Natural and geographical conditions of Palestine. Climate, flora and fauna of Palestine What natural conditions were in Palestine

Palestine stretches from the southern foothills of Lebanon to the northwestern borders of the Arabian Peninsula. In the east she

borders on the Syrian-Mesopotamian steppe, and in the west it is washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The territory of Palestine is very small and reaches only 26,000 km2. Geographically, Palestine can be divided into four parts: the coast,

the plateau west of the Jordan, the valley of the Jordan, and the plateau east of the Jordan.

The southern part of the coast is irrigated by many rivers and is famous for its fertile soil; the lands of the Saron lowland, which was sometimes called the "Garden of Eden", are especially fertile. Some interior regions of Western Palestine were also famous for their fertility - such as the Jezreel Plain, irrigated by the Kishon River, and the Jericho Plain, through which the Wadi Kelt flows. Even the date palm can grow in these hot and humid areas.

To the west of the northern part of the Jordan Valley is Galilee with its valleys, plains and mountain slopes, well-irrigated mountain streams and springs. This country, favorable for the development of agriculture, was densely populated in antiquity, as evidenced by the numerous ruins of ancient cities.

Some areas east of the Jordan were also very fertile. Such is the country of Bashan, which was famous for its agricultural products. However, not all parts of Palestine were suitable for agriculture. Barren were the mountainous regions in the southern part of Western Palestine, which were called the "Mountains of Ephraim" and "Mountains of Judah." Here begins the dry steppe, the population of which was forced to engage in cattle breeding.

The infertile and poorly irrigated plateaus of Eastern Palestine were also more convenient for the development of cattle breeding than for agriculture. The Jordan Valley was distinguished by special conditions. In some areas, as near the Lake of Gennesaret, for example, it is fertile and favorable for agriculture, but for almost the entire length this narrow strip of land, overgrown with reeds, looked like a jungle inhabited by predatory animals. Therefore, the Jordan Valley was, as it were, a barrier that sharply separated Western Palestine from Eastern Palestine.

The natural wealth of Palestine is negligible. In the eastern part of Palestine, as well as in the south, forests were still preserved in antiquity, but they were more like groves. Tall trees were rare and were considered the abode of the deity. Construction and mast timber had to be brought from neighboring countries.

Palestine did not have its own metal ore. The nearest copper mines were in the mountains of Lebanon and in the country of Edom, southeast of Palestine, and also near the Gulf of Aqab, where ancient copper mines were discovered. The soil of Palestine is rich in clay, a good ceramic raw material that has served since ancient times for the manufacture of bricks and vessels. Various types of stone were used to build city and fortress walls, as well as large buildings.

The climate of Palestine is generally subtropical, Mediterranean, with hot and very dry summers and warm, wet winters. Lots of sunny days. During the rainy season (November - March), a significant amount of precipitation falls, and in the summer (April - October), heat and drought reign. Climatic conditions are extremely diverse depending on the terrain and altitude. On the Mediterranean coast in the Haifa region, the average temperature in August is + 27 °, in January + 12 °. The climate is temperate in the Highlands of Galilee. In winter, snow sometimes falls and there are frosts down to -6 °. This phenomenon is explained by the proximity of the mountains of Lebanon and Hermon. In the basin of the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Jordan, eternal summer reigns. The climate here is tropical.

The climate of Palestine is strongly influenced by three huge deserts: the Sahara, the Sinai and the Syrian-Arabian. The winds blowing from the deserts have a detrimental effect on all living things.

At the time when the people of Israel lived in full world with God, all Palestine was covered with lush forests, wonderful gardens and flowering meadows; the climate was unusually pleasant and mild. It rained regularly, always at the right time, both early and late. It was a land where milk and honey literally flowed, where there was an abundance of honey plants and pastures. But the schism and idolatry of Israel brought misfortune to this land and people (Deut. 28:23-24, etc.)

The flora of Palestine is very rich and includes the flora of almost all climatic zones of the globe (more than 3 thousand plant species). Representatives of the subtropical flora grow especially luxuriantly here: date palm, Alegate pine, Lebanese cedar, tamarisk, cypress, thuja, turpentine and mulberry trees, chestnut, plane tree and sittim (Arabian acacia). Many aromatic shrubs grew here: frankincense, myrrh, incense, myrtle. Horticulture and viticulture are extremely developed in Palestine. Very common fig tree (fig tree, fig), which bears fruit 2-3 times a year; olive tree (olive tree), from the fruits of which olive oil (fir trees) was made; date palm, especially in the area of ​​the city of Jericho, called in the Bible "the city of palm trees" (Deut. 34:3).

Jericho is a city of fragrance, because balsam myrrh bushes were bred there. Of the garden trees that prevail in Palestine are orange, lemon, almond, sweet horn, apple, pear, plum, apricot, peach, grapefruit, and walnut.

In Palestine, wheat, barley, lentils and spelt were known from cereals; from vegetables - cucumbers, onions, garlic, watermelon. At present, many modern crops are cultivated in Palestine, such as rice, corn, potatoes, legumes, sunflowers, sugar beets, tomatoes and others.

The fauna of Palestine is also very rich, as representatives of the temperate, subtropical and tropical fauna met here. From predatory animals there were: lions, bears, leopards, wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals, wild boars, lynxes, etc. (Amos.3.8; 2 Kings.2.24). Many "noble" animals lived in the mountains (deer, chamois, fallow deer, etc.; (Deut. 14:5) Domestic animals were bred: ox, horse, camel, donkey, cow, sheep and goats.

Biblical time reckoning

The Jews considered the beginning of the day to be the setting of the sun (Lev. 23:32).

The division of the day into hours appeared after the Babylonian captivity (Dan 36-4 16.30; 5.5). At the time of Jesus Christ, the Jews divided the natural day from sunrise to sunset by 12 hours (John 11:9). The hour was of different duration depending on the season, i.e. from duration sunny day. Before the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people divided the night into three guards (Ps. 62:7; 89:5); the first lasted from sunset until midnight (Lamentations 2:19); the second, or midnight watch, - until the cock crow (Judges 7:19); the third or morning watch ended with the rising of the sun (Ex. 14:24; 1 Sam. 11:11).

After the conquest of Palestine by the Romans (1st century BC), the night was divided into four watches of 3 hours each (Luke 12:38; Matt. 14:25).

A week of 7 days played an important role for the Israeli people to determine the day of rest (Sabbath) and the feast of weeks (Pentecost) (Gen.29:27-28; 2:2; Exodus 20:11; Deut.26:9-10).

The year consisted of 12 lunar months(for 29 and 30 days), and every three years for the equation with solar year added the thirteenth month. At first, months were designated only by an ordinal number (Gen. 7:11; 8:4-5; Lev. 23:34). Then special names appeared, which changed after the Babylonian captivity.

Jewish calendar

The official name is the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) (Palestine National Authority). It is located in the southwestern part of Asia along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of two separate territories: the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip. Area - 6.2 thousand km2: West Bank - 5.8 thousand km2, Gaza Strip - 360 km2. At the beginning of 2000, the PNA controlled de facto 4.4 thousand km2, which is less than 40% of the total area designated by the UN for the Arab Palestinian State. Population - 3.4 million people. (July 2002). The official language is Arabic.

On November 15, 1988, the Palestinian National Council proclaimed Jerusalem the capital of the Arab Palestinian State. Currently fully controlled by Israel.

Public holidays - Day of the beginning of the "Palestinian revolution" January 1 (1965), Day of the proclamation of the State of Palestine. November 15 (1988), Day of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29. Monetary units: Israeli shekel (equal to 4.7 US dollars, 2002) and Jordanian dinar (equal to 0.7 US dollars since 1996).

Member of the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and several others. It maintains diplomatic relations with 120 countries of the world.

Landmarks of Palestine

Geography of Palestine

The PNA borders: on the West Bank - with Israel (administrative border - 307 km), with Jordan (97 km), in the Gaza Strip - with Egypt (11 km). It is located in the Mediterranean-type subtropical climate zone with dry, hot summers and mild winters, with extremely scarce rainfall: from 500 mm in the mountainous northern and central regions of the West Bank to 50 mm on the Dead Sea coast. Among the few rivers, the largest is the Jordan River, which flows from the Tiberias (Genisaret) Lake in the north and flows into the West Bank in the south. Dead Sea. It does not have any significant natural resources, with the exception of potassium salts, sodium and bromine in the Dead Sea.

Population of Palestine

Out of a total population of 3.4 million people. 2.2 million live in the West Bank and 1.2 million in the Gaza Strip (2002). The population over the past 30 years has increased by an average of 3.5% per year. Age structure of the population: 0-14 years old - 44.1%, 15-64 years old - 52.4%, 65 years and over - 3.5%. Children and adolescents under 15 years of age make up 46% of the total number of PNA. 42.6% of the population are refugees, mainly from the western regions occupied by Israel.

The demographic structure of the PNA is characterized by a high concentration and density of population around urban centers, largely due to the existence of refugee camps here. So, according to the United Nations Agency for Assistance to Palestine Refugees (UNVRA), in the late 1980s. in the West Bank alone, there were 20 such camps with a population of 385,000, including one camp in Jerusalem municipality. The maximum degree of population density and concentration is characteristic of the Gaza Strip. 2/3 of the entire population of this region lived in refugee camps.

In con. 1980s on the West Bank there were 12 cities and, according to various sources, from 377 to 403 villages; in the Gaza Strip - 3 cities and 4 villages. Most big cities: Jerusalem, in the eastern (Arab) part of which 136 thousand Palestinians lived, Ramallah, Jericho (Ariha), Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Qalqiliya, Salfit, Tubas, Tulkarm, North Gaza, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Deir al-Balah, Rafah.

An important feature of the demographic structure of the population of the PNA is their national and religious homogeneity: the vast majority (83%) of the inhabitants of these territories are Arabs, i.e. Palestinians who speak Arabic. According to their religious affiliation, 75% of the population professes Sunni Islam; the rest: Jews - Judaism, Christians - Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

History of Palestine

As a result of the 1st World War, Great Britain seized the territory from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), which in ancient times was called Palestine. She received a mandate for this territory and restored its historical name. At that time, the name "Palestine" extended to all inhabitants - Arabs, Jews and Christians. In 1946, the Transjordanian sector of Palestine was set aside by Great Britain as an independent kingdom. On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 181, which provided for the termination of the British mandate for Palestine and the creation on its territory of two independent states - an Arab and a Jewish one. For Jerusalem, a special international regime was established with a special status under the control of the UN. The resolution was supported by the USA and the USSR, but the League of Arab States made a statement on December 17, 1947 that it would not allow the implementation of this resolution, since it provides for the creation of a Jewish state.

On May 14, 1948, Great Britain announced the termination of its mandate and the withdrawal of its troops. On the night of May 14-15, the Jewish Agency announced the establishment of the State of Israel in the territories allotted to it in the resolution. The USA and the USSR recognized the State of Israel. Arab irregulars from Egypt, Syria and Iraq began to move towards Palestine and occupy military bases liberated by the British, and on May 15 the regular armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria and separate contingents from Saudi Arabia under the banner of the League of Arab States entered the territory of Palestine. The Arab-Israeli war of 1948-49 ended with the defeat of the Arab armies and the capture by Israel of large Palestinian territories, allotted according to a UN resolution for the creation of an Arab state, as well as the western part of Jerusalem. Transjordan occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypt - the Gaza region. For many decades, the problem of Palestinian refugees arose. In 1950, the King of Transjordan annexed the West Bank and renamed the country Jordan.

From Ser. 1960s the initiative in confronting Israel and the struggle for the creation of a Palestinian state began to pass to the Palestinians themselves. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was created, which brought together scattered groups and organizations of fedayeen under its roof. In the same year, the National Council of Palestine (the Palestinian “parliament in exile”) and the Executive Committee (“government in exile”) were formed, which since 1969 have been invariably headed by Yasser Arafat, the head of the Al-Fatah organization, which since 1969 has become the head organization of the PLO.

On June 5, 1967, the "Six-Day War" began between the Arabs and Israel after the Egyptian leadership demanded that the UN withdraw the UN emergency forces in the Sinai, which served as a buffer between the opposing forces there. Israel struck first and on June 5, 1967 destroyed most of the Egyptian aircraft at the airfields. On June 10, the war effectively ended, with Israel's occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Sinai, the Syrian Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem as a result.

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 242, which set out the principles for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. Egypt and Jordan accepted this resolution, putting forward a number of preconditions for peace talks. Israel also accepted Resolution 242, stating the need for direct negotiations with the Arab states and a comprehensive peace agreement. Syria rejected the resolution, speaking sharply against the concessions it demanded from the Arab countries. The PLO also sharply criticized Resolution 242. The solution to the problem has reached an impasse.

During 1970, in Jordan, where the PLO settled, tensions between the royal government and the Palestinians began to intensify. As a result of the clashes, the PLO was withdrawn from the country and its forces regrouped in neighboring Lebanon.

In October 1973 hostilities began again between Egypt and Israel in the area of ​​the Suez Canal and Sinai, as well as between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 338 (1973), which reaffirmed the principles of a peaceful settlement enshrined in Resolution No. 242, and called on the parties to start peace negotiations based on them. The UN call for a ceasefire was later reaffirmed in UN Security Council Resolution 339 (1973). In October, the UN Peacekeeping Emergency Forces were created. Israel and Egypt (1974), and then Israel and Syria (1975) agreed to the disengagement of their armed forces. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established to monitor compliance with the agreements between Israel and Syria. The mandate of UNDOF in the zone of confrontation between Egypt and Israel expired in July 1979 after the conclusion of a peace treaty between these countries. But in the Golan Heights, UNDOF continues to function to this day.

In 1974, the King of Jordan annulled his right to represent the Palestinian people in the international arena and recognized it as such for the Executive Committee of the PLO.

In December 1987, a popular uprising began in the territories occupied by Israel, which put forward the end of the Israeli occupation and the creation of an independent Palestinian state as the main slogans. On November 15, 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization proclaimed the creation of the State of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza, recognized the UN Security Council resolutions to resolve the Middle East conflict, incl. Israel's right to exist, put forward demands for Israel's withdrawal from all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied by it in 1967, including the Arab (eastern) part of Jerusalem, and the elimination of all Israeli settlements created in these territories.

The United States and many other countries have established diplomatic contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization On November 18, 1988, the USSR declared the recognition of the Palestinian state. In January 1990, the PLO representation in the USSR, which had existed since 1981 and had the status of a diplomatic mission, was transformed into the embassy of the State of Palestine.

In October 1991 in Madrid opened international Conference on the Middle East, which marked the beginning of the peace process in the region. On September 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister I. Rabin and PLO Secretary General M. Abbas signed the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Measures, which determined the basis for organizing temporary self-government for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (Oslo 1). In 1994 and 1995, the parties signed additional agreements that determined the conditions for a five-year transitional period and the organization of Palestinian self-government in the Palestinian territories (Oslo 2) - the Palestinian national autonomy. As a result, in 1996 elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council, presidential elections, and a government was formed.

On May 4, 1999, after a five-year transitional period provided for by the Declaration of Principles and additional agreements, an agreement was to be reached between Israel and the PNA on determining the final status of the Palestinian Authority and on the creation of a Palestinian state. However, by this date, the parties failed to agree, the negotiations were interrupted due to disagreements on a number of fundamental issues: the territorial delimitation between Israel and the Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Jewish settlements and the return of Palestinian refugees.

In the current situation, on April 30, 2003, representatives of the international community - the "four international mediators": Russia, the USA, the EU and the UN - put forward a project to overcome the crisis "Road Map". This project envisages a peaceful progress towards a permanent settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in 3 stages in accordance with the principle of coexistence of two states. The ultimate goal of the plan is a final and comprehensive settlement of the conflict by 2005. Stage I: the end of terror and violence, the normalization of living conditions for Palestinians, the formation of Palestinian institutions. Stage II: Establishment of an independent Palestinian state with temporary borders and attributes of sovereignty based on the new Constitution. Phase III: permanent status agreement and the end of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The logical continuation of the consistent efforts of the international community to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was the adoption on November 19, 2003 by the UN Security Council of Resolution No. 1515 proposed by Russia, which expresses support for the Road Map project and calls on the parties to implement its provisions in cooperation with the Quartet.

State structure and political system of Palestine

In terms of its political structure, the PNA is actually a political condominium between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In the existing power structure, the most important powers are external relations, internal and external security, public order and security in places of Israeli settlements - are reserved for Israel. In addition, according to the Memorandum signed by representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli authorities in September 1999 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Israel continues to fully control the so-called. zone C (sparsely populated areas, Jewish settlements, as well as important military-strategic places for Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip), which in total makes up more than 50% of the entire territory of the PNA. The powers of the Palestinian Authority extend to most Palestinian cities (Area A) and rural areas of the West Bank (Area B).

The Palestinian Legislative Council has 88 members. The government consists of 26 people. Its functions include: regulation economic life, ensuring security in the area of ​​responsibility of the PNA, taxation and social security, education, health care, culture, tourism.

The main official in the power structure in the PNA, who determines its domestic and foreign policy, is Y. Arafat. He combines the positions of President of the PNA and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, uniting in his hands all three branches of power of the PNA - legislative, executive and judicial.

The formation of the judicial system on the territory of the PNA, as well as other authorities, is in its infancy. There are secular and religious courts. The highest judicial body - the Supreme Court of the PNA - is authorized to supervise the activities of courts of lower levels. The nomination, appointment and removal of judges is under the jurisdiction of Y. Arafat. The activities of the Sharia courts are formally led by the Mufti of Palestine, although the appointment of members of the Sharia courts is under the control of the Ministry of Justice. Sharia courts deal mainly with questions of the "personal status of Muslims" (marriage, divorce, inheritance law, etc.).

The territory of the PNA is divided into 16 administrative units. West Bank - 9 districts and 2 districts. Districts: Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya, Nablus, Jerusalem, Jericho (Ariha), Bethlehem, Hebron, Tubas. Areas: Salfit and Ramallah al-Bira. Gaza Strip - districts: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Rafah. Mayors of cities and chairmen of local councils are appointed by the central authorities of the PNA, members of local councils are elected by the population. Issues of education, culture, sanitary conditions, health care, and social security are directly under the jurisdiction of local authorities.

The functions of protecting order and security of citizens are carried out by law enforcement organizations, primarily the Palestinian police. Its number, according to various estimates, is 30-45 thousand people. Along with the regular police units, there are various kinds of special services: “Service_17”, also known as the Presidential Guard (about 3 thousand fighters), national security forces carrying out patrol service and border protection (about 6 thousand people), public security service (about 14 thousand people), law enforcement police (POP, 10 thousand people). In addition to maintaining law and order, the task of the PEP includes the settlement of crisis situations and the fight against terrorism. Since the creation of the PNA, a counterintelligence service has also been operating in the Palestinian territories, which controls socio-political life and the state of affairs in various social movements. The entire system of law enforcement agencies and services is coordinated by the Palestine Security Council (PSC), headed by Yasser Arafat.

The PNA has a highly developed public political infrastructure. Although there are no parties here in the usual sense of the word, there are various movements and socio-political organizations that represent separate sections of Palestinian society. The largest and most influential organization is Al-Fatah - the Palestine Liberation Movement. In modern Palestinian society it is a kind of "party of power": its functionaries and leaders occupy a dominant position in most power structures from the president to the mayors of cities. Another influential organization, Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement), stands for building an independent Islamic state throughout Palestine, including that part of it that was allocated by the UN for the formation of the State of Israel.

An important role in the social and political life of the PNA is played by trade unions, which unite more than 250,000 people, women's organizations, unions of students, writers and journalists, lawyers, and artists.

Economy of Palestine

The main sectors of the PNA economy - agriculture, industry, trade and services - are oriented towards the "common market" with Israel. St. 60% of the agricultural products of these territories (mainly olives, tobacco, citrus fruits, vegetables and some types of raw materials) are sent to Israel for processing and consumption. Export of agricultural products in value terms - 603 million US dollars. The total value of imports is 1.9 billion US dollars (2002). More than 90% of imports are consumer goods from Israel (textiles, electrical goods, vehicles, as well as some food products - flour, sugar, rice).

The general trend of recent times in the economy is a reduction in the employment of the population in agriculture, its "de-peasantization" and its transformation into hired workers - semi-proletarians. In the 1990s, according to some estimates, up to 50% of the active population of the West Bank and Gaza were wage workers, 66% of them were employed in the service sector, 21% in industry and 13% in agriculture. In the structure of GDP, the share of agriculture in 2002 was 9%, industry - 28%, services - 63%.

Small-scale production prevails in industry: small enterprises, workshops with the number of workers from 50 to 10 people. and less (mainly for the production of olive oil, furniture, textiles, leather goods, soap, plastic materials). Some industrial enterprises in the West Bank specialize in the production of building materials: cement, non-metallic minerals, building stone, marble. 90% of PNA industrial production goes to local markets and only approx. 10% is exported to Israel, Jordan, Egypt.

The specifics of the PNA economy is the mass migration of Arab workers to work in Israel, where they are used mainly for hard work in construction, agriculture, laying roads, and urban services. In the 1970-80s. the number of such workers reached 100-120 thousand annually. In 2000-03, in connection with the introduction by the Israeli government of the practice of closing the borders with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, this figure dropped to 30-40 thousand people.

PHA is one of those countries whose economic viability is heavily dependent on foreign financial assistance. In 1994-98, this assistance was provided (in millions of US dollars): the Arab world - 43, Europe (EU countries) - 277, the USA - 65, Japan - 62, IBRD - 24.

Budget 2002 (million US dollars): revenues - 930, expenditures - 1200, external debt - 108.

GDP per capita per year - 800 US dollars. In the most difficult situation are the Palestinians - residents of refugee camps. The official amount of UNWRA expenses for 1 person. Equals $37 per year. From malnutrition, diseases, especially gastric, lack of doctors, infant mortality reaches 32%. There is one doctor for every 10,000 refugees. The unemployment rate is over 30%, and in Gaza it is 60%.

Science and culture of Palestine

The PNA has developed a fairly developed system of education, which includes primary school education, secondary schools, universities, colleges, institutes and vocational schools. In the 2002/03 school year, there were 1,493 general education schools (primary and preparatory levels) maintained by the PNA administration, 244 private schools and 269 UNWRA-run schools in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. All these schools had 984,000 students compared to 663,000 in 1995/96. According to the first census conducted by the PNA administration in 1997, a total of 90% of Palestinians are covered by the education system. A wide network of school institutions provides a high degree of literacy of the population of the Palestinian territories, which, according to some estimates, is more than 70%.

The training of teaching staff for schools of the 1st and 2nd levels, as well as specialists in various fields of knowledge, is carried out in higher educational institutions Palestinian autonomy: at the universities "Bir-Zeyt" (in the vicinity of Ramallah), "An-Najah", at the institutes and colleges of the city of Gaza - Jenin, Nablus, East Jerusalem and other large Palestinian cities. A large number of Palestinian students receive education abroad: in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, in European countries, incl. in Russia. On April 21, 1998, an agreement was signed in Ramallah between the Ministry of General and Vocational Education Russian Federation and the Ministry of Higher Education of the PNA on cooperation in the field of education for 1998-2002. Total in educational institutions Soviet Union and Russia prepared approx. 1.5 thousand Palestinian specialists with higher education, incl. candidates and doctors of sciences. Among Palestinians - university graduates over the past 20 years, St. 60% - specialists in the humanitarian and social fields, 36% - engineers, specialists in agriculture, medicine.

The contemporary literature of Arab Palestine consists mainly of the works of a new generation of Palestinian writers and poets. The most prominent representatives of this generation are: Mahmoud Dervish, an outstanding Palestinian poet, laureate of the Lotus International Literary Prize (a cycle of poems “Songs of my Little Motherland”, a poem “Poems by the Reflection of a Shot”), poets Samih al-Kasem, Muin Bsisu. Writers and poets of the older generation - Abu Salma, Taufik Zayyad, Emil Habibi. The works of Palestinian writers have been published in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, in European countries, incl. in the Soviet Union and Russia.

IN last years a prominent place in the culture of Arab Palestine was occupied by fine arts, especially painting and graphics. The most famous Palestinian artists are: Ismail Shammut (paintings “The Good Land”, “Women from Palestine”), Tamam al-Akhal, Tawfik Abdulal, Abde Myty Abu Zeid, Samir Salama (paintings “Palestinian Refugee Camp”, “Peace and War”, “People's Resistance”). The works of the artist Ibrahim Ghanem, who is rightly called "the artist of the Palestinian village", enjoy wide popularity among the Palestinian population. In his paintings, he shows the usual daily work of fellah peasants, their traditional customs and rituals, colorful costumes and dances, landscapes of Palestinian villages filled with sunlight. This deep feeling native land and the customs of its people, the painter subtly conveys in the compositions "Dancing in the Village Square", "Harvest", "Rural Landscape". The life and work of peasants and townspeople are shown just as sincerely and soulfully in the canvases of the artists Jumarani al-Husseini (“Olive Picking Season”), Leyla ash-Shawwa (“Village Women”), Ibrahim Hazim (“Girls”).

Cinematographers make a significant contribution to the development of the national culture of Palestine. Among the works of young Palestinian filmmakers are Chronicle of the Disappearance and Divine Intervention (dir. Elijah Seleyman, 2002), Invasion (dir. Nizar Hasan), Chronicle of the Siege (dir. Samir Abdullah, working in France), Muhammad Bakri's documentary "Jenin" (2002), "Wedding Rana" (dir. Hani Abu Assad, Palestine - the Netherlands, 200 2) and a number of other films.

The modern national fine art of Palestine is characterized by the desire of the artists of the new generation to have a close relationship with the masses, to unite the creative forces of the older generation of masters who are in exile (in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt), with young artists who have recently come to art and live in the Palestinian territories of autonomy. These new tendencies towards the unification of all the creative forces of writers and fine arts on the territory of the autonomy and the Palestinian diaspora contribute to the preservation of the national community and unity of the Palestinian people in the face of the hard trials and shocks that have befallen them.

Seal "Shema, servant of Jeroboam"

Palestine stretches from the southern foothills of Lebanon to the northern borders of the Arabian Desert. In the west, it is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, and in the east it borders on the Syrian-Mesopotamian steppe. The territory of Palestine is extremely small and reaches only about 26 thousand hectares. sq. km. Geographically, Palestine is easily divided into four parts: the coast, the plateau west of the Jordan, the valley of the Jordan, and the plateau east of the Jordan. The southern part of the coast has fertile soil, irrigated by many rivers. Here, in ancient times, agriculture has received significant development. A large trade route passed through this region, going from Egypt to Syria. The Saron lowland, which was sometimes called the "Garden of Eden", was especially distinguished by its fertility. No less fertile are some of the interior regions of Western Palestine. Such is the plain of Jericho, beautifully irrigated by the Wadi Kelt. Due to the hot climate and abundance of moisture, even the date palm grows here.

To the west of the northern part of the Jordan Valley stretches Galilee with its valleys, plains and mountain slopes, well-irrigated mountain springs and streams. This part of Palestine was favorable for the development of agriculture and in ancient times was densely populated, as evidenced by the numerous ruins of ancient cities. Some areas east of the Jordan were also distinguished by great fertility. Such is the country of Bashan, which already in ancient times was famous for its agricultural products. However, not all parts of Palestine were suitable for the development of agriculture. Along with fertile plains, there are plateaus, mountainous regions and dry steppes. Such, for example, are the mountainous regions located in the southern part of Western Palestine, which the ancient Jews had the name "Mountains of Ephraim" and "Mountains of Judah." The area here gradually turns into a dry steppe, where the population was mainly engaged in cattle breeding. The infertile and poorly irrigated plateaus of Eastern Palestine also provided more convenience for the development of pastoralism than for agriculture. The Jordan Valley was distinguished by special natural conditions. In some of its parts, as, for example, near the Lake of Gennesaret, the Jordan Valley was fertile and suitable for agriculture, but for almost its entire length it was a narrow strip of land overgrown with reeds and representing a wild jungle inhabited by predatory animals. Therefore, the Jordan Valley was a kind of barrier that sharply separated Western Palestine from the eastern part of this country.

The natural wealth of Palestine is negligible. In the eastern part of Palestine and in its southern part in ancient times there were Forests, but these were more groves or bushes than forests in the truest sense of the word. Tall trees were rare here and were considered the abode of a deity. Construction and mast timber had to be brought from neighboring countries. Palestine did not have its own metal ore. The nearest copper mines were in the mountains of Lebanon and in the country of Edom, located southeast of Palestine, and also near the Gulf of Aqab, where ancient copper mines were discovered. The soil of Palestine was rich in clay, an excellent ceramic raw material used to make vessels and bricks. Various types of stone were used to build fortress and city walls, as well as large buildings.