Portal:Palestine

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Palestine Portal

The State of Palestine (Arabic: دولة فلسطين, transliteration: Dawla Filas?in) was proclaimed on November 15, 1988 by the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the PLO, in Algiers, by a vote of 253-46, with 10 abstentions. The declaration invoked the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) and UN General Assembly Resolution 181 in support of its claim to a "State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory with its capital Jerusalem". It became the most diplomatically successful of a number of efforts to create a Palestinian state, despite the fact that, because the State of Palestine did not have control over any territory at the time, it did not fulfill the typical requirement of an autonomous state — being in possession of sovereign territory. Currently, the Palestinian National Authority, along with the European Union and the Arab League, envision the establishment of a State of Palestine to include all or part of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, under a democratically elected and transparent government.

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Palestinian costumes are the traditional clothing worn by Palestinians. Foreign travelers to Palestine in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries often commented on the rich variety of the costumes worn, particularly by the fellaheen or village women. Many of the handcrafted garments were richly embroidered and the creation and maintenance of these items played a significant role in the lives of the region's women.

Most experts in the field trace the origins of Palestinian costumes to ancient times, though there are no surviving clothing artifacts from this early period against which the modern items might be definitively compared. Influences from the various empires to have ruled Palestine, such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome and the Byzantine empire, among others, have been documented by scholars largely based on the depictions in art and descriptions in literature of costumes produced during these times.

Traditional Palestinian costumes reflected a woman's economic status, whether married or single, and the town or district of origin. Until the 1940s, a knowledgeable observer could glean such information from the fabric, colours, cut, and embroidery motifs (or lack thereof) in a given woman's apparel. Dresses generally had a loose-fitting cut that allowed for considerable freedom of movement. Decorative embellishments supplied a substantial share of the distinctive elements, and elaborately crafted elements such as embroidery were often worked on as panels that could be removed from one garment and transferred to another as a young girl grew or as a woman's old clothes wore out. Men's apparel was more uniform in style, with some variation by locale, status, and age. Headgear has been the chief distinguishing feature of Palestinian men's costume both traditionally and in the present era.

Although regional local and regional variations largely disappeared after the Nakba, Palestinian embroidery and costume continue to be produced in new forms and worn alongside Islamic and Western fashions. Some modern Palestinians have adopted traditional costumes as an expression of solidarity and pride in their heritage.

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The Church of the Nativity is one of the holiest sites in Christianity and is central to Bethlehem's economy which heavily depends on tourism.
The Church of the Nativity is one of the holiest sites in Christianity and is central to Bethlehem's economy which heavily depends on tourism.


History, people, places(edit)

The history of the region of Palestine stretches back more than 6,000 years.


News(edit)

April 5

April 3

  • A member of Hamas, Majed Barghouti, died in the custody of the Palestinian Authority. Official reports indicate he died of a heart attack, but Mr Barghouti was said to have complaint of stomach pains and torture marks were reported to have been found on his body. BBC News

March 7

March 6

  • A coalition of UK-based human rights groups reports that Gaza's humanitarian situation is at its worst since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.BBC News

March 3

January 26

January 23


Did you know... (edit)


Culture, arts, cuisine (edit)

Palestinian culture is closely related to the culture of other Levantine countries but is distinct in its own way. For instance,

Palestinian cuisine has many striking similarities with other Levantine cuisines but has several of its own unique dishes.

Palestinian Arabic is easily recognizable. Famous Palestinian writers include the poet Mahmoud Darwish and the scholar Edward Said.

Palestinian music is well-known throughout the Arab world.


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