Southern part of Palestine. Map of Palestine and Israel. Government and political system of Palestine

The State of Palestine was proclaimed at an extraordinary session of the Palestinian National Council on November 15, 1988 in Algiers.

The State of Palestine is officially recognized by many countries (more than 100) and is part of the League of Arab States. The first Western European country to recognize this state was Iceland in 2011.
Palestine has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.
The USA, Israel, Spain, Norway, Sweden and other countries do not recognize the State of Palestine and believe that the possibility of its creation should be the result of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Israel exercises actual military control over a significant part of Palestine, even in the territory where power officially belongs to the Palestinian National Authority. Large areas of the West Bank, as well as East Jerusalem, are disputed between Israelis and Palestinians.

Why doesn't Israel recognize the State of Palestine?
Let's consider Israel's position on this issue.
Israel believes that the proclaimed state does not have a defined territory, nor does it have a functioning effective government. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), led by Mahmoud Abbas, controls neither the Gaza Strip, which is under the rule of the radical Hamas movement, nor the West Bank (about 60% of its territory is controlled by Israel).
The Palestinian leadership claims to represent the interests of all Palestinians. But at the same time, it refuses to grant civil rights to Palestinian refugees, including those living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
A necessary condition for acceptance by the UN is the recognition of international laws, respect for human rights, and the desire for peace. Israel believes that Palestine does not meet any of these conditions. In turn, the leaders of the PNA have repeatedly stated that their goal is to create a state “free of Jews,” which causes rejection by the world community.
Russia supports Palestine's intention to become an observer state at the UN.
Thus, a partially recognized state of Palestine in the Middle East is in the process of being created.

State symbols

Flag– comes from the Arab nationalist flag of World War I during the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918. against the Ottoman Empire. It is a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 1:2, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes (from top to bottom): black, white and green, with a red isosceles right triangle at the pole edge.
According to the “Palestinian Mission in Germany”, black is the color of the Abassids, white is the color of the Umayyads, red is the color of the Kharijites, the conquerors of Andalusia and the Hashemites, green is the color of the Fatimids and Islam. All four colors are considered pan-Arabic colors. The flag was approved in 1916.

Coat of arms- is an image of a silver “Saladin eagle” with black wings, tail and upper part of the head, looking to the right and having a pointed shield on its chest, repeating the design of the flag of Palestine in a vertical position. In its paws the eagle holds a cartouche on which the name of the state is written in Arabic. The coat of arms was approved on January 5, 2013.

State structure

Form of government– democratic parliamentary republic.
Head of State- the president.
Head of the government- Prime Minister.

Capital- Ramallah.
The largest city- Gaza.
Official language– Arabic. Hebrew and English are widely spoken.
Territory– 6020 km².

Palestinian Arabs
Population– 4,394,323 people. The bulk of the population are Palestinian Arabs and Jews (17% of residents of the West Bank and 0.6% of residents of Gaza).
Religion– Muslims predominate (75% in the West Bank, 98.7% in Gaza). Jews practice Judaism. 8% of West Bank residents and 0.7% of Gazans are Christian.
Currency– new Israeli shekel.
Political parties and organizations. Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement). Formed in 1987. It wages a Muslim holy war (jihad) against Israel, advocates its destruction and the creation of an Islamic theocratic state throughout Palestine and Jordan, and does not renounce terrorist methods. Hamas officially opposes any peace agreement with Israel. In 2004, the new head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, obtained agreement from the Hamas leadership to a ceasefire with Israel.
In 1964 Ahmed Shukeyri created the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which led the movement for the creation of an independent Arab Palestinian state, carried out armed actions and political speeches. In 1988, the PLO announced recognition of UN resolutions 1948 and 1967 and, as a result, Israel's right to exist.
Islamic Jihad is a military organization of Islamic fundamentalists formed in the late 1970s under the influence of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Seeks to destroy Israel and expel Jews from Palestine. Uses terrorist methods.
There are other organizations and groups (more than 10).
Armed forces- “police forces”, numbering from 40 to 80 thousand recruits. They are armed with a limited number military equipment and automatic weapons. There are also armed formations of individual political groups.
Economy– was based mainly on agriculture, Palestinians worked in Israel. After Israel closed its borders, more than half of the country's working population found themselves unemployed in Palestine.
Agriculture: cultivation of olives, citrus fruits and vegetables, production of meat and other food products is developed.
Industry: Small family businesses that produce cement, clothing, soap, handicrafts and souvenirs (wood carvings and mother-of-pearl). There are small, modern industrial plants in Israeli settlements. Most of the electricity is imported from Israel.
Export: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, building stone, flowers. Import: food, consumer goods and construction materials.

Education– school education lasts 12 years: from 1st to 10th grade – basic school; Grades 11-12 – high school (specialized education). In addition to public schools, there are UNRWA schools, created at the initiative of UNESCO for refugees in Palestine. Education in these schools is provided only in the scope of a basic school; the students then move on to public schools. Separate schools for boys and girls predominate, but there are also mixed schools. There are universities, colleges, institutes and vocational schools in the country.

Nature

The West Bank of Jordan is mostly a rugged plateau. Lowest point - surface Dead Sea(–408 m), the highest is Mount Tal-Asur (1022 m). The Gaza Strip is a flat or hilly coastal plain covered with sands and dunes.
The rivers of Palestine are not navigable. The Jordan River flows from north to south and flows into the salty Dead Sea. It is mentioned many times in the Bible. According to the Old Testament, Joshua led the Jewish people on dry land between the miraculously parted waters of the Jordan, ending the Jews' forty-year wandering in the desert. According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the river. Christians regard the Jordan as a sacred river; Since the Byzantine era, there has been a belief that the water of the Jordan heals diseases.

The Jordan River at the site of the events described
Small rivers and streams dry up during the dry season. There is a shortage of drinking water in the country.
Climate Mediterranean, it depends on the altitude of the area above sea level. Summer is dry, warm or hot, and a hot, drying khamsin wind often blows from the desert. Winter is mild or cool.
Flora: evergreen oak, turpentine tree, olive, pistachio, juniper, laurel, strawberry tree, Jerusalem pine, plane tree, Judas tree, in the mountains - Tabor oak and sycamore (biblical fig tree).

Jerusalem (Aleppo) pine
Fauna Palestine is poor. Large mammals are almost exterminated. There are foxes, porcupines, hedgehogs, hares, wild boars, snakes, turtles and lizards. There are about 400 species of birds, including vultures, pelicans, storks, and owls.

Culture

Contemporary literature of Arab Palestine: the outstanding Palestinian poet, laureate of the international literary prize “Lotus” Mahmoud Derwish (cycle of poems “Songs of my little homeland”, poem “Poems in the glare of a shot”), poets Samih al-Kasem, Muin Bsisu.

Writers and poets of the older generation - Abu Salma, Tawfik Zayyad, Emil Habibi. Works of Palestinian writers have been published in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and European countries, incl. in Russia.

Ismail Shammout
Fine arts are developing, especially painting and graphics. The most famous Palestinian artists: Ismail Shammut (paintings “The Good Land”, “Women from Palestine”), Tamam al-Akhal, Tau-fik Abdulal, Abded Muty Abu Zeida, Samir Salama (paintings “Palestinian Refugee Camp”, “Peace and War” ", "People's Resistance"). Artist Ibrahim Ghanem has been called the “artist of the Palestinian village.” In his paintings, he shows the usual daily work of fellah peasants, their customs and rituals, colorful costumes and dances, and landscapes of Palestinian villages filled with sunlight. The painter subtly conveys this deep feeling of his native land and the customs of its people in the compositions “Dancing in the Village Square”, “Harvest”, “Rural Landscape”. The life and work of peasants and townspeople are equally sincerely and soulfully shown in the paintings of artists Jumarani al-Husseini (“Olive Harvest Season”), Leila al-Shawwa (“Village Women”), Ibrahim Hazim (“Girls”).

I. Shammut “The female face of Palestine”
Young Palestinian filmmakers have created a number of films: “Chronicle of a Disappearance” and “Divine Intervention” (directed by Ilya Seleiman, 2002), “Invasion” (directed by Nizar Hassan), “Chronicle of a Siege” (directed by Samir Abdullah, working in France), etc. .

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Palestine

Holy Nativity scene (Bethlehem)

Holy Cave of the Nativity

The greatest Christian shrine, a cave in the rock where Jesus Christ was born from the Virgin Mary.
In surviving written sources it was first mentioned around 150. An underground temple has been located here since the time of St. Helena. Belongs to the Jerusalem Orthodox Church.
The birthplace of Christ is marked by a silver star set into the floor and once gilded and adorned with precious stones. The star has 14 rays and symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, inside the circle there is an inscription in Latin: “Jesus Christ was born here from the Virgin Mary.” Above this star, in a semicircular niche, hang 16 lamps, of which 6 belong to the Orthodox, 6 to the Armenians and 4 to the Catholics. Behind these lamps, in a semicircle on the wall of a niche, are small Orthodox icons.

The silver star below the throne marks the place where Christ was born.

Basilica of the Nativity

Christian church in Bethlehem, built, according to legend, over the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Along with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, it is one of the two main Christian churches in the Holy Land.
One of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The first temple over the Cave of the Nativity was built in the 330s at the direction of Emperor Constantine the Great.

Since then, services here have been virtually uninterrupted. Modern basilica VI-VII centuries. - This is the only Christian temple in Palestine that has survived intact from the pre-Muslim period.

Other attractions of Palestine

There are many places in Palestine associated with Christianity.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The temple stands on the spot where, according to Holy Scripture, Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and then resurrected. The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire is held annually in the temple. The main rights of ownership and use of the shrines of the Temple belong to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the complex of administrative buildings of which is directly adjacent to the southwestern side of the Temple.
In addition to the Holy Sepulcher, the composition temple complex included the supposed site of Golgotha ​​and the place where the Life-Giving Cross was found.

Jericho

Modern Jericho
A city in Palestine, in the West Bank. It is the capital of the province of Jericho. Located in the north of the Judean Desert, approximately 7 km west of the Jordan River.
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is mentioned many times in the Bible.
To the west of Jericho rises the Forty Days Mountain (Mount of Temptation, Mount Quarantal), where Jesus Christ fasted for forty days, tempted by the devil. Now the Orthodox Monastery of Temptation is located on this site.

Monastery of Temptation

In Jericho, according to local legend, the tree of Zacchaeus has been preserved. The fig tree mentioned in the Gospel is located on land owned by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.

The ancient city of Hebron and its surroundings

Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the world, located in the historical region of Judea, and is revered in Judaism as the second holiest city after Jerusalem. The most famous historical site in Hebron is the Cave of the Patriarchs (Cave of Machpelah), which is a holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Literally translated from Hebrew, the name sounds like “Double Cave.” According to the Bible, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as their wives Sarah, Rebekah and Leah, are buried in the crypt. According to Jewish tradition, the bodies of Adam and Eve are also buried here.
In Judaism, the cave is revered as the second holiest place (after the Temple Mount), and is also revered by Christians and Muslims.

Mount Gerizim

Together with Mount Ebal, Gerizim was appointed by Moses for the annual reading of the Law at the national assembly, and here the six tribes of Israel: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Benjamin were to pronounce a blessing on the performers of the Law. Here, by order of Moses, the Israelites built an altar of solid stones, on which the 10 commandments of the Lord were carved.

Qumran

This is an area in the West Bank. The settlement was destroyed by the Romans in 68 AD. or soon after. The settlement, like the entire area, became known thanks to the cache of scrolls located not far from it in the caves of the steep cliffs and below, in the marl ledges. From its discovery in 1947 until 1956, approximately 900 scrolls were found, mostly written on parchment, but also on papyrus. Extensive excavations were carried out. Vessels, Jewish ritual baths and cemeteries were found.
Some scientists believe that a community of the Jewish sect of the Essenes was located here, others suggest the existence of non-religious communities here.

Qumran Manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls)

Currently, all the Qumran scrolls have been published. They are kept in the Temple of the Book in Jerusalem. But there is an opinion that not all of the Dead Sea Scrolls have fallen into the hands of scientists. Of particular interest is the connection between the Qumran manuscripts and early Christianity: it turned out that the Dead Sea Scrolls, created several decades before the birth of Christ, contain many Christian ideas.

City of Nablus (in antiquity Flavia Neapolis)

Modern Nablus
The city has been known since biblical times. In 400 BC. e. it became a cultural center and holy city for the Samaritans. Captured by the Romans at the beginning of our era and renamed by them in honor of the Emperor Vespasian as Flavius ​​Neapolis, this name was corrupted in Arabic as Nablus. There are ruins in the city ancient temple Hyksos. The Church of St. Anne and the Sidonian Tombs are interesting.
The city is currently home to about 130,000 people, mostly Palestinians. Most believers are Muslims. About 350 Samaritans live in a separate area on Mount Gerizim.

Story

Ancient history

The first people on the territory of Palestine were erectuses (they lived on the banks of the Jordan River back in 750 thousand BC and already knew how to make fire). During the Middle Paleolithic, Neanderthals lived here. About 9 thousand years ago Jericho was built here.

Canaan (Phenicia)

In biblical times it was a country stretching west from the northwestern bend of the Euphrates and from the Jordan to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Currently divided between Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan.
Originated in the 4th millennium BC. The Canaanite period lasts 2 thousand years before the invasion of proto-Jewish tribes. According to the Bible, the Hebrew tribes led by Joshua invaded the territory of Canaan from the east, and their first victim was Jericho. They captured most of the territory of Canaan; the Philistines (Palestinians) were able to overpower them only during the reign of kings David and Solomon.

Roman and Byzantine periods

The Roman period begins in 66 BC. e., when Pompey annexed Palestine, among other territories of the Eastern Mediterranean. Initially, the local Jewish elite welcomed the new rulers, believing that the distant Romans would not interfere in the internal affairs of their country. However, the Romans soon brought to power the more loyal Idumean dynasty, whose most famous representative was King Herod the Great.
In 395, Palestine became a province of Byzantium. By this time, a strong Christian community had formed among the local population, known as the Jerusalem Orthodox Church. Then, in 614, Palestine was annexed to Persia, the churches were destroyed, and the Life-Giving Cross was taken to Iran. After the victory over Persia in 629, Palestine again became a province of Byzantium.

Arab period

It lasted from 634. In the 10th century. control over Palestine passes to the Egyptian Tulunid dynasty, which is replaced by the Seljuk Turks, and from 1098 again by the Egyptian Fatimids.

Crusaders

In 1099, European crusaders stormed Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was established. The kingdom's power also extended to Lebanon and coastal Syria. During this period, numerous castles were built in Palestine in Gaza, Jaffa, Acre, Arsur, Safed and Caesarea). The kingdom fell in 1291.

Ottoman Empire

In 1517, the territory of Palestine was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under the leadership of Sultan Selim I. For 400 years it remained part of the vast Ottoman Empire, covering much of southeastern Europe, all of Asia Minor and the Middle East, Egypt and North Africa.
Christians and Jews, according to Muslim law, had the status of "dhimmi" (enjoyed relative civil and religious freedom, but did not have the right to bear arms, serve in the army or ride horses and were required to pay special taxes. During this period, the Jews of Palestine lived mainly at the expense of charitable proceeds from abroad.
In 1800, the population of Palestine did not exceed 300 thousand. The main places of concentration of the Christian population - in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem - were controlled by the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Jews were mainly concentrated in Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias and Hebron. The rest of the country's population was Muslim, almost all Sunni.

Zionism

There has always been a strong desire among the Jews to return to Zion and Palestine. Since the 12th century. The persecution of Jews by the Christian Church led to their influx into the Holy Land. In 1492, this flow was replenished with Jews expelled from Spain, they founded the Jewish community of Safed.
The first major wave of modern Jewish immigration, known as the First Aliyah, began in 1881.

The founder of political Zionism (a movement that aimed to establish a Jewish state on the land of Israel, raising the Jewish question in the international arena) is considered to be Theodor Herzl, a journalist, writer, and doctor of jurisprudence.

British Mandate

The second aliyah (1904-1914) began after the Kishinev pogrom. About 40 thousand Jews settled in Palestine.
During World War I, the Jewish Legion was formed and assisted British troops in the conquest of Palestine. In November 1917, a document was created declaring that Britain "looks positively at the founding in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."
1919-1923 – Third Aliyah: 40 thousand Jews arrived in Palestine, mainly from of Eastern Europe. The economy began to develop. Arab resistance led in 1920 to the Palestinian riots and the formation of a new Jewish military organization, the Haganah.
In 1922, the League of Nations awarded Great Britain a Mandate for Palestine, explaining the need to “establish in the country political, administrative and economic conditions for the safe formation of a Jewish national home.” At that time, the country was inhabited mainly by Muslim Arabs, but the largest city, Jerusalem, was predominantly Jewish.
In 1924-1929 - Fourth Aliyah. 82 thousand Jews came to Palestine, mainly as a result of a surge in anti-Semitism in Poland and Hungary. The rise of Nazi ideology in the 1930s. in Germany led to the Fifth Aliyah, a quarter of a million Jews fled from Hitler. This influx ended with the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939. and the British publication of the White Paper in 1939, which effectively stopped Jewish immigration to Palestine. Countries around the world refused to accept Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Together with Britain's ban on resettlement in Palestine, this effectively meant death for millions. To circumvent the ban on immigration to Palestine, a secret organization, Mossad Le-Aliyah Bet, was created, which helped Jews illegally reach Palestine and escape death.
At the end of World War II, the Jewish population of Palestine was 33%, up from 11% in 1922.

After the creation of Israel

At the end of 1947, according to a UN decision, British Palestine was divided into Arab and Jewish parts, with special status being granted to the Jerusalem area under UN administration. But the Arabs did not agree with the creation of the State of Israel on the territory that they considered theirs. A protracted Arab-Israeli conflict began.
As a result of the first Arab-Israeli war, the territory of Palestine was divided between Israel, Egypt and Transjordan.

Arab activists almost immediately turned to terrorist attacks against Israel. The Arabs were supported by international organizations and countries of the socialist camp. In 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, most of British Palestine came under Israeli control.
In 1994, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was created, led by Yasser Arafat. The capital of the PNA became the city of Ramallah.

Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton and Yasser Arafat at the signing of the Oslo Accords, September 13, 1993, Washington
In 2005, Israel, as part of its Unilateral Disengagement Plan, evacuated all Jewish settlements and withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip.
The State of Palestine is officially recognized by 134 member states of the UN and is part of the League of Arab States, but does not have the status of a full member of the UN, since it is not recognized by the three permanent member states of the UN Security Council: the USA, Great Britain and France, as well as most countries of the European Union, Japan and some others.

Early history

In the 3rd millennium BC. e. the territory of Palestine (Canaan) was inhabited by Canaanite tribes.

In the 13th century BC e. The country was invaded by the “peoples of the sea” from Crete and other islands of the Mediterranean Sea, who also attacked Egypt and established themselves in the southern part of the Mediterranean coast, in the area of ​​the current Gaza Strip.

From the surrounding Semitic-speaking peoples they received the name plishtim, literally “invaders,” or Philistines.

In the 11th century BC e. Hebrew tribes founded the Kingdom of Israel, which collapsed in 930 BC. e. into two: the Kingdom of Israel (existed until 722 BC) and the Kingdom of Judah (until 586 BC).

Antiquity

Subsequently, Palestine was conquered by the ancient Persian state, then it was part of the Hellenistic states (in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC).

From 63 BC e. Judea was a Roman province and was divided into Judea, Samaria, Galilee and Perea (Transjordan). Since 395 - part of Byzantium.

After the defeat of Bar Kokhba's revolt against the Romans in 132, the Romans expelled a significant number of Jews from the country and renamed the province of Judea "Syria Palestine" to permanently erase the memory of Jewish presence in the area. The main Jewish population during this period moved from Judea to Galilee.

In 395-614. Palestine was a province of Byzantium.

In 614, Palestine was conquered by Persia and became part of.

After the victory over Persia in 629, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius solemnly entered Jerusalem - Palestine again became a province of Byzantium.

Period of Arab rule (638-1099)

Under Ottoman rule (1516-1917)

In 1517, the territory of Palestine was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under the leadership of Sultan Selim I (1512-20).

For 400 years it remained part of the vast Ottoman Empire, covering much of southeastern Europe, all of Asia Minor and the Middle East, Egypt and North Africa.

At the beginning of 1799, Napoleon invaded Palestine. The French managed to capture Gaza, Ramla, Lod and. The stubborn resistance of the Turks stopped the advance of the French army towards the city of Acre, and the English fleet came to the aid of the Turks.

The French general Kleber managed to defeat the Turks at Kafr Kanna and Mount Tabor (April 1799). However, due to the lack of heavy artillery, Napoleon was forced to retreat to Egypt.

In 1800, the population of Palestine did not exceed 300 thousand, 5 thousand of which were Jews (mainly).

The majority of the Jewish population was still concentrated in Jerusalem, and... The Christians, numbering about 25 thousand, were much more dispersed.

The main places of concentration of the Christian population were in Jerusalem, and were controlled by the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The rest of the country's population was Muslim, almost all Sunni.

During the period 1800-31. The country's territory was divided into two provinces (vilayets).

The central-eastern mountainous region, stretching from in the north to Hebron in the south (including Jerusalem), belonged to the Damascus vilayet; Galilee and coastal strip - to the vilayet of Acre.

After a year of hostilities, a truce was declared and temporary borders called "" were defined.

Transjordan annexed what later became known as the West Bank, and Egypt gained control of. The Arab state of Palestine was never created.

930 BC e. the power of David and Solomon split into two kingdoms, and became known as Israel and Judea (Hebrew יְהוּדָה‎, “Juda”). After the conquest of the Kingdom of Israel (722 BC), the name “Judea” gradually spread and took root as the name of the entire territory of the country.

In 586 BC. e., the Jews returned and around 520 BC. e. restored, and then the independence of the country under the rule of the dynasty (Hashmonaim 167 BC - 37 BC). The name “Judea” was preserved even under the rule (37 BC - 4 AD) imposed on the Jews by the Roman conquerors.

In 4 AD, the Romans established their direct rule in the country, proclaiming it a Roman province -.

President of the Middle East Institute Evgeniy Yanovich answers these questions
Satanovsky*
- In fact, Palestine is not only a geographical concept, but also
philological. This is a province of the Roman Empire, named so because
I remember, during the time of Emperor Hadrian, the name of the Philistines*, immigrants from
Greek islands, more than a thousand years before his era, conquered
coast in the area of ​​Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, in order to erase the historical
memory of Israel and Judah. After suppressing the Bar Kokhba revolt, the Romans
tried to clear this territory of rebellious Jews and populate it
Roman colonists. But Jews continued to live in many places (Jerusalem,
Haifa, Safed) actually before the spread of Zionism and mass aliyah
modern times. Many of the descendants of those Jews who never came from there
left, were converted to Christianity or Islam.
The assertion that Palestine has been inhabited by Arabs from time immemorial raises
bewilderment.
In addition to Jewish tribes, people from India settled in Palestine,
> Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt. During the Ottoman Empire, 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
> one thing was formed - the State of Israel.**
> There were no other states on this territory in historical times,
> except for the Jewish states, and on their ruins “by inheritance” there are several
> Crusader states existed for centuries. 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
> the dynasty never existed. And this is one of the roots of why
> a Palestinian state has not emerged 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
> surrender of Israel - depending on the approach. For decades
> it is dealt with by the international community - several thousand diplomats,
> politicians, officials, journalists, UN, international organizations, foundations,
> US Foreign Ministries and State Department. The situation has been driven into an absolute dead end by them. Today
> is crumbling before our eyes, like all the 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 in the world
> states, how many nations there are.
> Despite unprecedented assistance amounting to several tens of billions of dollars,
> invested over 60 years in the construction of the Palestinian state, it is there
> did not arise. The question is which clan: Nashashibi or Husseini, Ashrawi or Al Hindi
> - which of the Palestinian "nobles" will lead Palestine is a mortal question
> fight between clans. The same as in Italy during the times of the Montagues and Capulets.
> It was impossible to understand before Garibaldi who would rule a united Italy, and before
> Bismarck - a united Germany, these "patchwork quilts" of Europe. Yes and
> now it is impossible to understand who will become the main one in the Palestinian political
> stage where the Palestinian capital will be located. In Jerusalem, like that
> requires the "world community", or in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis? Who
> will rule Palestine? Jibril Rajoub, whose ancestral destiny is Jericho?
> Mohammed Dahlan, who retreated to the West Bank after losing power in
> Gaza? Some of the "strong men" 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 settled populations
> with different ethnic backgrounds. Some of them go back to the Jews and
> Samaritans. Others - to the Greco-Roman settlers. Very few real ones
> 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 Arabs - unlike everyone else.
> We know the descendants of Armenians and those who trace their ancestry to the Greeks, Indians,
> Turkmens, Kurds, Gypsies and people from Georgia. We know the descendants of those liberated
> British Sudanese slaves. This “explosive mixture” is characteristic of everything
> The Middle East, built on large families and tribes, has long been
> a thing of the past. This has not yet happened in Palestine. It's not my fault, and it's not
> trouble is a phase historical development.
> Palestinians are the most educated people in the world with almost all average
> education. The percentage of the population with higher education received 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
> Islamic-type institutions build education on secular models.
> CORR.: And this applies to those living in Gaza?
> E.S.: - Of course. There are a sufficient number of free schools with high
> Arab East level of teaching. The money is allocated by the UN. Palestinians
> created a good system of school and university education. Jews are
> they did it for themselves at their own expense, the Palestinians did it at the expense of others. So
> discussions about how they “suffer from the Israeli occupation” are not too
> coincide with reality. Gaza is built up with decent houses, why not
> show its view from the sea. "Blockade and occupation" don't look quite like
> the Palestinians would like it.
> The collapse of the British Empire created Palestinian refugees, bringing them into
> the world around us. If this had not happened, there would be no Palestinians in the world
> didn't know today. They would be one of the peripheral groups of the Arab world.
> There would be Palestine, divided between Syria, Egypt and, perhaps,
> Saudi Arabia. And it is unlikely that the fate of the Palestinians would be happier,
> than the starving Egyptian fellahs. The "Israeli occupation" turned out to be for
> Palestinians are the softest and most liberal they have ever known. She can't
> compare neither with the Egyptian nor with the Jordanian.
> Why have the Palestinians become the strike force of the Islamic world, operating
> against Israel? And this was the only role in which they were seen in Damascus,
> Baghdad, Cairo and Riyadh. Why did they become "the Jews of the Arab world"?
> This is largely due to two factors. Educated Palestinians -
> doctors, teachers, engineers, technicians, university professors - live in
> Arab world as strangers, disloyal to local authorities. They are reminded
> an attempt to overthrow King Hussein in Jordan in 1970, which 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 1990, after which hundreds
> thousands of them were expelled from all countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Palestinian
> the 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: the Sunni religious group in Gaza relies on the Shiite
> state. In search of political cover and sponsors, Hamas managed
> quarrel even with its 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 with an oath on the Koran.
> It is no coincidence that after this the Saudi newspaper Al Ahram, published in London,
> wrote: "In exchange for Iranian money, Hamas betrayed both the Arabs and the Palestinians
> people, and the very idea of ​​a Palestinian state."
> The civil war cost Palestinians thousands of lives. After August
> 2005, under pressure from Ariel Sharon, Gaza remained uncontrolled, from it
> the settlers were evicted and the Israeli division that controlled it left. There
> about 9,000 Palestinians died. Of these, no more than 1500 - during surgery
> "Cast lead" and Israeli anti-terrorist actions. The rest are in
> feud between Hamas and Fatah. When israeli army in January 2009
> took Gaza by storm, only about a thousand Hamas fighters out of about 33-35 thousand
> the people put under arms were “on the front line”. The rest are either
> deserted or holed up at home, hiding their uniforms and weapons, the majority
> it was 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 -
> this is part of some kind of government entity. The Palestinians do not enter either
> to Israel, neither to Jordan, nor to Egypt. All countries that had the misfortune to take
> to take control of Palestine over the last hundred years, they wanted (or want until
> still) get rid of this “suitcase without a handle”. It's extremely difficult to carry
> it’s hard, and it’s almost impossible to quit. "One-sided disengagement" between Sharon and
> was an attempt to throw this "suitcase". It ended sadly.
> Of the 2.5 billion required for the annual recurrent expenditure of the PNA, including
> Gaza Strip, no more than 15% is collected in the form of taxes. Economy of Palestine,
> was 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 became unnecessary to anyone.
> Palestinians have lost about 200,000 jobs in Israel. They were occupied by newcomers
> from Africa, Jordan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Romania, and
> wives and husbands of Israeli Arabs (approximately 150,000 people). Every
> a Palestinian who worked in Israel fed 5-7 people. This is approximately 1.5
> million, including drivers of buses, taxis, bulldozers and others
> construction equipment, with a salary of up to 3-5 thousand dollars per month.
> Let's not forget about the 700-780 million annually sent to the Palestinian Authority.
> tax dollars on the earnings of Palestinians who worked in Israel. IN
> in a similar situation, France would have to transfer taxes from
> earnings of Algerian guest workers, Americans for work in the United States
> Mexican citizens - to 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
> themselves and believing that they do not necessarily need to be invested in infrastructure
> Palestine.
> CORR.: But why did Israel engage in such charity, receiving
> response: suicide bombings and Kassam shelling?
> E.S.: - The Israeli government with its radical left 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. It was even like that
> during the intifada. While the Israeli army was fighting Palestinian militants and
> suicide bombers, to Arafat's personal accounts in a Jerusalem bank
> Hapoalim received hundreds of millions of dollars through Ginossar, once
> a responsible employee of the Israeli intelligence services, and during the years of the "peace process"
> - casino partner in Jericho Jibril Rajoub and intermediary between
> Israeli elite and Palestinian leadership. When the scandal broke,
> Ginossar "died suddenly."
> Politics is made by real people. Unfortunately, in Israel, as has already happened
> it is said that they are not very educated, but have political talent
> combinations. These people know how to take power without really understanding what to do with it,
> and not really deserving of being in power.
> Real politics differs significantly from the romantic ideas associated with
> construction of a Jewish national home. In this regard, the current
> the rulers are very different from Ze'ev 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
> which were worthy of the Jewish state.
> His political opponents perpetuated his memory as an extremist,
> forgetting what a 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 Meretz party is incapable of making such statements.
> Jabotinsky 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 one
> citizen. This simple idea is having a hard time breaking through in Israel today.
> the road through leftist dogma with the help of the current head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 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 dollars. Conference of donor countries in the resort of Sharm
> al-Sheikha promised Gaza aid in the amount of 5.4 billion. In the context of the global economic
> crisis - brilliant business! Looks like Hamas has to ask Israel every year
> bomb Gaza in order to carry out this kind of investment operations. Hundreds
> millions of dollars come there annually from Iran, billions from other countries
> sources.
> Revolution is a profitable business, and the Palestinian leadership is great
> understood at all times. There is no ordinary economy in Palestine,
> because it cannot exist under dictatorship. No dictator
> provided with subsidies from outside, will not allow the emergence of
> enclave of funding sources independent of it. That is why
> Arafat, one of the richest men on the planet, destroyed the Palestinian economy,
> established during the period of Israeli control, built on mediation
> between Israel and Arab countries.
> CORR.: It turns out that the Palestinians don’t need a state at all?
> E.S.: - The state is necessary for certain purposes. It solves issues
> your career, the future of your children, infrastructure problems. No one in the world
> did not receive from the “world community” the amount of money that
> would be enough to build a dozen states.
> The idea of ​​a Palestinian state has so far led to a great “freebie”:
> free supply of food, medicine, free
> education and medical care. But “seven nannies have a child without an eye”:
> international organizations are killing the future of these people. Exactly on
> guaranteed "freebie" is the basis for unprecedented demographic growth in
> Palestine, two to three times higher than its neighbors. How Palestine will be
> to exist in the future is unclear today. It splits into separate
> enclaves, each of which has its own “strong people” and its own administration.
> CORR.: Do you believe that the Palestinians will not be able to build their own
> states?
> E.S.: - I don’t do science fiction. States are not created by the UN, not
> "consponsors" and not American presidents, but by people who want and
> can do this. There are all conditions for Palestine to become
> by the state. All the money in order to create a medium size
> state, and at the European level, issued. If the result is Palestine
> has become nothing more than a breeding ground for radicalism, Islamism, civil war
> and terrorism, which means this is the fate of this territory. If the Palestinians
> could create a state, they would create it. And the existence of Gaza on
> a distance of 20-30 km from the West Bank is not a hindrance.
> We don't know what will happen next. Maybe he will be born in Palestine
> new Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, Nasser, Washington or Ben-Gurion. If there
> a leader will appear who is ready to build a state, making the same sacrifices as
> which the Israelis did, abandoning their claims to the construction of Israel
> "from the Nile to the Euphrates", he will create a Palestinian state. Refusing
> Transjordan, Southern Lebanon, Southern Syria, Sinai, historically included in
> composition of Israel, the Israelis built their state on that part
> territory that could be taken control and held.
> To build Poland, Pilsudski was needed, Finland needed Mannerheim. But not
> all revolutionaries can become heads of state. Fidel Castro could
> from a revolutionary to turn into such a leader. Yasser Arafat did not want and did not
> was able to cross the line separating a statesman from a revolutionary.
> The only thing that made the Palestinians a people was the strict segregation in
> the Arab and Islamic world as a whole, creating from them a striking force against
> Israel. States are not built on such a basis. You are either engaged in a revolution,
> or build your country in peace with its neighbors. The idea of ​​a Palestinian state
> killed by the efforts of the UN and the "world community", internal Palestinian
> infighting, external pressure from the Arab and Islamic worlds.
> CORR.: If Palestine is not a state, then what kind of citizenship do Palestinians have?
> living on the territory of the PNA?
> E.S.: - They do not have their own citizenship. There are civil documents
> administration. Some have Israeli passports, most have
> Jordanian. It doesn't have its own currency. All trade, including Gaza, is carried out in shekels.
> CORR.: Tell us a little about your institute.
> E.S.: - The institute is private, independent, non-state, not part of
> 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: economics, 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 surrounding world.
> 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 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 implement this in practice is up to them to decide. Books,
> published by the institute are supplied to libraries, embassies, academic
> structures with which we cooperate.
> CORR.: Thank you for the informative conversation.*
>
> *M. Nemirovskaya*

The formation of a new state is envisaged on the territory of the West Bank (or part of it, including the territory of East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The declaration of the State of Palestine took place on November 15, 1988 in Algiers at a session of the Palestinian National Council, the highest deliberative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Almost throughout the entire territory of the country, the subtropical climate extends over the entire small territory of the autonomy, although in some places there are areas with a tropical dry and temperate type of climate.

Average temperatures in January are from -6 to +18°C, in July - from +24 to +30°C. Precipitation ranges from 100 to 800 mm per year, mainly in winter (November to March). The greatest amount of precipitation usually falls in December-February.

Summer is long (from April to October), hot and dry. The Dead Sea water temperature ranges from +19°C in February to +31°C in August. The average air temperature in autumn and spring is +27°C, in winter +20°C, and in summer exceeds +35°C.

Story

"A land without a people for a people without a land." Tear the people away from the land of their fathers and grandfathers, deprive them of shelter and scatter them all over the world. And it’s no secret to anyone that this slogan thrown by the Zionists was only a cover for the fulfillment of colonialist plans, the means of implementation of which were intimidation and murder, and the goal of which was to perpetuate domination of the North over the South.

Archaeological excavations carried out at the foot of Mount Kaphara, south of Nazareth, and at the foot of Ramle, not far from Tiberias, indicate that already in 7500 BC. and 3100 BC in Palestine simple forms of social organization took place. The most important event of that period was the founding of the city of Jericho, which historians consider the most ancient city on earth. The remains of the ancient settlement were discovered near the town of Ain Sultan. At the end of the 4th millennium BC. the people of this area were familiar with copper and used it in their crafts. Therefore, historians called this period the copper-stone era.

The first significant migrations to Palestine date back to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. This is the resettlement of the Canaanites, who then began to be called by the area where they settled. After some time, three languages ​​arose: Canaanite, Aramaic (the language of Jesus Christ - may peace be upon him) and Arabic. Palestine continued to be called the land of Canaan until 1200 BC, i.e. before the invasion of the Cretan tribes. In the 3rd millennium BC. Abraham (peace be upon him) moved from the town of Or in Iraq to Palestine. There he gave birth to Ishak, the father of Yaqub, whose name was also Israel, and to which the Israelis classify themselves.

At that time, Palestine was part of the Egyptian Empire. There was active trade between Egypt and Palestine, as evidenced by the Tel Amarin inscriptions discovered in Upper Egypt.

Palestine witnessed several invasions by Cretan tribes who then settled on the coast around Jaffa and Gaza. This area was named Palestine after the Cretan tribe that captured these places and mixed with the Canaanites, the indigenous inhabitants of these places. Over time, Palestine began to be called all the coastal and inland lands on which the Canaanites lived, who prevailed so that the entire population began to consist of Canaanite Arabs.

After the death of Suleiman - the son of Daud (David) in 935 BC. the kingdom fell apart. Judea arose in Jerusalem, and the Kingdom of Israel arose in Samaria. There were constant tensions and wars between the two kingdoms, with each turning to the Egyptian pharaohs or Assyrian kings for help against the other. All this contributed to the weakening of each of the Kingdoms, state power lost control over the masses, constant unrest occurred, as a result of which these Kingdoms lasted no more than thirty years.

In 920 BC. egyptian pharaoh Shishank captured Judea, after which it began to submit to the Egyptian state. In 721 BC. The Assyrians captured the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and imposed tribute on them. The Israeli state tried to rebel, but the rebellion was suppressed, and most of the inhabitants were taken captive to Iraq. In 597 BC. The Chaldean king Nebuchadnezzar undertook a campaign in Palestine and captured Jerusalem, the capital of Judea, and created a new kingdom there, and sent the former king of Judah, his retinue and generals as prisoners to Iraq. In 586, the remaining Jewish population in Judea rebelled against Babylonian rule in Palestine. Then Nebuchadnezzar returned to Palestine again, but this time he destroyed Jerusalem, and Palestine again became Arab Canaanite, subject to Iraq. After this, Arab settlers from Syria and the Arabian Peninsula began to arrive in Palestine.

The attacks of the Assyrians and Chaldeans resulted in the disappearance of the Jewish state in Palestine after it had existed for four centuries from 1000 to 586. BC, becoming a place of constant unrest, wars and strife.

This period is considered one of the most important in the history of Palestine, since the Jews refer to it when justifying their right to return to Palestine, which they called the "promised land" according to the teachings of the Jews who found themselves in Babylon, and who interpreted their religious books under the influence of longing on the land on which they lived, and thereby allowed it to be confused with religious teachings. As for the rest of the Jews, such as the Jews of Samaria, the Jews of Hijaz, Yemen, etc. Falashas, ​​then they knew nothing about these Talmudic legends, in which the personal is mixed with the religious, and the subjective with the objective.

In 539 BC. There was a Persian invasion of Palestine. Before this, the Persians had already captured Babylon. After this, Palestine remained under Persian rule for two centuries. Just at this time, the remnants of the Jewish tribes from those that had survived in Babylon returned to Jerusalem.

The victory of Alexander the Great over the Persians was the most important event of the 4th century BC. In 332 BC. Alexander captured Syria, Gaza and Jerusalem, incorporating them into his empire. After his death, the empire collapsed and Palestine came under the control of Antiochus, who was defeated by the Ptolemies at Gaza in 321 BC. From then until 198 AD. Palestine was under the control of Antiochus III, who settled in Syria.

This period was characterized by constant wars waged by various states that existed on the territory of Palestine, such as the Makabean, Arab and Nabatean states with their capital in Petra. This situation remained until 90 AD, until this territory fell under the rule of Rome.

After the occupation of Palestine by the Romans, it became one of the Roman provinces, then went to Byzantium. In the middle of the 7th century AD. Palestine was conquered by the Muslims and became part of the Arab Caliphate.

During the period of Roman rule, Palestine witnessed the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, who was sent to the children of Israel along with other prophets. However, the Jews slandered him before the Roman governor (this happened in 37) and accused him of unbelief. This was followed by the crucifixion, which is described in varying detail in Muslim and Christian traditions.

The last attempt to create a Jewish state in Palestine was an uprising raised in 135 by a rabbi. This revolt was suppressed by the Roman governor Hadrian, who occupied Judea and destroyed Jerusalem. On this place he built new town, where Jews were prohibited from entering. After this uprising, the Jews no longer tried to cause any unrest in Palestine until the advent of the twentieth century, in the middle of which the Jewish state was created, i.e. more than two thousand years after its destruction in 586 by Nebuchadnezzar.

In 633, the caliph Abu Bakr sent several armies to Syria under the command of Omr Ben As, Yazid Ben Abu Sufyan, Sharkhubail Ben Hassan, and Abu Ubaida Ben Jirah. In 634, Yazid defeated the Romans at Wadi Araba, south of the Dead Sea, and pursued them to Gaza.

In the same year, Omr Ben As won a great victory over the Romans at the Battle of Ajnadin, conquering Fahl, Bisan, Allud and Jaffa. And when Theodore, brother of the Roman Emperor Hercules, became the head of the Roman army, Caliph Abu Bakr ordered his commander Khaled Ben Walid to move with an army from Iraq to Palestine.

After the death of the faithful caliph Abu Bakr, Omar Ben Khattab became the head of the caliphate. He ordered the Muslims in Palestine to continue to fight the Romans until the complete conquest of these territories. He ordered Khaled Ben Walid to unite all Muslim forces into one army. The Battle of Yarmouk, where the Muslim army won a decisive victory, became a turning point in the history of Palestine, since this battle ended the expulsion of the Romans from there.

Patriarch Saphronius put forward the condition that Jerusalem would be handed over personally to Omar Ben Khattab (at that time Jerusalem was called Elijah). Caliph Omar arrived in Palestine and wrote a decree according to which Christians were guaranteed the safety of the churches of the crosses, but at the same time Jews were prohibited from living in the Holy City. Since then, Arab tribes from Syria, Hijaz, Najd, and Yemen began to flock to the territory of Palestine. Soon the majority of the population of Palestine became Muslim, and the dominant language was Arabic.

During the Umayyad period, Palestine was under the rule of Damascus, where Suleiman Ben Abdel Malik then ruled. Among the most significant monuments built during this period are the Qubbat al-Sakhra building (built by Abdel Malik Ben Merwan in the place from which the Prophet ascended to heaven during his miraculous journey) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, completed by Walid Ben Abdel Malik and preserved to this day. Mention should also be made of the White Mosque and famous palace, built by Suleiman Ben Abdel Malik in the city of Ramla.

After the disappearance of the Umaid Caliphate, Palestine came under the control of the Abbasid state. Caliph Mamun and his son Mahdi visited Palestine. The period of Abbasid rule was marked by the intensification of the process of Arabization of Palestine, as there was a mixing of the arriving Arabs and the indigenous inhabitants. In the third century AH, as a result of the weakening of the Abbasid state, most of Palestine, as well as Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, fell under the rule of the Tulunids.

Historians consider the 4th century Hijra to be a century of political unrest. During this period, attacks on the Syrian lands were noted by corsairs who came from the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf and captured Palestine, causing complete destruction there. After this, Palestine was ruled by the Akhshidid, Salijid, and Fatimid dynasties. Therefore, this century is rightfully considered the century of anarchy.

Foreign rule returned to Palestine at the end of the 11th century. At that time, Europe was experiencing enormous political, economic and social problems. Poverty worsened, there was a lack of resources, the population grew, and contradictions between kings and feudal lords, between kings and the Pope intensified. Therefore, a campaign to the East seemed to be a convenient way out of this situation. Moral mobilization began with a sermon by Pope Urban II in 1095, in which he called on the masses to free the Holy Sepulcher from Muslims and cleanse Jerusalem of them.

The first campaigns, which then continued for about two centuries and which became known as the Crusades, were led by Peter the Hermit. He captured Ramla, destroyed Jaffa and besieged Jerusalem with an army of forty thousand. After a month-long siege, the small Egyptian garrison surrendered. In 1099, the Crusaders entered Jerusalem, killing, by most estimates, about seventy thousand of the city's Arab population.

The Crusaders announced the creation of the Latin Kingdom in Jerusalem, and their power extended to Ascalan, Bisan, Nablus, Akka. They also established themselves in Tiberias.

After fierce battles with the crusaders' garrisons, the Muslim commander Nureddin Zanki managed to regain some cities and principalities. His success was consolidated by Saladin Al-Ayyubi. After the famous Battle of Hattain, he recaptured Jerusalem in 1187.

During the reign of the Mamluks, Seifuddin Qataz and Zahir Baybars managed to repel the Mongol invasion with a victory in the battle of Jalut (near Nazareth) in 1259. This battle became one of the most striking victories of the Muslim army.

In 1516, the Ottoman Turks defeated the Mamluks at the Battle of Marj Dabiq, near Aleppo, and entered Palestine, which thereafter fell under Ottoman rule for four centuries.

Napoleon also tried to capture Palestine (after the capture of Egypt). However, he failed under the walls of Akka and was driven back from the city as a result of the courageous resistance of the local garrison, led by Ahmed Pasha.

In 1838, the governor of the Turkish Pasha in Egypt, Muhammad Ali, tried to expand his possessions at the expense of Syrian lands. His son Ibrahim was able to take El-Arish, Gaza, Jaffa, and subsequently Nablus and Jerusalem. However, popular uprisings arose in Nablus and Khalil, the cause of which was Ibrahim Pasha's cruel treatment of the local population and exorbitant taxes. Due to popular unrest, Muhammad Ali's power in Palestine lasted less than ten years, after which Palestine returned to Ottoman rule.

After the British, under the command of General Allenby, defeated Turkey, their troops entered Palestine in 1917. And from this year, Palestine became a British mandated territory until 1948, when the British left Palestine, clearing the way for the Jews to create their own state , called Israel. With the assistance of England and America, the Zionist gangs managed to defeat the Arabs in the 1948 war and announced the creation of the state of Israel after its absence from Palestinian soil, which lasted more than two thousand years.

Britain sent a Royal Commission to Palestine, whose task was to establish the causes of the unrest and propose measures to implement the terms of the mandate. The commission presented a report from which it followed that the reason for the Arab uprising was that the Palestinians wanted independence and rejected the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. The commission recommended ending the mandate over Palestine on the basis of dividing the country and replacing the mandate with a system of agreements, similar to what was done in Iraq and Syria, and also creating two states: one Arab, including eastern part Jordan and the Arab part of Palestine, which was determined by the commission, and the second - the Jewish part of Palestine, which should be determined by the Commission. It was stated that both agreements must contain strict guarantees of the security of minorities in both states. Both agreements were also accompanied by annexes on the creation of land, naval, and air forces, and on the preservation of infrastructure: roads, ports, oil pipelines.

The commission also proposed that a third zone be established outside of both states, which would include Jerusalem and Bethlehem. From this zone a corridor should lead to the sea, ending at Jaffa in the north and also to the cities of Allud and Ramla. This zone was to remain a mandated territory, not subject to the provisions of the Balfour Declaration, and in which English language was to be the only official language. The commission proposed that the Jewish state pay compensation to the Arab state for the loss of land. Naturally, the Arabs rejected the Commission's proposal. As for the Jews, despite the fact that they were offered to create their own state, they also rejected the proposals of the Commission, since they diverged from the provisions of the Balfour Declaration, which promised them all of Palestine.

On September 13, 1937, British Foreign Secretary Eden presented a draft for the division of Palestine to the League of Nations and proposed sending a technical commission there to develop a detailed plan for the division. Due to the refusal of the Arabs and Jews, the implementation of this plan was postponed. The Americans and British then intensified their efforts to persuade the Arabs to agree to this idea, creating a joint British-American commission to implement the project in 1945, also drawing on the plans of Morisson and Bevin from 1946 and 1947.

The third recommendation, which interests us most in this case, recommended the division of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. The boundaries of the Arab state were to extend from the Western Galilee and the Nablus Mountains and the coastal plain extending from Asdod south of Jaffa to the Egyptian border, including the Khalil area, the Jerusalem Mountains and the southern part of Jordan. The area of ​​the Arab state was supposed to be 12 thousand km 2. As for the territory of the Jewish state, it included the Eastern Galilee, Marjbenamir, most of the coast, as well as the areas of Beersheba and the Negev. The area of ​​this state, including the most fertile lands, was supposed to be 14.2 thousand km 2. As for the Holy Places, they were to be placed under international trusteeship, and a special trusteeship committee at the UN was to appoint a non-Arab and non-Jewish administrator.

At a meeting of the UN General Assembly on September 23, 1947, it was decided to submit the project to a special commission, which would include representatives of all member states, as well as representatives from Jews and Palestinians. The Palestinian representative rejected the project after showing the historical roots of the Palestinian problem. In turn, the Jewish representative agreed with the project, demanding that the Western Galilee and the Jerusalem region be included in the Jewish state. On November 29, 1947, the draft partition was put to a vote and approved by a vote of 33 to 13. Ten states abstained from voting. On 15 March 1948, Britain announced the end of its Mandate for Palestine and the evacuation of its troops in August of that year, while confirming that it would cease to carry out all military and administrative functions.

That same year began the disasters of the Palestinian people, the history of which is marked by enormous sacrifices and unparalleled heroism. There is also no doubt that the history of the Palestinian people has not and will not end with this catastrophe.

Sights of Palestine

Jericho is the oldest city in the world, located 260 meters below sea level. The city is famous for its large number of historically valuable monuments. It was in Jericho that most of the ancient buildings were discovered, including the world's oldest staircase and fortifications dating back more than 7,000 years. Two kilometers from Jericho are the ruins of the Hishiam Palace, built by order of the Umayyad Caliph Ibn Abul Melik and previously fulfilling the role of winter palace, consisting of the caliph's chambers, guards barracks, mosque and swimming pools. Looking down, you can see the richly decorated mosaic floor of the palace. In addition, Jericho is an important agricultural area where juicy fruits and healthy vegetables grow year-round.

Hebron is one of the most densely populated ancient cities in the world, located south of Jerusalem at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. The city bears the Arabic name Khalil El-Rahman, which means “Friend of God”. Hebron is truly a holy city, which is visited with pleasure by both Jews and people of the Christian and Muslim religions. The city has a lot of ancient stone buildings, temples and winding narrow streets where you can easily get lost, but these are the features of Hebron that attract thousands of tourists from all over the world. The main shrine of Hebron is El Haaram, shaped like a fortress and built over the Machpelah cave. Inside the building, prayers of Jews and Arabs are constantly performed.

One of the most beautiful coastlines of the Dead Sea is Hof HaKane, which means “reed”. Getting acquainted with the southern coast in more detail, you will notice that it abounds in springs and reed thickets, but some of its territories due to large quantity the waters turned into impassable swamps. The northern part of Hof HaKane, as a result of rapid drainage, turned into a deserted and dry area, where the compressed blocks of the Dead Sea formed bizarre, unusual shapes, striking the imagination. Tourists in Hof HaKane are attracted by walking through the healing mud, however, when performing these procedures, they must be as careful as possible, since the drainage has caused many underground cavities and failures.

The Nabi Moussa Mosque, which means “Prophet Moses,” is one of the main gathering places for pilgrims, famous for its luxurious medieval Islamic architecture. In the 6th century, the monastery of Deir Carantal was built on the site of the cave where Jesus Christ lived. According to the Bible, it was here that Jesus Christ spent forty days without water or food, rejecting the temptations of Satan. From the Mount of Temptation, located 350 m above sea level, the Jordan River Valley opens, and although the route to the monastery is quite difficult, the impressions gained are worth the effort.

Palestine cuisine

Palestinian cuisine is an integral part of the Arab culinary tradition, while having many of its own characteristics. Contrary to popular belief, local cuisine is not as hot and spicy as is commonly believed. But everywhere, mint, a variety of greens and herbs, lemons in all types, onions, pickled olives, pine nuts, etc. are added to food. Among appetizers, all kinds of salads, meat and vegetable stews, baked goods with various fillings, pickles and pickled vegetables are popular. , as well as famous dishes made from finely mashed peas with herbs - “falafel” and “hummus”, “mutabbal” eggplant paste, spicy “thenia” pea paste, as well as various greens.

The basis for meat dishes is chicken, lamb and veal, usually served with rice or potatoes. The most popular are the unique flatbreads with meat and herbs “shawarma”, stewed lamb “mensaf” with sauce made from fermented milk products “laban” and with a side dish of rice, lentils “adas” with chicken and onions in lemon juice, thick meat soup with garlic, rice and lemon juice "mlukhiya", chicken "musakhkhan" fried in olive oil (served with flatbread and onion sauce), vegetables stewed in a special way with meat or poultry "makluba", charcoal-fried meat "shish kabab", cold cuts "mashavi" and etc.

Sweets produced in Palestine and Jordan are considered some of the best in the Arab world. There are cookies sprinkled with sesame seeds, the famous “kanaf” (knafeh) with cheese, “gataef” pies, “kaek bi ayvekh”, a guava dessert “javafa” (“zhauafa”), excellent ice cream, various candied fruits and hundreds of other types of confectionery.

Tea and coffee are traditional drinks. In Palestine, as in Turkey, there are a huge number of tea and coffee shops. Palestinians love to relax after work with a cup of tea, accompanied by a whole platter of sweets. After tea they usually relax and smoke a pipe or hookah. Coffee is often served without any sugar at all, but it is of good quality and cardamom is often added to it. Traditionally, a glass of cold water is offered with coffee (for washing down). Coffee can be black (“qahwa arabiya”) or brown (“wasat”, slightly less roasted coffee beans are used).

Palestine began thousands of years ago. Having such a long history, having survived dozens of wars, it is obvious that the borders of the state changed regularly. The territory where Palestine was located increased or decreased depending on the influence of neighboring states, the invasion of invaders, and the decisions of world political leaders.

What does the name of the state mean?

Originated ancient state in the coastal zone of the Mediterranean Sea. These lands were inhabited by the Philistines starting in the 12th century BC. The name of this people gave the name to Palestine. In Hebrew, this word sounded like “pelishtim”, translated it means “invaders”.

Throughout its history, Palestine was independent for a relatively short period of time. With the arrival of successive invaders, the name of the lands also changed. The territory where Palestine was located was called Canaan, Palestine Syria, the Kingdom of Israel, Judea.

Geographical location of Ancient Palestine

Palestine is located in the southwestern part of Asia. Since ancient times, the state has been bordered on the eastern side by the Arabian Desert. The western border was washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The most northern locality The territory where Palestine was located in ancient times is considered to be the city of Dan. The southernmost point is Bathsheba. The northern border of the state began from the Leontes River, above the city of Tire. Then it went straight until it crossed the Jordan River. To the south it extended to the Dead Sea. The territory where Palestine was located in ancient times covered 240 kilometers from north to south. The total area of ​​the country was 25 thousand square kilometers.

The ancient state was usually divided into several regions. The western part is the Coastal Plain. It is washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The central part from north to south is occupied by Galilee, Samaria and Judea. They are limited to the east by the Jordan Valley. South of Judea is the Negev Desert. The eastern region is called Transjordan or Transjordan Highlands.

On modern map peace, the territory where Ancient Palestine was located today is home to Israel, the Gaza Strip, South Lebanon, North-West Jordan and the Palestinian National Authority.

Holy Crescent

This was the name given to the region of the Middle East, which has fertile soil and climatic conditions, the most comfortable for life. This geographical area also characterized by increased levels of precipitation. It is believed that this is where agriculture and cattle breeding originated in ancient times. Archaeological research has shown that this was a densely populated region, and was the cradle of modern civilization.

In the modern world, this territory is occupied by Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Iraq, North-West Jordan, south-east Turkey and south-west Iran. The southwestern part of the “crescent” was the territory where Palestine was located.

Galilee

This area was the northern part of Ancient Palestine. It was located between the Mediterranean coast and the Jordan Valley. The landscape of Galilee is mountainous, which gives the area its name. In Hebrew, the word for "wave" is pronounced "gal."

The history of Galilee begins in the third millennium BC. These lands were inhabited by many pagan tribes. At different periods of time, Galilee was part of different states. Until 722 BC it was the territory of the Kingdom of Israel, then it became part of the Assyrian state. In 539 BC it was conquered by the Persians, in 333 BC by the Greeks under the leadership of Alexander the Great. Beginning in 63 BC, Galilee became part of the Roman Empire.

This part of Palestine attracted invaders with its fertile plains. Galilee is reserved important place in biblical stories. It was the birthplace of most of the apostles. Nazareth was also located there, where Jesus Christ was born and lived for 30 years; in the cities of Cana and Nain he showed miracles to the world.

Samaria

Below Galilee in central Palestine was Samaria. It was here that a city was built about 3 thousand years ago, which became the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. This city, called Samaria, was considered one of the richest and most protected fortresses in Palestine.

This area is located on the west bank of the Jordan River. There are practically no plains in Samaria; the landscape of this territory is mainly composed of mountains and hills. It is noteworthy that the descendants of the ancient inhabitants of these places still live here. They call themselves Samaritans.

Judea

This area has other names: Eretz Yehuda, Land of Judah, Palestinian Syria. Together with Samaria it forms the West Bank of Jordan. The climate of Judea is quite harsh. The Old Testament mentions that she occupied the lands between Dead and Mediterranean seas. It included: part of the Negev Desert, the Judean Desert, the Judean Mountains, and the Judean Lowland.

During the time of the Kingdom of Israel, it included Jerusalem, Jericho, Shimon, Dan, and Benjamin.

The region received its name from the name of the Jewish tribe, called Judean. When the Jewish kingdom collapsed in the 10th century BC, a territorial split also occurred. Two new states were formed: the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel. Later, these lands were independent only for short periods of time between attacks by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans.

History of Palestine

The end of ancient times and the beginning of our era was marked by the dawn and wars of conquest of the Roman state. Palestine, where large cities were located, culture, agriculture and cattle breeding were significantly developed, became a desirable territory for the empire. The Jewish population was persecuted from Judea, and the majority fled to Galilee.

In the seventh century, Palestine was conquered by the Arabs. The period of Egyptian rule in Palestine is significant. It was then that the Tatar-Mongol attack was successfully repelled, which undoubtedly saved the great shrines of both the Muslim and Christian worlds from destruction. The Egyptians also liberated these lands from the Crusaders.

Since the beginning of the 16th century, Palestine was part of the powerful Ottoman Empire. Christians and Jews were not killed or taken into slavery. However, they suffered significant oppression in religious and civil law. Therefore, the attempts of the Jews to gain freedom did not stop, although they did not bring success.

Jewish Palestine

At the end of the Ottoman Empire, a new political movement, Zionism, became increasingly widespread among Jews. One of the goals of this direction was the return of Jews to the lands where Palestine was located. It is not clear in which country the majority of the Jews were located at that time. Persecuted for centuries, the Jewish people found refuge in the countries of the Middle East and Europe. It is known that in 1936 the World Jewish Congress was formed, which included representatives of communities living in the Diaspora from 32 countries.

In 1922, the world community, concerned about surges of anti-Semitism, handed Britain a Mandate for Palestine to ensure control of Jewish migration. This caused a very negative response among the Arab population.

After World War II, when the population of Palestine was 33% Jewish, the UN decided to divide the territory into two parts.

Arab-Israeli conflict

Significant changes in territorial division began to occur in the second half of the 20th century. The Arabs opposed the creation of the Israeli state, and the Jews, in turn, wanted to conquer as much land as possible. The result was a division into Israel, the Palestinian National Authority, Transjordan and the Gaza Strip.

Where are Palestine and Israel currently located? The borders of these two states are not defined. They are still the subject of conflict between the Jewish and Arab populations of the Palestinian land.