The political status of Palestine has been violently disputed for half a century and shows no signs of swift resolution.
The territory known from ancient times as "Palestine" is currently divided into several parts, each of which is subject to various claims.
Lands east of the Jordan River
The eastern portion of the British Mandate of Palestine became today's Jordan, and in the view of many Jordan should no longer be considered part of Palestine per se. Those holding this view generally prefer not to mention Jordan in the context of discussions about "Palestinian territories".
- Note that Wikipedia neither endorses nor condemns this view (see NPOV policy).
If Jordan is considered part of Palestine, it's perhaps the least contentious part, and it enjoys wide recognition as a sovereign country.
Lands west of the Jordan River
Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip are the largest areas in dispute here, although Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are also disputed.
This article will take them up in alphabetical order, so as to avoid giving the impression that any area is more important.
Gaza Strip
See Occupation of the Gaza Strip
Golan Heights
See Occupation of the Golan Heights
Israel
Some countries recognize Israel. A few have peace treaties with it. It has a seat in the General Assembly of the UN.
Many countries, chiefly Islamic ones, did not recognize Israel at first, and many still do not. Some countries and nationalist movements want to destroy Israel, i.e., take over all the land it controls and annex it to an existing country or found a new country (see views of Palestinian statehood).
Jerusalem
Considered a holy city by Christians, Jews (holiest), Muslims (third holiest), and subject to many invasions, takeovers, plots, etc. (see History of Jerusalem
West Bank
See Occupation of the West Bank
This text was cut and pasted from occupation of Palestine. It needs integration into this article:
The word "Palestinian" as used below is ambiguous, so some sentences need clarification.
Most of the world community, the International Court of Justice, numerous U.N. resolutions and even the Israeli Supreme Court and Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon agree that at least parts the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are being "occupied" by Israel (see definitions of occupation ).
Some advocates (please name them) argue that all of pre-partition Palestine is illegally occupied. They argue this on the basis that certain groups of people (who also need to be named) never agreed to the partition), including all of Israel within the 1949 Armistice lines; however, most world bodies (including the U.N. and International Court of Justice), most world nations (including many Arab nations), and even the Palestinian Authority state that Israel has a right to exist within the 1949 Armistice lines. On the other hand some Israelis argue that all of British Mandate of Palestine (including the West Bank and Gaza Strip) is part of Israel for various reasons including, it was promised them in the Balfour Declaration, that Arabs lost these areas in a wars of aggression against Israel, that it was promised them by God in the Bible.
Currently, the West Bank and Gaza Strip remain nominally under control of the Palestinian Authority (per the Oslo Agreements). In practice, however, the constant unrest in these two areas means that actual control of these areas is held by (and frequently passed between) the Palestinian Authority, Israeli troops, and various Palestinian militias and quasi-governmental organizations.
Israel's current building of the Israeli West Bank barrier, which generally follows close to the 1949 Armistice lines, but which at some points cuts deeply into the West Bank, are a major current source of tension. In non-binding resolutions, the International Court of Justice and the U.N. General Assembly have ruled it illegal because it expropriates Palestinian lands and causes extreme hardship to Palestinians. Opponents also fear that it is de facto setting new borders for Israel. Israel maintains that the barrier is a security measure to prevent terrorist attacks (and points to its current success in doing so), but also insists that it is a temporary measure, and that final borders can only be decided through negotiation.
Views of the Palestinian occupation
Views of the Palestinian occupation have been hotly debated since the mid-twentieth century.
Last updated: 05-06-2005 15:05:13
