PALESTINE

The official language of Palestine is Modern Standard Arabic - all government documents and official business are conducted in MSA. However, the most common spoken language [i] is Palestinian Arabic, which is an adaptation of Modern Standard Arabic. There are also subtle dialect differences between separate regions of Palestine. English is the second language of Palestine and is also widely spoken, especially in major cities like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Ramallah. English is taught throughout most schooling, and a majority of scientific writing is conducted in English at Palestinian universities. Many Palestinians living throughout the country also speak Hebrew, especially those who work in Israel.

Palestine comprises both booming metropolitan cities and rural farming areas filled with olive and citrus groves. Known for being incredibly hospitable and warm, [ii] Palestinians often enjoy sharing meals with families, guests, and neighbors. In 1948, the formation of the State of Israel and the subsequent dispossession and displacement of Palestinian people [iii] simultaneously strengthened and fractured traditional social customs. As Israeli settlements increased, increasing numbers of Palestinians were expelled from their homes and resettled in refugee camps in neighboring countries. The introduction of the diaspora increased the urgency of strengthening family ties while also making it more difficult to maintain place-based customs.[iv]

The most common religion in Palestine is Islam. Around 93% of Palestinians identify as Muslim, [v] most commonly of the Sunni sect. About 6% of Palestinians are Christian, [vi] and a small percentage are Samaritans, [vii] which is an early form of Judaism. Furthermore, Palestine is home to many sites of religious significance. The region is known as the Holy Land to all three of the Abrahamic religions [viii]. Bethlehem is historically marked as the biblical birthplace of Jesus and is a popular location for Christian pilgrimages and festivities on major holidays. Jerusalem is considered a deeply sacred city to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike.

Palestine’s political system is a parliamentary democracy. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the multi-party representation, is internationally considered the sole representative of Palestine. The Fatah Party, the largest PLO faction, is currently in power. Mahmoud Abbas is the current President and the current Prime Minister is Mohammad Shtayyeh. The current system, known as Palestinian Basic Law [ix], was created after the Oslo Accords [x] in 1993 and ratified by President Yasser Arafat in 2003. Palestinian Basic Law comprises three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. This system was only intended to last a few years while the PLO constructed a permanent solution.

Palestine’s economy is largely subject to Israeli control. [xi] The official currency is the Israeli shekel, followed by the Jordanian dinar. Pre-1948, Palestine had a thriving economy with a large agricultural industry. However, Israel continued to reduce Palestinian farmland and natural resources in order to continue settlement expansion. The Paris Protocol [xii] embedded in the Oslo Accords imposed extraordinary limits on Palestine’s economy. It granted Israeli businesses free access to the Palestinian market while simultaneously restricting Palestinian goods ability to be sold in Israel. These sanctions, combined with Israel’s ongoing farmland seizure, has resulted in an unemployment rate of 30.8% in Palestine. [xiii]

France was the first occupying power in Palestine in 1799. After World War I, the British controlled the region with the Palestinian Mandate. [xiv] In 1917, the Balfour Declaration [xv]declared British support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Throughout the 1930s, Zionists immigrated to Palestine and were met with ongoing resistance from Palestinians. In November of 1947, the UN general assembly proposed a partition plan [xvi]that divided Palestine into two states [xvii]. By 1949, the Israeli military had killed over 13,000 Palestinians and displaced over 700,000. [xviii] Palestinian resistance to the ongoing occupation of its land has not ceased, . [xix]

The borders of Palestine have been in flux since 1948. The country is located on the Mediterranean Sea, and shares borders with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. As Israeli expansion increases, the internationally recognized borders of Palestine shrink. There are two regions of Palestine; the West Bank is located near the Jordanian border, while the Gaza Strip is on the southern coast of the region. These regions have very different geographical makeups. [xx] The Gaza Strip comprises sand dunes and coastal fertile land. In contrast, the West Bank is a mountainous region stretched over the Jordan Valley and various mountain chains.