Palestine

The term Palestine may refer to:

• Palestine: A geographical region in the Middle East, centered on Jerusalem. It is claimed by Palestinians and (under the name Eretz Israel) Jews as their ancestral home.
• The West Bank and the Gaza Strip, sometimes collectively referred to as the "Palestinian territories"
• The Palestinian Authority, governing parts of these territories.
• The "State of Palestine", declared by the PLO in Tunis in 1988, and recognized as a state by some governments.
• A proposed Palestinian state.
• Various historical provinces (see History of Palestine):
  • The Roman province of Syria Palæstina
  • The Arab (Umayyad and Abbasid) jund of Filastin
  • The British Mandate of Palestine
• The Palestinian people
• Several Places in the U.S. named Palestine:
  • Palestine, Arkansas (city)
  • Palestine, Illinois (village)
  • Palestine, Ohio (village)
  • Palestine, Texas (city)
  • Palestine, West Virginia (town)
  • Also East Palestine, Ohio and New Palestine, Indiana.

As even the term "Palestine" is open to many interpretations and has political connotations, its meaning varies tremendously across differing points of view on the political situation in the area. (For varying definitions, see definitions of Palestine.)

The first attested use of the term as a geographical description for the region is in Herodotus, who spoke Greek. The term gained wider currency when Hadrian renamed the province of Judea Syria Palæstina after crushing Bar Kokhba's revolt in 135. Etymologically, the term was based on the Aegean people known as Philistines that lived in the coastal areas in pre-Roman times. Since then, the area has been subject to various conquests, administrative divisions and corresponding names.