State of Palestine

"Palestine" redirects here. For the official governing body, see Palestinian Authority. For the area claimed by the State of Palestine, see Occupied Palestinian territories. For the geographical region, see Palestine (region). For other uses of Palestine, see Palestine (disambiguation).
"Felesteen" redirects here. For the Arabic language newspaper, see Felesteen (newspaper).

State of Palestine
دولة فلسطين (Arabic)
Dawlat Filasṭīn
Anthem: فدائي (Fidāʾī; "Fedayeen")
Occupied Palestinian territories (green)[1]
Territory annexed by Israel (light green)
StatusUN observer state under Israeli occupation[a]
Recognized by 146 UN member states
  • Capital
  • Administrative
    center
Largest cityGaza City (before 2023), currently in flux[2][3]
Official languagesArabic
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arabs
Religion
(2014 est.)
Demonym(s)Palestinian
GovernmentUnitary provisional semi-presidential republic[4][5]
• President
Mahmoud Abbas[c]
Mohammad Mustafa
Aziz Dweik
LegislatureNational Council
Formation
15 November 1988
29 November 2012
• Sovereignty dispute with Israel
Ongoing[d][6][7]
Area
• Total
6,020[8] km2 (2,320 sq mi) (163rd)
• Water (%)
3.5[9]
• West Bank
5,655 km2
• Gaza Strip
365 km2[10]
Population
• 2023 estimate
5,483,450[11] (121st)
• Density
731/km2 (1,893.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $36.391 billion[12] (138th)
• Per capita
Increase $6,642[12] (140th)
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
Increase $18.109 billion[12] (121st)
• Per capita
Increase $3,464[12] (131st)
Gini (2016)Positive decrease 33.7[13]
medium inequality
HDI (2021)Increase 0.715[14]
high (106th)
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2 (Palestine Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (Palestine Summer Time)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+970
ISO 3166 codePS
Internet TLD.ps

Palestine,[i] officially the State of Palestine,[ii][e] is a country in the southern Levant region of West Asia recognized by 146 out of 193 UN member states. It encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the occupied Palestinian territories, within the broader geographic and historical Palestine region. Palestine shares most of its borders with Israel, and it borders Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. It has a total land area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi) while its population exceeds five million people. Its proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, while Ramallah serves as its administrative center. Gaza City was its largest city prior to evacuations in 2023.[2][3]

Situated at a continental crossroad, the region of Palestine was ruled by various empires and experienced various demographic changes from antiquity to the modern era. Being a bridge between Asia and Africa, it was treading ground for the Nile and Mesopotamian armies and merchants from North Africa, China and India. The region is known for its religious significance. The ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict dates back to the rise of the Zionist movement, supported by the United Kingdom during World War I. The war saw Britain occupying Palestine from the Ottoman Empire, where it set up Mandatory Palestine under the auspices of the League of Nations. During this period, large-scale Jewish immigration allowed by the British authorities led to increased tensions and violence with the local Palestinian Arab population. In 1947, Britain handed the issue to the United Nations, which proposed a partition plan, for two independent Arab and Jewish states and an independent entity for Jerusalem, but a civil war broke out, and the plan was not implemented.[19][20][20][21][22][23][24][25]

The 1948 Palestine war saw the forcible displacement of most of its predominantly Arab population, and consequently the establishment of Israel, in what Palestinians call the Nakba. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which had been held by Jordan and Egypt respectively. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared independence in 1988. In 1993, the PLO signed the Oslo peace accords with Israel, creating limited PLO governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel withdrew from Gaza in its unilateral disengagement in 2005, but the territory is still considered to be under military occupation and has been blockaded by Israel. In 2007, internal divisions between political factions led to a takeover of Gaza by Hamas. Since then, the West Bank has been governed in part by the Fatah-led PA, while the Gaza Strip has remained under the control of Hamas. Israel has constructed large settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, where currently more than 670,000 Israeli settlers, which are illegal under international law. [26]

Currently, the biggest challenges to the country include ineffective government, Israeli occupation, Islamist factions, a blockade, restrictions on movement, Israeli settlements and settler violence, as well as an overall poor security situation. The questions of Palestine's borders, the legal and diplomatic status of Jerusalem, and the right of return of Palestinian refugees remain unsolved. Despite these challenges, the country maintains an emerging economy and sees frequent tourism. Arabic is the official language of the country. While the majority of Palestinians practice Islam, Christianity also has a presence. Palestine is also a member of several international organizations, including the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It has been a non-member observer state of the United Nations since 2012.[27][28][29][30][excessive citations]

  1. ^ "Ban sends Palestinian application for UN membership to Security Council". United Nations News Centre. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b "ActionAid: Conditions in Rafah at breaking point, with over one million displaced people". wafa agency.
  3. ^ a b Nearly 1 million Palestinians are fleeing Rafah and northern Gaza
  4. ^ "Declaration of Independence (1988) (UN Doc)". State of Palestine Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. United Nations. 18 November 1988. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  5. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 67 Resolution 19. Status of Palestine in the United Nations A/RES/67/19 2012-11-29. "Taking into consideration that the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in accordance with a decision by the Palestine National Council, is entrusted with the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine"
  6. ^ Miskin, Maayana (5 December 2012). "PA Weighs 'State of Palestine' Passport". Arutz Sheva. Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2014. A senior PA official revealed the plans in an interview with Al-Quds newspaper. The change to 'state' status is important because it shows that 'the state of Palestine is occupied,' he said.
  7. ^ "State of Palestine name change shows limitations". Associated Press. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Israel remains in charge of territories the world says should one day make up that state.
  8. ^ "Table 3, Population by sex, annual rate of population increase, surface area and density" (PDF). Demographic Yearbook. United Nations Statistics Division. 2012. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  9. ^ "The World Factbook: Middle East: West Bank". Central Intelligence Agency. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  10. ^ "The World Factbook: Middle East: Gaza Strip". Central Intelligence Agency. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Estimated Population in the Palestine Mid-Year by Governorate, 1997–2026". Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Palestine)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  13. ^ "GINI index coefficient: West Bank & Gaza". The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. ^ Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 15 December 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  15. ^ According to Article 4 of the 1994 Paris Protocol, the State of Palestine has no official currency. The Protocol allows the Palestinian Authority to adopt multiple currencies. In the West Bank, the Israeli new sheqel and Jordanian dinar are widely accepted, while in the Gaza Strip the Israeli new sheqel and Egyptian pound are widely accepted.
  16. ^ Bissio, Robert Remo, ed. (1995). The World: A Third World Guide 1995–96. Montevideo: Instituto del Tercer Mundo. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-85598-291-1.
  17. ^ Baroud, Ramzy (2004). Kogan Page (ed.). Middle East Review (27th ed.). London: Kogan Page. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7494-4066-4.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference GA43177 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Galnoor, Itzhak; Gal-Nûr, Yi???q (5 October 2021). The Partition of Palestine: Decision Crossroads in the Zionist Movement – Itzhak Galnoor, Yi???q Gal-Nûr – Google Books. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-2193-2. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  20. ^ a b "The British Army in Palestine". National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  21. ^ Tahhan, Zena Al (29 October 2017). "More than a century on: The Balfour Declaration explained". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  22. ^ Nation, United. "Resolution 181 (II). Future government of Palestine". Archived from the original on 10 October 2017.
  23. ^ Gil, Moshe (1992). A History of Palestine, 634-1099. Cambridge University Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-521-59984-9. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  24. ^ Web-Arabic, D. P. I. "The Palestine Question: A Brief History". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Palestine". Encyclopedia Britannica. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  26. ^ Gelber, Y. Palestine, 1948. pp. 177–78
  27. ^ "Membership of the State of Palestine in international organizations (as of 25 May 2018)". MOFAE. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Security Council Fails to Recommend Full United Nations Membership for State of Palestine, Owing to Veto Cast by United States | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". United Nations. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  29. ^ "UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights and reviving its UN membership bid". Associated Press News. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  30. ^ Borger, Julian (18 April 2024). "US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.


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