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| Israel/Palestine | |
|---|---|
| Name | Israel/Palestine |
| Region | Levant |
| Capital | Jerusalem (contested) |
| Largest city | Jerusalem (contested) |
| Languages | Hebrew; Arabic |
| Population | ~14 million (combined) |
Israel/Palestine is a term used in scholarship and public discourse to denote the geographic, political, and historical nexus centered on the Levantine territory encompassing areas claimed by the State of Israel and by Palestinian national movements including the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. The region has been the site of competing nationalist projects involving Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, with international involvement from the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and major powers such as the United States, the Soviet Union/Russia, and the European Union. Control and administration of territory have shifted through Ottoman rule, British Mandate arrangements, and the outcomes of wars and diplomatic agreements including the 1947 UN Partition Plan and the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The name "Palestine" derives from the classical term used by Herodotus and later by the Roman administration after the Bar Kokhba revolt, while "Israel" originates in biblical sources such as the Hebrew Bible and historical kingdoms attested in Assyrian and Babylonian records. Ottoman-era maps and British Mandate documents used "Palestine" alongside local place names like Jaffa, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Hebron, while 19th- and 20th-century Zionist texts referenced proto-states and institutions including Zionist Congress proceedings and writings by figures like Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann. Cartographic and administrative terminology evolved through references to entities such as the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration, and to later instruments like the UN Partition Plan for Palestine (Resolution 181).
The territory's long history includes ancient polities such as the kingdoms of Israel (United Monarchy) and Judah (Kingdom), Hellenistic cities like Alexandria-linked communities, and imperial rule under Assyrian Empire, Babylonian Empire, Achaemenid Empire, Roman Empire, and Byzantine Empire. In the medieval era the region formed part of the Rashidun Caliphate, Umayyad Caliphate, and Abbasid Caliphate, followed by the Crusader States and later the Mamluk Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman administrative divisions such as the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem persisted until the British defeated the Ottomans in World War I alongside forces like the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) supported by figures including T. E. Lawrence. The interwar British Mandate period saw immigration waves, institutions like Histadrut, and Arab leadership such as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem that culminated in the 1947–1948 transition involving the United Nations and neighboring states like Transjordan/Jordan and Egypt.
Post-1948 political outcomes produced the State of Israel, the All-Palestine Government, and later administrative arrangements including the Palestinian National Authority established by the Oslo Accords between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, with mediation by figures like Bill Clinton and organizations such as the Quartet on the Middle East (United States, European Union, Russia, United Nations). Governance structures include Israeli institutions like the Knesset, the Supreme Court of Israel, and the Prime Minister of Israel, alongside Palestinian institutions such as the Palestinian Legislative Council, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, and political movements Fatah and Hamas. Security organizations referenced in political debates include the Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Security Services, and external actors like the United States Central Command and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Territorial arrangements encompass internationally recognized borders, disputed areas including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israeli-administered areas including the Golan Heights (annexed by Israel in 1981) and settlements in the West Bank such as Ma'ale Adumim and Ariel. Key population centers include Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Gaza City, Beersheba, Nablus, Bethlehem, Safed, and Nazareth. Demographic composition reflects Jewish populations from diverse diasporas—Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi—and Palestinian Arab communities encompassing Muslim, Christian, and Druze minorities, with migration flows influenced by events such as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the 1967 Six-Day War, and labor movements involving countries like Egypt and Jordan. Demographic institutions and surveys include the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.
Major conflicts include the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Suez Crisis (1956), the Six-Day War (1967), the War of Attrition (1967–1970), the Yom Kippur War (1973), the Lebanon War (1982), the First Intifada, and the Second Intifada. Non-state confrontations involve Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and recurrent clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces, including operations such as Operation Cast Lead, Operation Protective Edge, and Operation Guardian of the Walls. Peace efforts and bilateral talks featured the Camp David Accords, the Madrid Conference of 1991, the Oslo Accords, the Wye River Memorandum, and negotiations hosted in venues like Annapolis (2007).
International law debates hinge on instruments and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council resolutions (e.g., Resolutions 242 and 338), the International Court of Justice advisory opinions, and treaties like the Treaty of Lausanne that shaped regional borders. Diplomatic recognition and normalization followed agreements such as the Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty and the Abraham Accords involving states like United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, while non-recognition and recognition policies have involved states including Turkey, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. Humanitarian and legal organizations active in the area include International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, with UN agencies like UNRWA providing services to refugees stemming from events including the Nakba and subsequent population displacements.
The regional economy features high-technology and defense industries concentrated in Tel Aviv and Haifa, agricultural production in the Jordan Valley, and trade routes via ports such as Ashdod and Gaza Port (limited). Economic actors and institutions include the Bank of Israel, the Palestine Monetary Authority, multinational firms such as Intel and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and international donors including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and bilateral aid from the United States Agency for International Development and the European Union External Action Service. Infrastructure systems encompass transport corridors like the Ayalon Highway, energy facilities such as the Ashkelon power plant, water projects linked to the Israel Water Authority and the Red Sea–Dead Sea Conveyance proposals, and contested planning issues regarding settlements, checkpoints, and crossings including Rafah Crossing and Allenby Bridge.