Palestine

Introduction & Top Questions
History of the term
Land
People
History
- The Stone Age and the Copper Age
- The Bronze Age
  - Early Bronze Age
  - Middle Bronze Age
  - Late Bronze Age
- The Iron Age
  - The Israelites in Palestine
  - Assyrian and Babylonian rule
  - The Persian empire
- From Alexander the Great to 70 ce
  - The Ptolemies
  - The Seleucids
  - The Hasmonean priest-princes
  - The Herodian house and the Roman procurators
- Roman Palestine
- From the Arab conquest to 1900
  - The rise of Islam
  - Abbasid rule
  - The Fatimid dynasty
  - The Crusades
  - Ottoman rule
- From 1900 to 1948
  - World War I and after
  - The British mandate
  - The Arab Revolt
  - World War II
  - The early postwar period
  - Civil war in Palestine
- Palestine and the Palestinians (1948–67)
  - The partition of Palestine and its aftermath
  - Diverging histories for Palestinian Arabs
    - Palestinian citizens of Israel
    - West Bank (and Jordanian) Palestinians
    - Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
    - The UNRWA camps
    - Palestinians outside mandated Palestine
  - Resurgence of Palestinian identity
    - The role of camps
    - The role of Palestinians outside formerly mandated Palestine
    - The Palestine Liberation Organization
    - Fatah and other guerrilla organizations
- The Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and its consequences
  - Palestinian citizens of Israel
  - The PLO’s rise as a revolutionary force
  - The PLO’s struggle for Palestinian autonomy
    - Palestinians and the PLO in Jordan
    - Palestinians and the PLO in Lebanon
    - International recognition
    - Palestinians and the civil war in Lebanon
    - The PLO in the occupied territories
- Negotiations, violence, and incipient self-rule
  - The Camp David Accords and the PLO
  - The dispersal of the PLO from Lebanon
  - Years of mounting violence
  - The first intifada
    - Tactics and tolls
    - PLO declaration of independence
  - The move toward self-rule
    - The Oslo Accords
    - The birth of the Palestinian Authority
  - The second intifada
  - Split administration of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
    - Blockade and 2008 conflict in the Gaza Strip
    - The Palestinian Authority’s bid for statehood recognition
    - 2014 Gaza conflict
    - Political and financial uncertainty

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Panoramic view of a small valley with a stream, olive trees, and terraced hillsides in the countryside near Ramallah, Palestine, under a sky with scattered clouds.

View over the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, showing a patchwork of green and brown agricultural fields with several blue irrigation ponds, bordered by low hills.

Map showing the extent of the Ancient Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom period of Thutmose III, highlighted in orange, covering Egypt, the Nile River valley, Sinai, and stretching northeast through Palestine, Phoenicia, and Syria. The map also marks the Fertile Crescent and neighboring regions such as Assyria and Babylonia in pink, with key cities and geographic features labeled.

Map titled Palestine and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the time of David and Solomon, with orange land, yellow Philistia and Phoenicia, red borders, and blue seas.

Ancient Egyptian relief showing Philistines in feathered headdresses with arms raised, being led away by Egyptians at Ramses III's mortuary temple, Medinet Habu, Thebes.

Why Was Cyrus the Great So “Great”?

Map of Palestine during the Maccabean period, showing territorial expansions of the Jewish state under different rulers. The map uses color shading to indicate the original state under Judas and subsequent additions under Jonathan, Simon, John Hyrcanus, Aristobulus I, and Alexander Jannaeus, with major ancient cities and geographic features such as the Mediterranean Sea, Lake Tiberias, and the Dead Sea labeled.

Map of the Roman client kingdoms in the Levant during the time of Herod the Great and his sons, showing territorial divisions among Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip with different colors. The map outlines Herod's kingdom boundaries, borders fixed by Augustus in 4 BCE, and other regional boundaries, with key cities, the Mediterranean Sea, Dead Sea, and Lake Tiberias labeled.

Siege of Jerusalem (70 ce)

Aerial view of Temple Mount in Jerusalem featuring the Dome of the Rock with its golden dome, the Western Wall, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque with its dark dome.

At a Glance

Panoramic view of a small valley with a stream, olive trees, and terraced hillsides in the countryside near Ramallah, Palestine, under a sky with scattered clouds.

Palestine summary

Palestine: Media

region, Asia

Videos

Why Was Cyrus the Great So “Great”?

Why Was Cyrus the Great So “Great”?

Questions and answers about Cyrus the Great.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Panoramic view of a small valley with a stream, olive trees, and terraced hillsides in the countryside near Ramallah, Palestine, under a sky with scattered clouds.

Hill with olive groves

View from a small valley with a stream between large hills of olive groves.

© Yacoub Rabah/Shutterstock.com

View over the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, showing a patchwork of green and brown agricultural fields with several blue irrigation ponds, bordered by low hills.

Jezreel Valley

A view of the Jezreel Valley (Marj Ibn ʿĀmir), northern Israel.

© Kushnirov Avraham/stock.adobe.com

Map showing the extent of the Ancient Egyptian Empire during the New Kingdom period of Thutmose III, highlighted in orange, covering Egypt, the Nile River valley, Sinai, and stretching northeast through Palestine, Phoenicia, and Syria. The map also marks the Fertile Crescent and neighboring regions such as Assyria and Babylonia in pink, with key cities and geographic features labeled.

Ancient Egyptian empire under Thutmose III (reigned 1479–25 bce)

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map titled Palestine and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the time of David and Solomon, with orange land, yellow Philistia and Phoenicia, red borders, and blue seas.

Palestine and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the time of David and Solomon

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ancient Egyptian relief showing Philistines in feathered headdresses with arms raised, being led away by Egyptians at Ramses III's mortuary temple, Medinet Habu, Thebes.

Philistine captives

Philistine captives being led away after their failed invasion of Egypt, from a relief...

Werner Forman Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Map of Palestine during the Maccabean period, showing territorial expansions of the Jewish state under different rulers. The map uses color shading to indicate the original state under Judas and subsequent additions under Jonathan, Simon, John Hyrcanus, Aristobulus I, and Alexander Jannaeus, with major ancient cities and geographic features such as the Mediterranean Sea, Lake Tiberias, and the Dead Sea labeled.

Judaea under the Hasmonean dynasty

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of the Roman client kingdoms in the Levant during the time of Herod the Great and his sons, showing territorial divisions among Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip with different colors. The map outlines Herod's kingdom boundaries, borders fixed by Augustus in 4 BCE, and other regional boundaries, with key cities, the Mediterranean Sea, Dead Sea, and Lake Tiberias labeled.

Roman client kingdoms during the time of Herod the Great and his sons

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Siege of Jerusalem (70 ce)

Siege of Jerusalem (70 ce)

Triumphal parade in Rome of Jewish religious articles (a seven-branched candlestick,...

Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Aerial view of Temple Mount in Jerusalem featuring the Dome of the Rock with its golden dome, the Western Wall, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque with its dark dome.

Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock

Aerial view of the Old City of Jerusalem featuring the golden-topped Dome of the...

© ImageBank4U/stock.adobe.com

A group of visitors walks among the stone ruins and standing columns of Khirbat al-Mafjar, or Hisham's Palace, with desert hills in the background.

Jericho: Hishām's Palace

Visitors touring the Umayyad palace complex Khirbat al-Mafjar, also called Hishām's...

© Isak Wiklund/Dreamstime.com

Painting by Emile Signol depicting Godfrey of Bouillon giving thanks after the Crusaders capture Jerusalem, with Peter the Hermit and a crowd of knights, soldiers, and citizens amid chaos.

Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15 July 1099

Godfrey of Bouillon (center), a leader of the First Crusade, depicted in Taking...

© Leemage—Corbis/Getty Images

Map of the eastern Mediterranean region during the 12th century, highlighting the crusader states: Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Tripoli, Principality of Antioch, and County of Edessa, along with the Kingdom of Armenia (Little Armenia) and the island of Cyprus. Neighboring regions such as the Fatimid Caliphate, Emirate of Damascus, Dominion of the Atabegs, and Sultanate of Rum are also labeled. Key cities, rivers, and bodies of water like the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee, and Dead Sea are

Crusader states of the 12th century

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Illustrated manuscript page showing two men in robes and turbans operating military equipment, surrounded by Arabic script, from the 1474 Mamluk Manual of Horsemanship.

Page from a Mamluk manuscript, Manual of Horsemanship

Illustrated page from a Mamluk manuscript titled Manual of Horsemanship,...

© Pictures From History—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

A group of Jewish immigrants, men and women, use hoes to clear rocky land in rural Palestine, with a tree and a small building in the background, early 20th century.

Zionist movement in the early 20th century

Jewish immigrants to Palestine in the early 20th century working newly acquired land...

© George Rinhart—Corbis Historical/Getty Images

Map illustrating the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 1916, showing the division of the Middle East into zones of British, French, and Russian control or influence after World War I. Areas are color-coded: British rule in pink, French rule in blue, Russian rule in orange, and regions under various protections or joint control in lighter shades. Modern countries shown include Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, and surrounding regions.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map showing the British Mandate of Palestine, with the area under direct British administration until 1948 shaded in purple, covering present-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. The area labeled as the Transjordan emirate, east of the Jordan River, is marked with yellow and purple stripes, including cities such as Amman and Ma'an. Surrounding countries-Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt-are labeled, and major cities like Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, and Nablus are indicated within the mandate.

British mandate of Palestine

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, wearing traditional religious attire and a white turban, stands in front of an arched building, photographed circa 1937.

Amin al-Husseini

Arab nationalist and grand mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, c. 1937.

G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-matpc-15737)

David Ben-Gurion in British Army uniform sits with legs crossed beside a small table, looking at the camera, in a black-and-white World War I era portrait.

David Ben-Gurion

Future Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion as a private in the 39th Battalion...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, with visitors gathered and praying at the base of the large ancient stone wall under a clear sky.

Western Wall

The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

© AbleStock/Getty Images

Robert Peel and Horace Rumbold

Peel Commission members Robert Peel (second from left) and diplomat Horace Rumbold...

G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-matpc-18255)

Map of Palestine showing the Peel Commission's 1937 partition proposal, with areas designated for a Jewish state in green, an Arab state in orange, and a central zone under British rule in red, including Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Major cities, Jewish settlements, and Arab or mixed towns are marked, alongside neighboring countries Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Peel Commission

Partition plan proposed by the Peel Commission report, 1937.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map showing the United Nations partition plan for Palestine adopted in 1947, with areas color-coded to indicate proposed Jewish state, Arab state, and a separate Jerusalem district. The map includes key cities and regions, borders with Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, and Egypt, and highlights the Mediterranean coast.

UN partition plan for Israel and Palestine in 1947

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Large group of Arab men, many wearing keffiyehs, gather around and board a truck with rifles, preparing to leave their village in Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Stone buildings and hills are visible in the background.

Civil war before Israel's independence

Palestinian Arab villagers heading to attack a Jewish village in retaliation for...

© Intercontinental—AFP/Getty Images

Large group of Palestinian refugees, including women and children, gathered outside a building with tents and shelters spread across the landscape in the background during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Palestinian refugees during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Gathering of Palestinians at a refugee camp during the first Arab-Israeli war (1948–49).

Universal History Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Map of the Gaza Strip showing its boundaries with Egypt and Israel, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and major cities including Gaza, Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. An inset locator map highlights Gaza Strip's position on the eastern Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Israel.

Gaza Strip

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

People, including children, push a cart loaded with food aid bags past stacked sacks outside a United Nations distribution center in the Rafah refugee camp, Gaza Strip.

UNRWA food distribution in the Gaza Strip

Palestinians receiving food at a distribution center of the United Nations Relief...

© Anas-Mohammed/Shutterstock.com

Yasser Arafat, wearing sunglasses and a keffiyeh, sits beside Kamal Nasser at a press conference in front of microphones, with a Palestinian flag behind them.

The PLO in the 1970s

(From left) Kamal Nasser, the spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization...

© Fred Ihrt—LightRocket/Getty Images

Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles enter a city street in Gaza during the Six-Day War, June 6, 1967, with street signs and buildings visible in the background.

Six-Day War in Gaza

Israeli armored troop unit entering Gaza during the Six-Day War, June 6, 1967.

© The State of Israel Government Press Office

Palestinian youths throw stones toward two Israeli soldiers in the foreground during a street protest in Beit Omar, West Bank, with a crowd gathered in the background.

Intifada in the West Bank

Palestinian demonstrators throwing stones at Israeli soldiers during a protest in...

© Patrick Robert/Sygma—Corbis/Getty Images

Oslo Accords

Oslo Accords

U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton looking on as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (left)...

William J. Clinton Presidential Library/NARA

Israeli riot police in uniform move across the Al-Aqsa mosque compound during clashes, with the Dome of the Rock and mosque buildings in the background.

Clash during the Al-Aqsa intifada

Israeli police clashing with Palestinians near the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem...

AWAD AWAD—AFP/Getty Images

Interactives

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

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