syria in 1990; the tragedy of Kuwait
> which the Palestinians surrendered to Saddam Hussein in the same 1990, after which hundreds
> thousands of them were expelled from all countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Palestinian
> diaspora has proven its disloyalty to the entire Arab world. Not by chance
> today Hamas is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Paradoxical
> situation: Sunni religious group in Gaza relies on Shia
> state. In search of political cover and sponsors, Hamas managed to
> quarrel even with their natural ally - Saudi Arabia,
> violating the truce with Fatah Abu Mazen, concluded under the patronage
> the Saudi monarch in Mecca, under the shadow of the Kaaba, sealed by an oath on the Koran.
> It is no coincidence that after that the Saudi newspaper "Al Ahram", published in London,
> wrote: "In exchange for Iranian money, Hamas betrayed both the Arabs and the Palestinian
> the people, and the very idea of ​​a Palestinian state."
> Civil war cost the Palestinians thousands of lives. After in August
> 2005, under the pressure of Ariel Sharon, Gaza remained uncontrolled, from it
> settlers were evicted and the Israeli division that controlled it left. There
> killed about 9,000 Palestinians. Of these, no more than 1500 - during the operation
> " cast svinets" and Israeli anti-terrorist actions. The rest are in
> civil strife between Hamas and Fatah. When the Israeli army in January 2009
> took Gaza by storm, only about a thousand Hamas fighters out of about 33-35 thousand
> people put under arms were "at the forefront". The rest either
> deserted, or holed up at home, hiding their uniforms and weapons, most
> also engaged in the robbery of humanitarian convoys and the destruction of Fatah activists.
> Many Fatahites were killed and those captured were tortured, while
> Hamas trumpeted to the whole world about the atrocities of the "Israeli occupiers", that
> only immediate international intervention can save Gaza.
> Separately - about the budget of the Palestinian National Authority, which is often
> incorrectly called "Palestinian National Autonomy" (PNA). Autonomy -
> it's part of a public entity. Palestinians are not included
> to Israel, nor to Jordan, nor to Egypt. All countries that had the misfortune to take
> control over Palestine for the last hundred years, wanted (or want to
> until now) get rid of this "suitcase without a handle". Its bear extremely
> hard, and almost impossible to quit. Sharon's "unilateral disengagement" and
> was an attempt to throw this "suitcase". It ended sadly.
> Of the 2.5 billion needed for the annual running costs of the PNA, including
> Gaza Strip, no more than 15% are collected in the form of taxes. Economy of Palestine
> former once at a higher level than the Egyptian, Jordanian,
> Lebanese, Syrian, due to cooperation with Israel - destroyed, due to
> interrupted contacts with him, the Palestinian labor force has become useless to anyone.
> Palestinians have lost about 200,000 jobs in Israel. They were occupied by visitors
> from Africa, Jordan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Romania, and
> wives and husbands of Israeli Arabs (approximately 150,000 people). Every
> working in Israel, a Palestinian fed 5-7 people. It's about 1.5
> million, including drivers of buses, taxis, bulldozers and other
> construction equipment, with a salary of up to 3-5 thousand dollars a month.
> Let's not forget about the annually sent to the Palestinian Authority 700-780 million.
> dollars in taxes from the earnings of Palestinians who worked in Israel. IN
> in a similar situation, France would have to transfer taxes to Algeria from
> earnings of Algerian guest workers, Americans for work in the United States
> citizens of Mexico-the Mexican government. But such a system
> acted only between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
> Let's not forget about Israel's transfer of customs duties and other payments to the PNA.
> The Palestinian Authority quickly got used to this money, dividing it between
> yourself and believing that it is not at all necessary to invest in infrastructure
> Palestine.
> CORR.: But why did Israel engage in such charity, receiving
> answer explosions of martyrs and shelling " kasamami"?
> E.S.: - The government of Israel with its radical leftist socialist
> ideas, dogmas and illusions of the early twentieth century - provincial and not too
> educated. In addition, a significant part of the Israeli establishment
> participated in the division of this money, servicing financial flows. So it was even
> during the years of the intifada. While the Israeli army fought Palestinian militants and
> suicide bombers, to Arafat's personal accounts in a Jerusalem bank
> Apoalim received hundreds of millions of dollars through Ginossar, once
> a responsible officer of the Israeli special services, and during the years of the "peace process"
> - Jericho casino partner Djibril Rajub and intermediary between
> the Israeli elite and the Palestinian leadership. When the scandal broke
> Ginossar "suddenly died".
> Politics is done by real people. Unfortunately, in Israel, as it was already
> it is said - not very educated, but with a talent for political
> combinations. These people know how to take power, not really understanding what to do with it,
> and not too deserving to be in power.
> Realpolitik differs significantly from the romantic ideas associated with
> building a Jewish national home. In this regard, the current
> rulers are very different from Zeev Jabotinsky, who did not live to see
> formation of the State of Israel, the first and last Jewish
> statesman of the twentieth century, intellectual level and education
> who were worthy of the Jewish state.
> His political opponents perpetuated the memory of him as an extremist,
> forgetting how liberal this man was. It was Jabotinsky who wrote that if
> the president of the Jewish state will be a Jew, the prime minister should be an Arab,
> and vice versa: under an Arab president, the prime minister must be a Jew.
> Today, even the ultra-left party " Merets" is not capable of such statements.
> Zhabotinsky soberly assessed the future coexistence of two peoples in one
> state. He understood that war is war and peace is peace, that
> loyalty to the country is a prerequisite for being its
> citizen. This simple idea today in Israel hardly breaks through
> a road through leftist dogmas with the help of the current Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
> Avigdor Lieberman. However, he is also called an extremist.
> Operation "Cast Lead", according to inflated estimates of the Palestinians, brought Gaza
> loss of $2 billion. Conference of donor countries in the resort Sharm
> ash-Sheikh promised Gaza assistance in 5.4 billion. In the context of the global economic
> crisis-brilliant business! Looks like Hamas should ask Israel every year
> bomb Gaza to carry out this kind of investment operation. hundreds
> millions of dollars go there from Iran every year, billions from others
> sources.
> Revolution is a profitable business, and the Palestinian leadership is fine
> understood at all times. There is no conventional economy in Palestine,
> because it can not exist in a dictatorship. No dictator
> provided with subsidies from outside, will not allow the emergence of
> an enclave of funding sources beyond its control. That's why
> Arafat, one of the richest people on the planet, destroyed the Palestinian economy,
> developed during the period of Israeli control, built on the mediation
> between Israel and the Arab countries.
> CORR.: It turns out that the Palestinians do not need a state at all?
> ES: - The state is necessary for certain purposes. It solves issues
> your career, the future of your children, infrastructure problems. Nobody in the world
> did not receive from the "world community" such an amount of money that
> enough to build a good dozen states.
> The idea of ​​a Palestinian state has so far led to the great "freebie":
> free supply of food, medicines, free
> education and health care. But "seven nannies have a child without an eye":
> international organizations are killing the future of these people. Exactly on
> guaranteed "freebie" based on unprecedented demographic growth in
> Palestine, two to three times higher than its neighbors. How will Palestine
> exist in the future, today it is not clear. She splits into separate
> enclaves, each with its own "strong people" and its own administration.
> CORR.: Do you think that the Palestinians will not be able to build their own
> states?
> ES: - I don't do science fiction. States are not created by the UN
> "consponsors" and not by American presidents, but by people who want and
> can do it. There are all conditions for Palestine to become
> state. All the money in order to create a medium size
> the state, and the European level, issued. If as a result Palestine
> has become nothing more than a hotbed of radicalism, Islamism, civil war
> and terrorism, so this is the fate of this territory. If the Palestinians
> could create a state, they would have created it. And the existence of Gaza on
> distance of 20-30 km from the West Bank is not a hindrance.
> We do not know what will happen next. Maybe in Palestine will be born
> new Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, Nasser, Washington or Ben Gurion. If there
> a leader will appear who is ready to build a state by making the same sacrifices as
> which the Israelis went, abandoning their claims to the construction of Israel
> " from the Nile to Evfrata",he will create a Palestinian state. Abandoning
> Transjordan, South Lebanon, South Syria, Sinai, historically part of
> the composition of Israel, the Israelis built their state on that part
> territory that could be taken under control and kept.
> To build Poland, we needed Pilsudski, Finland-Mannerheim. But not
> all revolutionaries can become heads of state. Fidel Castro could
> from a revolutionary to become such a leader. Yasser Arafat did not want and did not
> was able to cross the line separating the statesman from the revolutionary.
> The only thing that made the Palestinians a people is the strict segregation in
> the Arab and Islamic world as a whole, creating a striking force against them
> Israel. States are not built on such a basis. You are either making a revolution,
> or build your country in peace with your neighbors. The idea of ​​a Palestinian state
> killed by the efforts of the UN and the "world community", internal Palestinian
> strife, external pressure from the Arab and Islamic world.
> CORR.: If Palestine is not a state, then what is the citizenship of the Palestinians,
> living on the territory of the PNA?
> ES: - They do not have their own citizenship. There are civil documents
> administration. Some have Israeli passports, most have
> Jordanian. There is no currency. All trade, including Gaza, is in shekels.
> CORR.: Tell us a little about your institute.
> E.S.: - The institute is private, independent, non-state, not included in
> Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation. Covers the region from Mauritania and Morocco to Pakistan and
> from Somalia to the Russian border. We are interested in contemporary issues and
> the future of this region: economy, religion, terrorism, politics, army and
> everything related to regional diasporas. Plus the spread of Islam
> outside the Near and Middle East, everything related to this process in
> the world around.
> The Institute has existed since the early 90s. During this time, more than two
> hundreds of books and several thousand articles. We have a unique archive and library. On the
> the institute employs several hundred experts, incl. about a hundred from Israel,
> Turkey, Iran, countries of the Arab East. Simply put, our business is
> analytics that goes to specialized universities and government agencies
> Russian Federation. How to put it into practice - they decide. books,
> published by the Institute, go to libraries, embassies, academic
> structures with which we cooperate.
> CORR.: Thank you for the informative conversation.*
>
> *M. Nemirovskaya*

Once a beautiful territory with clean residential buildings and infrastructure, now the territory of Palestine is a dilapidated disaster zone. The ongoing war for the right to own their ancestral lands takes away the opportunity to take a breather for the population and restore their economic activity.

The story of a small but very proud state is still sad, but the Palestinians are full of hope for a brighter future. They believe that one day Allah will remove all infidels from their path and give peace and freedom to the Palestinian people.

Where is Palestine located?

The territory of Palestine is located in the Middle East. The geographical map includes in this territory the Asian countries of the southwestern part: Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and others. Among them there are surprising differences in the state system: some states are distinguished by republican rule, others by monarchy.

Historians have proven that the territories of the Middle East are the ancestral home of ancient civilizations that disappeared many millions of years ago. Three well-known world religions appeared here - Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The terrain mainly consists of sandy deserts or impassable mountains. For the most part, there is no agriculture here. However, many countries have risen to the peak of their modern development thanks to oil fields.

Territorial strife, due to which a huge number of civilians are dying, is a darkening factor for residents. Since the appearance of the Jewish state among was an unexpected factor, almost all countries of the second paragraph refused diplomatic relations with Israel. And military conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians have been going on since 1947 to the present day.

Initially, the location of Palestine occupied the entire area, from the waters of the Jordan to the Mediterranean coast. In the middle of the last century, the Palestinian disposition changed after the creation of the well-known state of Israel.

Which City is the Status of Jerusalem

The history of the ancient city of Jerusalem goes back to ancient times BC. Modern realities do not leave the sacred land alone. The division of the city began immediately after the establishment of the borders of Israel and the Arab state in 1947, after many years of British claims. However, Jerusalem was endowed with a special status of an international scale, all military garrisons had to be withdrawn from it, respectively, life was supposed to be exclusively peaceful. But, as is often the case, things didn't go according to plan. Despite the instructions of the UN, in 48-49 years of the twentieth century there was a military conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis, for the establishment of power over Jerusalem. As a result, the city was divided into parts between the Jordanian state, which was given the eastern part, and Israel, which got the western territories of the ancient city.

The famous Six-Day War of 67 of the twentieth century was won by Israel, and Jerusalem completely entered its composition. But the UN Security Council did not agree with such a policy and ordered Israel to withdraw its troops from Jerusalem, recalling the decree of 1947. However, Israel spat on all demands and refused to demilitarize the city. And already on May 6, 2004, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the full right of Palestine to occupy the eastern part of Jerusalem. Then military conflicts began with renewed vigor.

Now in Palestine there is a temporary capital - Ramallah, located thirteen kilometers from Israel, in the center of the western banks of the Jordan River. The city was recognized as the capital of Palestine in 1993. In the 1400s BC, the settlement of Rama was located on the site of the city. This was the era of the Judges, and the place was the holy Mecca for Israel. The modern boundaries of the city were formed in the middle of the 16th century. Wars were also waged for this city, and at the beginning of the second millennium of our era, the city was finally transferred to the state of Palestine. The burial place of Yasser Arafat, who passed away in 2004, is located in Ramallah. The population is twenty-seven and a half thousand people, exclusively Arabs live here, some of whom profess Islam, and some Christianity.

President of the country

The President of Palestine is the same chairman of the Palestinian National Authority. As in many presidential countries, he is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The president has the right to appoint and dismiss the prime minister, and is also personally involved in approving the composition of the government. The President can deprive the head of the board of authority at any time. In his power is the dissolution of parliament and the appointment of early elections. The President of Palestine is the determining element in matters of foreign and domestic policy.

The fact that, according to the UN decree, Palestine was forbidden to represent its head as the President of Palestine, despite the fact that the state of Palestine was officially created in 1988, can be attributed to historical reference. The penultimate chairman, Yasser Arafat, did not use the designation of his office with the word president. But the real chairman of the Palestinian Authority in 2013 issued a decree on the official replacement of the post with a presidential one. True, many countries of the world did not recognize such a change.

The name of the President, who has been ruling for four years now, is Abu Mazen. The term of office of the Palestinian president cannot exceed five years and can be re-elected only once in a row. Yasser Arafat, his predecessor, died while in office.

Where are the borders of Palestine? Country geography

Officially, only 136 of the 193 UN member countries recognized Palestine as a state. The historical territory of Palestine is divided into four parts, which consist of the lands of the coastal plain to the Mediterranean territories of Galilee - the northern part, Samaria - the central part, located in the north side of Holy Jerusalem and Judea - the south the part that includes Jerusalem itself. Such boundaries were established according to the biblical scriptures. However, at the moment, the Palestinian area is divided into only two parts: the Jordan River, the river in Palestine (its western part) and the Gaza Strip.

Consider the first component of the Arab state. stretched for only 6 thousand kilometers, and the total length of the border is four hundred kilometers. In summer it is quite hot here, but in winter the climatic conditions are mild. The lowest point in the area is the Dead Sea with its 400 meters below sea level. With the help of irrigation, local residents adapted to use the land for agricultural purposes.

The western coast is a predominantly flat area. Palestine as a whole has a very small amount of territorial land - 6220 square kilometers. The main part of the western plain is covered with small hills and desert, there is no sea communication here. And forest space is only one percent. Accordingly, the border of Palestine with Jordan passes here.

The next part of the country is the Gaza Strip, with a border length of sixty-two kilometers. The area consists of hills and sand dunes, the climate is dry and the summers are very hot. Gaza is almost entirely dependent on the supply of drinking water from the source of Wadi Gaza, from where Israel also feeds on water. It borders the Gaza Strip with Israel and is conditioned in all the vital communications that the Jewish state has established. In the west, Gaza is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and in the south it borders on Egypt.

Inhabitants

Given that the area of ​​Palestine is quite small, then the population in Palestine is only about five million. The exact data for 2017 is 4 million 990 thousand 882 people. If we recall the middle of the twentieth century, then the population growth for half a century amounted to almost 4 million. Compared with 1951, when the country consisted of 900 thousand people. The number of male and female population is almost the same, the birth rate exceeds the death rate, perhaps this is also due to a slight decrease in hostilities in the form of bombing of settlements. Migration is just as popular, with almost ten thousand people fleeing Palestine this year. The average life expectancy for men is only 4 years less than for women and is 72 years and 76 years, respectively.

Since, according to the UN decree, the Eastern part of Jerusalem belongs to Palestine, the population is almost all Israelis, in general, as well as the west of the city. The Gaza Strip is inhabited mainly by Arabs who profess Sunni Islam, but among them there are also a couple of thousand Arabs with a Christian cross around their necks. In general, Gaza is mainly a settlement of refugees who fled from Israeli soil 60 years ago. Today, hereditary refugees live in Gaza.

Approximately four million former residents of Palestine are in refugee status. They settled in the territories of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and other states of the Middle East. The official language of Palestine is Arabic, but Hebrew, English and French are widely spoken.

History of occurrence

The historical name of the state of Palestine comes from Philistia. The population of Palestine at that time was also called the Philistines, which in literal translation from Hebrew means "intruders." The place of settlement of the Philistines was the modern part of the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The second millennium BC was marked by the appearance of Jews in these territories, who called the area Canaan. Palestine is referred to in the Jewish Bible as the Land of the Children of Israel. Since the time of Herodotus, the rest of the Greek philosophers and scientists began to call Palestine Palestine Syria.

In all history textbooks, the state of Palestine traces its age back to the colonization of the area by the Canaanite tribes. In the early period before the coming of Christ, the area was captured by various peoples: the Egyptians, invaders from the coast of Crete, and so on. 930 BC divided the country into two different states - the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah.

The population of Palestine suffered from the aggressive actions of the ancient Persian state of Achaemenides, it was annexed by various states of the Hellenistic period, in 395 it was part of Byzantium. However, the revolt against the Romans brought exile to the Jewish people.

Since 636, Palestine has been under the control of the Arabs, and for six centuries the ball has been rolling from the hands of the Arab conquerors to the hands of the crusaders. Since the 13th century, Palestine has been part of the Egyptian kingdom, and the Mamluks own it before the arrival of the Ottomans.

The beginning of the 16th century falls on the reign of Selim the First, who increases his territories with the help of a sword. For 400 years, the population of Palestine was subject to the Ottoman Empire. Of course, over the years, regular European military expeditions, for example, Napoleon, tried to take over the territory. Meanwhile, the fleeing Jews returned to Jerusalem. Together with Nazareth and Bethlehem, leadership was carried out on behalf of Orthodox and Catholic church leaders. But outside the boundaries of the holy cities among the population, the overwhelming majority still remained Sunni Arabs.

Forced settlement of Palestine by Jews

In the 19th century, Ibrahim Pasha came to the country, he conquered the lands and established his residence in Egypt. During the eight years of his reign, the Egyptians managed to carry out a reform movement according to the models presented to them by Europe. Natural resistance on the part of the Muslim people was not long in coming, but they suppressed it with bloody military force. Despite this, during the period of Egyptian occupation in the territories of Palestine, grandiose excavations and research were carried out. Scholars have tried to find evidence for biblical writings. Toward the middle of the 19th century, a British consulate was organized in Jerusalem.

At the end of the 19th century, the Jewish people poured into Palestine at breakneck speed, mostly followers of Zionism. A new stage in the history of the State of Palestine began. At the beginning of the last century, the Arab population was 450,000, and the Jewish population was 50,000.

After the First World War, London establishes its mandate over the territories of Palestine and modern Jordan. The British authorities undertook to create a large national Jewish diaspora in Palestine. In this regard, in the 1920s, the Transjordan state was formed, where Jews from Eastern Europe began to move, and their number grew to 90,000. In order for everyone to find something to do, they specially drained the swamps of the Israel Valley and prepared the land for agricultural activities.

After the sad events in Germany and other European countries, when Hitler came to power, some of the Jews managed to leave for Jerusalem, but the rest were subjected to cruel repressions, the consequences of which the whole world knows and mourns. After the end of World War II, Jews made up thirty percent of the total population of Palestine.

The creation of Israel was a blow to the Palestinian territories and the state as a whole. The United Nations, by its right, decided to allocate a certain piece of the Palestinian kingdom for the Jews and give it to them to create a separate Jewish state. From this moment, serious military conflicts begin between the Arab and Jewish people, each fighting for their ancestral lands, for their truth. At the moment, the situation has not yet been resolved and the confrontation between the army of Palestine continues.

By the way, the Soviet Union also had its part in the Arab lands, which were called Russian Palestine and were acquired during the time of the Russian Empire. On the lands there were special real estate objects that were intended for Russian pilgrims and Orthodox people from other countries. True, later in the 60s these lands were resold to Israel.

The Palestinian Liberation Army protects the President and the Palestinian lands. In fact, this is a separate military organization that had its head office in Syria and is supported by Syrian Islamists, therefore, according to some Russian and Israeli sources, the AOP is a terrorist group. She took part in almost all hostilities against Palestine and her leaders condemn all military activities against Syria and the Syrian people by Western countries.

country culture

The culture of Palestine in its modern form is the works and works of local art. Palestine is gradually developing cinema, taking into account world examples, the dynamics can be traced at a good level.

In general, the art of Palestine is closely connected with the Jewish, because these two peoples have lived side by side for hundreds of years. Despite the political strife, literature and painting are based on the traditional culture of the Jews, and there is practically nothing left of the Arab past. More than seventy percent of the population are Sunni Muslims, that is, Islam is the traditional religion of the state, which is adjacent to a minority of Christians and Jews.

The same goes for customs and traditions. There is practically nothing from the Arabs in Palestine: for many centuries, the Palestinians have absorbed Jewish traditions both in the song style and in the dance steps. The design of houses and interior decoration is also almost identical to Jewish.

The current state of Palestine

To date, the largest cities in Palestine can be called Jerusalem (considering its Eastern part, given by UN decree to Palestine), Ramallah (the capital city), Jenin and Nablus. By the way, the only airport was in the area of ​​the temporary capital, but in 2001 it was closed.

Modern Palestine outwardly looks depressing, moving over the famous wall, which is a military fence between the two countries, you find yourself in a world of complete devastation and "dead" silence. Houses half-destroyed from the bombings border on newly rebuilt ones. Many Palestinians, left without a roof over their heads, live the life of refugees and equip stone caves for rooms. They build masonry in the form of walls to enclose the family territory. Despite the advancement of development in various areas, poverty prevails over the number of jobs. Driving a little deeper across the country, we find ourselves in the last century, where there is no electricity or it is supplied at certain hours. Many burn bonfires for warmth right on the floor of the former entrances of now destroyed houses. Some never left the dilapidated dwelling, they continue to make internal frames for durability, because there is simply no opportunity for major repairs - financial security does not allow spending so much money on expensive restoration.

On the border of the two warring states, a thorough check of documents is underway. If the bus is tourist, then the police may not drive everyone out into the street, but simply walk around the cabin and check their passports. The thing is that Israelis are prohibited from entering the territory of Palestine, in particular, to zone A. Everywhere on the roads there are indications of zones, and warning signs that it is dangerous for an Israeli to be in this place for health. But who will go there? But many Palestinians, on the contrary, have Israeli certificates and, accordingly, dual citizenship (if we take Palestine for a separate separate state).

The local currency is the Israeli shekel. Which is convenient for tourists who suddenly find themselves from the western part of Jerusalem to the eastern one. The central parts of the temporary capital and large cities look more modern and even have their own nightlife. According to the stories of tourists, people here are hospitable and always eager to help, but not without scam taxi drivers and street guides. Despite the close connection with Israeli culture, Muslim shrines are very revered by the local Arab residents, so you need to dress accordingly for a trip to Palestine.

In recent years, the construction of Israeli settlements in the west of the Jordan River and in East Jerusalem has become another problem between Palestinians and Israelis. Officially, such settlements are prohibited and illegal. Some Arab families have lost their private lands, which, however, they promise to return in monetary terms.

But there are also Jewish houses for demolition on the western bank of the Jordan River, the resettlement of such people has been delayed for ten years, the reason for this is the unwillingness of the Jews themselves to leave their territories. They build barricades and organize rallies. The Palestinians, on the other hand, are fierce opponents of any presence of a Jewish commune on the lands of their state. Thus, the conflict drags on for even longer years, because Israel categorically refuses to listen to the instructions of the UN, and the idea of ​​​​creating two separate states is gradually becoming utopian.

Jordan River

There are only three rivers in the Palestinian state: Jordan, Kishon, Lachish. Of course, the Jordan River is the most interesting. And not by their attitude towards Palestine or Israel, but from a spiritual point of view. It was here that Christ was baptized, after which he was proclaimed a prophet Jesus, and it is here that pilgrims come to bathe, and many come to accept the faith of Christianity. In ancient times, pilgrims took with them clothes completely soaked in the waters of the Jordan, and shipbuilders scooped up sacred waters in buckets for storage on the ship. It was believed that such rituals bring good luck and happiness.