Palestinian Territory OVERVIEW
Nothing really is easy about Palestine, from a universally recognized name, through geography, to political status. In a nutshell, Ancient Palestine covered contemporary Israel as well as part of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, and if we skip a huge bit of history defined by over a millennium-long Islamic dominance, we end up right after the First World War, when the British rule was formally approved and lasted until 1947. Having notified the U.N. of their intent to terminate the mandate, the British Government kept their hands clean from any responsibility for the future fate of the country, which was followed with attempts by the U.N. to partition the territory into separate Jewish and Arab states, certainly all in vain. A bomb of atrocities went off.
Captured and occupied first by Jordan, then Egypt, and finally Israel, today's Palestine is a phantom country limited to apportioned noncontiguous territories - the Gaza Strip and the West Bank - and feeding on hopes for officially approved autonomy. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords between the Israeli Government and the Palestine Liberation Organization, partial control over the two territories was granted to the Palestinian National Authority, but sadly, neither U.N. nor Israel accept the existence of Palestine as an independent country. Armed conflicts continue to kill dozens and poverty has dramatically worsened since 2000 as access to jobs and medical care is hampered by a tight network of checkpoints and roadblocks.
Travelers are reassured, on the one hand, that common sense will keep them safe and sound, but on the other, strongly advised against even entering Hamas-held Gaza, which adds to the total mess and the sea of misconceptions, pushing Palestine even further off the road to normality. If you happen to be considering a trip to the West Bank, or even Gaza City, stay tuned to updated government warnings and latest news. Quite another thing is that in the explosions of dramatic newspaper headlines and TV coverage, splendid cultural heritage gets covered with ashes of oblivion. No mention of Bethlehem miracles, walls of Jericho, Nablus handicrafts, Ramallah's artistic scene, or the tomb of Abraham in Hebron. How long still before people are able to enter the Holy Land without fear, justified or not, of being shot or kidnapped?
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