Difference between revisions of "Gaza Strip" - New World Encyclopedia
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== Geography == | == Geography == | ||
| − | [[Image:Gz-map.png| | + | [[Image:Gz-map.png|left|framed|Map of the Gaza Strip from [[The World Factbook]].]] |
It takes its name from [[Gaza]], its main city. The Gaza Strip has a 32-mile (51km) border with [[Israel]], a seven-mile (11km) border with [[Egypt]], and an area of 139 square miles (360 km²). | It takes its name from [[Gaza]], its main city. The Gaza Strip has a 32-mile (51km) border with [[Israel]], a seven-mile (11km) border with [[Egypt]], and an area of 139 square miles (360 km²). | ||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
The Gaza Strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry, hot summers subject to drought. January is the coldest month with average temperatures ranging from(43°F to 59°F (6°C to 15°C) and July and August are the hottest months at 72°F to 91°F (22°C to 33°C) on average. | The Gaza Strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry, hot summers subject to drought. January is the coldest month with average temperatures ranging from(43°F to 59°F (6°C to 15°C) and July and August are the hottest months at 72°F to 91°F (22°C to 33°C) on average. | ||
| − | + | [[Image:Gaza Beach.jpg|right|thumb|Crowded beach in Gaza City.]] | |
Natural resources include arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas. | Natural resources include arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas. | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | Strategically located on the Mediterranean coastal route, ancient Gaza was a prosperous trade center and a stop on the caravan route between Egypt and Syria. The city was occupied by Egypt around the | + | [[Image:Early-Historical-Israel-Dan-Beersheba-Judea.png|thumb|300px|Map showing the location of Philistine land and cities of Gaza, Ashdod, and Ashkelon]] |
| + | Strategically located on the Mediterranean coastal route, ancient Gaza was a prosperous trade center and a stop on the caravan route between Egypt and Syria. The city was occupied by Egypt around the fifteenth century b.c.e. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The [[Philistines]] were a people who invaded the southern coast of [[Canaan]], around the time of the arrival of the [[Israelites]], their territory being later named Philistia. Gaza became one of their chief cities. Canaan is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day [[Israel]] and the [[West Bank and Gaza]], plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]. | ||
| − | In 145 B.C.E. Gaza was conquered by | + | In 145 B.C.E. Gaza was conquered by Jonathan Maccabaeus the Hasmonean (Brother of [[Judas Maccabeus|Judas Maccabeus]] the [[Maccabees|Maccabee]]). There was a prospering Jewish presence in Gaza until the Roman ruler Gavinius expelled them in 61 c.e. In the times of the [[Mishnah]] and the [[Talmud]] there was a large Jewish community in Gaza, and on one of the pillars of the [[Great Mosque of Gaza|Great Mosque]] of Gaza there was a Greek inscription which read "Hananiah bar Yaakov" (a Hebrew name) with a menorah carved above it. This column was originally part of a Byzantine-era synagogue, destroyed at an unknown date and reused (recycled) as part of a grand Church of St. John Baptist, built by Crusaders. When the Crusaders were driven out, the church was commandeered for use as a mosque. At an undetermined date between between 1987 and 1993, during the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada|intifada]] a very tall ladder or scaffolding were erected and the carving was chisled off. The remains of the ancient Gaza [[synagogue]], built around 500 C.E., were found near the city wharf. |
| − | Gaza was captured by [[Arabs]] in the 630s after a siege during which the Jewish population of the city defended it alongside the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] garrison. | + | Gaza was captured by [[Arabs]] in the 630s after a siege during which the Jewish population of the city defended it alongside the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] garrison. Believed to be the site where [[Muhammad]]'s great grandfather was buried, the city became an important Islamic center. In the twelfth century, Gaza was taken by Christian Crusaders; it returned to Muslim control in 1187. The city fell to the [[Ottomans]] in the sixteenth century and was taken by the British during World War I (1914-1918). |
| − | Following [[World War I]], Gaza became part of the | + | Following [[World War I]], Gaza became part of the British mandate for Palestine. After the first Arab Israel war in 1948, [[Egypt]] took control over Gaza and its surrounding area. The Egyptians never accepted the inhabitants as citizens of Egypt and prohibited them from leaving Gaza Strip. [[Israel]] captured the city and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Six Day War, and Gaza remained occupied by Israel for the next 27 years with smaller territory as large part of land has been confiscated by Israel. At the beginning of the Israeli occupation, the relations between Israelis and citizens of Gaza were pleasant, and both sides tended to cross the borders - the Palestinians in order to work within the State of Israel, and Israelis in order to buy cheaper objects. However, the relationship changed from the First Intifada, and later on after the failure of the Oslo accords. The disappointment of both sides from each other led the Gaza strip into poverty, and made the Hamas party the strongest one within the strip. |
| − | With the onset of the Palestinian uprising known as | + | With the onset of the Palestinian uprising known as First Intifada in 1987, Gaza became a center of political unrest and confrontation between [[Israelis]] and [[Palestinians]], and economic conditions in the city worsened. |
| − | In September 1993, leaders of Israel and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) signed the [[Oslo Accords]] calling for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the [[West Bank]] town of [[Jericho]], which was implemented in May 1994. Most of the Israeli forces left Gaza, leaving a new | + | In September 1993, leaders of Israel and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) signed the [[Oslo Accords]] calling for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the [[West Bank]] town of [[Jericho]], which was implemented in May 1994. Most of the Israeli forces left Gaza, leaving a new Palestinian National Authority to administer and police the city, along with the rest of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority, led by [[Yasser Arafat]], chose Gaza as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement extending the Palestinian Authority to some West Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996. |
| − | The | + | In February 2005, the Israeli government voted to implement |Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip beginning on August 15, 2005. The plan required the dismantling of all Israeli settlements there, transferring the lucrative hot house industry to Palestinian control to spur economic development, and the removal of all Israeli settlers and military bases from the Strip, a process that was completed on September 12, 2005, as the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to military rule in the Gaza Strip after 38 years of control. |
| − | + | The withdrawal was highly contested by the nationalist right in Israel, particularly the religious nationalist tendency, and some supporters of these tendencies now consider the Gaza Strip to be an occupied part of Israel. Following withdrawal, Israel retains offshore maritime control and control of airspace over the Strip. Israel withdrew from the "Philadelphi Route" that is adjacent to the Strip's border with [[Egypt]] after an agreement with the latter to secure its side of the border. The future political status of the Gaza Strip remains undecided, and is claimed as part of any prospective Palestinian state. | |
| − | The | ||
| − | + | The current mayor is Mr. Sa’ed Kharma. | |
| − | |||
==People and Culture== | ==People and Culture== | ||
Revision as of 04:35, 7 April 2007
| قطاع غزة Gaza Strip | |||||
| |||||
| Anthem: Biladi | |||||
 | |||||
| Capital | Gaza 31°25′N 34°20′E | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest city | capital | ||||
| Official languages | Arabic | ||||
| Government | Palestinian National Authority | ||||
| Created | 1949 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total | 360 km² (212th) 130 sq mi | ||||
| - Water (%) | 0 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - census | 1,376,289 | ||||
| - Density | 3,823/km² 10,586/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | estimate | ||||
| - Total | $768 million | ||||
| - Per capita | $600 | ||||
| Currency | Israeli new sheqel (ILS)
| ||||
| Internet TLD | .ps | ||||
| Calling code | +970 | ||||
The Gaza Strip (Arabic: قطاع غزة transliteration: Qitˁɑ' Ġazzah/Qita' Ghazzah, Hebrew: רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a narrow coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean, in the Middle East.
The Gaza Strip was not recognized internationally, in 2007, as part of any sovereign country. It was governed by the Palestinian Authority. Israel controls the Gaza strip's airspace and offshore maritime access.
It holds the oldest known remains of a man-made bonfire and some of the world's oldest dated human skeletons. It is considered to be one of the 15 territories that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity."
Israel maintains that its occupation of Gaza ended with the unilateral withdrawal. The Palestinian Authority and some legal and human rights experts hold that the occupation is still in force due to Israel's continued and complete control of the Strip.
Geography
It takes its name from Gaza, its main city. The Gaza Strip has a 32-mile (51km) border with Israel, a seven-mile (11km) border with Egypt, and an area of 139 square miles (360 km²).
The terrain is flat or rolling, with dunes near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah ([Joz Abu 'Auda]]), at 344 feet (105 meters) above sea level.
The Gush Katif bloc of Israeli localities used to exist on the sand dunes adjacent to Rafah and Khan Yunis, along the southwestern edge of the 25-mile (40km) Mediterranean coastline. A few months after the Israel's unilateral disengagement plan in December 2005, a controversial buffer zone was created on the northern border with Israel. Part of it reaches 1.5-mile (2.5km) into the Palestinian Authority controlled territory, on roughly the area of the former northern Israeli localities, an area used to launch Qassam rockets into Israel.
The Gaza Strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry, hot summers subject to drought. January is the coldest month with average temperatures ranging from(43°F to 59°F (6°C to 15°C) and July and August are the hottest months at 72°F to 91°F (22°C to 33°C) on average.
Natural resources include arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas.
Environmental issues include desertification; salination of fresh water; inadequate sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources.
Gaza, the largest city within the Gaza Strip, has a population of approximately 400,000. It is frequently termed "Gaza City" in order to distinguish it from the Gaza Strip. Other cities include Rafah, and Khan Yunis. Several towns are located along the coast between Rafah and Gaza City. Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun are located to the north and northeast of Gaza City, respectively.
History
Strategically located on the Mediterranean coastal route, ancient Gaza was a prosperous trade center and a stop on the caravan route between Egypt and Syria. The city was occupied by Egypt around the fifteenth century B.C.E.
The Philistines were a people who invaded the southern coast of Canaan, around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being later named Philistia. Gaza became one of their chief cities. Canaan is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Lebanon and Syria.
In 145 B.C.E. Gaza was conquered by Jonathan Maccabaeus the Hasmonean (Brother of Judas Maccabeus the Maccabee). There was a prospering Jewish presence in Gaza until the Roman ruler Gavinius expelled them in 61 C.E. In the times of the Mishnah and the Talmud there was a large Jewish community in Gaza, and on one of the pillars of the Great Mosque of Gaza there was a Greek inscription which read "Hananiah bar Yaakov" (a Hebrew name) with a menorah carved above it. This column was originally part of a Byzantine-era synagogue, destroyed at an unknown date and reused (recycled) as part of a grand Church of St. John Baptist, built by Crusaders. When the Crusaders were driven out, the church was commandeered for use as a mosque. At an undetermined date between between 1987 and 1993, during the intifada a very tall ladder or scaffolding were erected and the carving was chisled off. The remains of the ancient Gaza synagogue, built around 500 C.E., were found near the city wharf.
Gaza was captured by Arabs in the 630s after a siege during which the Jewish population of the city defended it alongside the Byzantine garrison. Believed to be the site where Muhammad's great grandfather was buried, the city became an important Islamic center. In the twelfth century, Gaza was taken by Christian Crusaders; it returned to Muslim control in 1187. The city fell to the Ottomans in the sixteenth century and was taken by the British during World War I (1914-1918).
Following World War I, Gaza became part of the British mandate for Palestine. After the first Arab Israel war in 1948, Egypt took control over Gaza and its surrounding area. The Egyptians never accepted the inhabitants as citizens of Egypt and prohibited them from leaving Gaza Strip. Israel captured the city and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Six Day War, and Gaza remained occupied by Israel for the next 27 years with smaller territory as large part of land has been confiscated by Israel. At the beginning of the Israeli occupation, the relations between Israelis and citizens of Gaza were pleasant, and both sides tended to cross the borders - the Palestinians in order to work within the State of Israel, and Israelis in order to buy cheaper objects. However, the relationship changed from the First Intifada, and later on after the failure of the Oslo accords. The disappointment of both sides from each other led the Gaza strip into poverty, and made the Hamas party the strongest one within the strip.
With the onset of the Palestinian uprising known as First Intifada in 1987, Gaza became a center of political unrest and confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, and economic conditions in the city worsened.
In September 1993, leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Oslo Accords calling for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, which was implemented in May 1994. Most of the Israeli forces left Gaza, leaving a new Palestinian National Authority to administer and police the city, along with the rest of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement extending the Palestinian Authority to some West Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.
In February 2005, the Israeli government voted to implement |Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip beginning on August 15, 2005. The plan required the dismantling of all Israeli settlements there, transferring the lucrative hot house industry to Palestinian control to spur economic development, and the removal of all Israeli settlers and military bases from the Strip, a process that was completed on September 12, 2005, as the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to military rule in the Gaza Strip after 38 years of control.
The withdrawal was highly contested by the nationalist right in Israel, particularly the religious nationalist tendency, and some supporters of these tendencies now consider the Gaza Strip to be an occupied part of Israel. Following withdrawal, Israel retains offshore maritime control and control of airspace over the Strip. Israel withdrew from the "Philadelphi Route" that is adjacent to the Strip's border with Egypt after an agreement with the latter to secure its side of the border. The future political status of the Gaza Strip remains undecided, and is claimed as part of any prospective Palestinian state.
The current mayor is Mr. Sa’ed Kharma.
People and Culture
Gaza's population is composed almost entirely of Muslims, though it also has a small Christian community. A massive influx of Palestinian refugees swelled Gaza's population after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. By 1967, the population had grown to about six times its 1948 size. The city's population has continued to increase since that time, and poverty, unemployment, and poor living conditions are widespread. Gaza has serious deficiencies in housing and infrastructure, and an inadequate sewage system has contributed to serious hygiene and public health problems. As in the rest of the Palestinian territories, the birth rate is extremely high.
Economy
Gaza is the economic center for a region in which citrus fruits and other crops are grown. Many Gazans work in Israeli service and industry when the border is open. The city contains some small industry, including textiles and food processing. A variety of wares are sold in Gaza's street bazaars, including carpets, pottery, wicker furniture, and cotton clothing; commercial development in the city is minimal. Gaza serves as a transportation hub for the Gaza Strip, and contains a small port that serves a local fishing fleet.
Attractions
Places of interest to the visitor are the Great Omari Mosque, the Mosque of Al Sayed Hashem, the Mosque of Ibn Othman, the Mosque of Ibn Marwan, The Sheikh Abul Azm sanctuary, the Sheikh Ajlin sanctuary, Tell al Mintar, Napoleon's fort (Al Radwan Castle), and the Church of St. Porphyrius. The city also has many new resorts where tourists and local people can swim and relax by the beach or swimming pools.
- The Great Mosque (Al-Omari Mosque)
Located in downtown Gaza, Al-Omari Mosque with its splendid minaret, reputedly occupying the site of the first ancient temple of Marnas and then a Greek Orthodox Church. The mosque was also the site of a Norman church built by the Crusaders in the 12th century.
- Napoleon's Fort (Qasr El-Basha)
Also located in downtown Gaza, this imposing stone building dates back to the Mamluk period. It is known as Qasr El-Basha because Napoleon spent a few nights here on his way through the town in 1799.
- St. Porphyrus Church
This 4th century church is where St. Porphyrus died and was buried (420 C.E.) It is located in the Gaza's old city and still in use today by the Greek Orthodox Community.
- Al-Sayed Hashem Mosque
Located in Al-Daraj Quarter, the mosque is one of the largest and most beautiful ancient mosques in Gaza. The tomb of Hashem bin Abd-Manaf, Mohammad's grandfather who died in Gaza during a trading voyage, is believed to be under the dome of the mosque.
Transport
Gaza shared Yasser Arafat International Airport with the rest of the Gaza Strip. It was opened in 1998, but is currently inoperational, its runways and support facilities having been largely destroyed by Israeli armed forces during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Following the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in autumn 2005, discussions took place between the Palestinian and Israeli sides on its reopening. So far, Israeli negotiators have not agreed to allow the airport be reopened.
Arriving to Gaza:
- By air:
Gaza International Airport, 40 km south of Gaza. Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, 75 km north of Gaza.
- By car:
Northern access: Erez Crossing point (border with Israel). Southern access: Rafah crossing point (border with Egypt and also known as Philadelphia line).
[1].
See also
- West Bank
- Palestine
- Sinai Peninsula
- Porphyry of Gaza
- Al-Azhar University - Gaza
- First Battle of Gaza
- Second Battle of Gaza
- Little Gaza
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
- Municipality of Gaza
- Gaza at Google Maps
- Al-Azhar University-Gaza
- The Islamic University - Gaza
- Creation of Disputed Gaza Buffer Zone December 2005
Template:Cities in the Gaza Strip
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