Palestine, Region, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, generally regarded as consisting of the southern coastal area between Egypt and Tyre, Lebanon. Today the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are located within this area, and the region is sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The political status and geographic area designated by the term have changed considerably over the course of three millennia. In the 20th and 21st centuries it has been the object of conflicting claims by Jewish and Arab national movements. Settled since early prehistoric times, mainly by Canaanites, it was also the site in biblical times of the kingdoms of Israel, Judah, and Judaea. It was subsequently held by virtually every power of the Middle East, including the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Ottomans. It was governed by Britain after the end of World War I (1914–18)—from 1922, under a League of Nations mandate—until 1948, when the State of Israel was proclaimed. Armies from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, and Iraq attacked the next day. They were defeated by the Israeli army.