Have you been wondering about the conflict in the Middle East and why it has been going on for so long? Learn more about Palestine and see if you can make some connections. 

Palestine refers to the area of land along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza in the south to southern Lebanon, then west to the areas bordering the Jordan River. It also has been known as the land of Canaan or the Holy Land. In the Bible it is known as the “land that is rich with milk and honey” (Deut 6:3; 26:9), or as the Promised Land, because God promised to give the land to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:7,8; Num 34:1-12). Abraham’s descendants, the tribes of Israel, made this land their geographical and spiritual homeland after years of slavery in Egypt and after wandering in the desert for forty years.

The region of Palestine was originally called Canaan and the people who lived there before the Israelites were called Canaanites. It came to be known as Israel after the twelve tribes conquered the land around 1200 B.C. The region came to be known as Palestine in the time when the Greeks ruled the region beginning in about 333 B.C. The name “Palestine” comes from “Philistines,” the name of the people who settled in the narrow strip of land along the southeastern part of the Mediterranean coastline some time after 1200 B.C. (Take a look at this map to get a better sense of the area.) Today, “Palestine” refers to the area covered by Israel, Gaza, and Jordan.

The distance from Dan to Beersheba, the traditional northern and southern limits of Palestine, is around 150 miles. Two long valleys run north and south, one along the Mediterranean coast and the other along the Jordan River. Between these fertile farmlands are many small mountain ranges suitable for raising sheep. Deserts lie to the east of the Jordan and to the south and west of the Dead Sea.

There are only two seasons: a cold, wet winter and a hot, dry summer. The rains begin in the month of Tishri (starting in mid-September) and end in the month of Nisan (from mid-March to mid-April). For more about Palestine's climate see this chart about the “Jewish Calendar and Festivals."

This tiny region was an important land bridge between Africa and Asia. Traders had to pass through Palestine to carry their goods overland or to reach shipping harbors on the Mediterranean. Rival armies often battled for control of the region. Because Palestine served as a coastal passage for many hostile peoples, the foreign influences on the Israelites were a constant source of trouble. In spite of their dangerous position in the region, the Israelites never wavered in their belief that this land was God's gift to them.