Palestine (
Arabic: فلسطين,
romanized: Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine (دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn), is a country in the
Levant region of
West Asia. It is officially recognized as a state by the
United Nations and numerous countries. Palestine shares borders with
Israel to the west and north,
Jordan to the east and
Egypt to the southwest. The state comprises the
West Bank, including
East Jerusalem, and the
Gaza Strip. The
population of Palestine exceeds five million people, and covers an area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi).
Jerusalem is its
proclaimed capital and the official language is
Arabic. The majority of Palestinians
practice Islam while Christianity also has a
significant presence. Gaza is the largest city, while Jerusalem is the proclaimed capital, with
Ramallah serving as a current temporary administrative center.
The
region of Palestine has played an important part in world history. The
Canaanites,
Israelites,
Assyrians,
Babylonians,
Persians,
Greeks,
Romans and
Byzantines all left their mark on the land. In addition to its historical significance, Palestine holds profound religious importance for
Judaism,
Christianity and
Islam. Throughout history the region has seen periods of coexistence and conflict between different religious and ethnic groups. Notably, during the Middle Ages, when Jewish communities faced
persecution, they found refuge and protection under
Muslim rule and the wider
Islamic world. The
Ottoman Empire, which
controlled Palestine from the 16th century until its
collapse at the end of
World War I, provided a sanctuary for Jews fleeing persecution in Europe. The end of the Ottoman rule marked a new chapter in Palestine's history. Following World War I, the British Empire assumed control of the region under the
League of Nations mandate. The
British Mandate for Palestine, established in 1920, brought significant changes to the political and social landscape of the area, setting the stage for the conflicts and struggles that would follow.
The Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank while Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. Palestine faces various challenges, political violence, including territorial disputes, socio-economic disparities,freedom of movement and the impact of the occupation. Current effort is advancing the
Palestinian cause and achieving a just and lasting resolution to the conflict. Palestine is a member of several
international organizations including the
Arab League and the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and a
non-member observer at the United Nations. It is one of the most educated countries in the Arab world and the Middle East, with massive reserves of oil and gas. (Full article...)
The Second Crusade was the second major
crusade launched from
Europe, called in
1145 in response to the fall of the
County of Edessa the previous year. Edessa was the first of the
Crusader states to have been founded during the
First Crusade, and was the first to fall. The Second Crusade was announced by
Pope Eugenius III, and was the first of the crusades to be led by European kings, namely
Louis VII of France and
Conrad III of Germany. The armies of the two kings marched separately across Europe and were separately defeated by the
Seljuk Turks. Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached
Jerusalem and in
1148 participated in an ill-advised attack on
Damascus. The crusade in the east was a failure for the
crusaders and a great victory for the
Muslims. It would ultimately lead to the
fall of Jerusalem and the
Third Crusade at the end of the
12th century. The only success came on the opposite end of the Mediterranean, where English crusaders, on the way by ship to the
Holy Land, fortuitously stopped and helped capture
Lisbon in
1147.
A
Bedouin woman in
Jerusalem, sometime between 1898 and 1914, dressed in Palestinian costume, the traditional
clothing worn by
Palestinians. Many of the handcrafted garments were richly
embroidered and the creation and maintenance of these items played a significant role in the lives of the region's women. Until the 1940s, traditional Palestinian costumes reflected a woman's economic status, whether married or single, and the town or district of origin, and a knowledgeable observer could glean such information from the
fabric, colors, cut, and embroidery motifs (or lack thereof) in a given woman's apparel.
Our basic aim is to liberate the land from the Mediterranean Seas to the Jordan River. We are not concerned with what took place in June 1967 or in eliminating the consequences of the June war. The Palestinian revolution's basic concern is the uprooting of the Zionist entity from our land and liberating it.
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