Palestine

[ pal-uh-stahyn pal-uh-steen ]

noun

1. Also called Ho·ly Land [hoh, -lee land]. Biblical_name Canaan. an ancient country in southwest Asia, on the east coast of the Mediterranean.
2. a disputed region made up of parts of an ancient country in southwest Asia, especially the Gaza Strip and the West Bank: a British mandate from 1923 to 1948; divided between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt in 1948; Jordanian and Egyptian parts occupied by Israel in 1967, with limited Palestinian self-administration beginning in 1994.
3. a city in eastern Texas.

Palestine

/ ˈpælɪˌstaɪn /

noun

1. Also calledthe Holy LandCanaan the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in which most of the biblical narrative is located
2. the province of the Roman Empire in this region
3. the former British mandatory territory created by the League of Nations in 1922 (but effective from 1920), and including all of the present territories of Israel and Jordan between whom it was partitioned by the UN in 1948

Palestine

1. Historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea , comprising parts of modern Israel , Jordan , and Egypt (see also Egypt ).

Notes

Known as the Holy Land, it is a place of pilgrimage for several religions, including Christianity , Islam , and Judaism .

Israel, the homeland of the Jews (see also Jews ), was established in Palestine in 1948. The Palestine Liberation Organization , under Yasir Arafat , is committed to establishing a Palestinian state, which would include territory on the West Bank and Gaza Strip now partially occupied by Israel. ( See Arab-Israeli conflict , intifada , Oslo Accord , Palestinian Authority .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Palestine¹

First recorded in 1540–60; from Latin Pal(a)estīna, Palaestīnē, from Greek Palaistī́nē; perhaps through Aramaic pəlishtāʾin (plural) “Philistines,” from Hebrew pĕlishtīm; philistine ( def )

Example Sentences

Within an hour, law enforcement officers tried to break open a door and enter the building as protesters outside chanted ‘Free, Free Palestine.’

From Los Angeles Times

The Palestinian Liberation Organization declared Gaza and the occupied West Bank to be the State of Palestine in 1988.

From Salon

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has called for an independent international inquiry into Israel's killing of 15 emergency workers in southern Gaza.

From BBC

A representative for Students for Justice in Palestine at UC San Diego said the organization was attempting to get more information about those affected to determine whether any were student protesters.

From Los Angeles Times

"We are in solidarity with the armed resistance in Palestine from the river to the sea," he later told a crowd of protesters, according to The Cornell Daily Sun newspaper.

From BBC