Gaza Strip
| 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 15th century B.C.E. Philistines settled the area several hundred years later, and Gaza became one of their chief cities.
In 145 B.C.E. Gaza was conquered by Jonathan the Hasmonean (Brother of Judah 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. a picture is available at http://members.bib-arch.org/nph-proxy.pl/000000A/http/www.basarchive.org/bswbSearch.asp=3fPubID=3dBSBA&Volume=3d20&Issue=3d2&ArticleID=3d4&UserID=3d0& 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.[1] Believed to be the site where Muhammad's great grandfather was buried, the city became an important Islamic center. In the 12th century, Gaza was taken by Christian Crusaders; it returned to Muslim control in 1187. The city fell to the Ottomans in the 16th 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 were 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 the 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 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 current mayor is Mr. Sa’ed Kharma.
Jewish communities in Gaza
The Jewish community in Gaza was destroyed during the Crusades, but returned and was rebuilt with the return of the Mamluk occupation. In February 1799, when the French forces led by Napoleon entered the city, it was struck by a terrible plague which caused the Jews to move to other areas in Palestine. By the year 1886, thirty Jewish families had returned to Gaza, but they were deported by the Ottomans during World War I. Jews returned to Gaza after the war ended but they were forced to leave once again after the 1929 massacres. Following these riots, and the death of more than 150 Jews in Gaza, the British prohibited Jews from living in Gaza to quell tension and appease the Arabs. Some Jews returned, however, and, in 1946, kibbutz Kfar Darom was established to prevent the British from separating the Negev from the Jewish state. [2]
Famous Gazan Jews have included the medieval liturgical poet Israel Najara (buried in Gaza's local cemetery) and the Sabbatean prophet Nathan of Gaza. Rabbi Abraham Azulai lived in Gaza in 1619, and it was there that he wrote the book for which he is remembered, his cabalistic work "Ḥesed le-Abraham".
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
- ↑ Stillman, Norman (1979). The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, p. 24. ISBN 1590454936.
- ↑ Jewish Virtual Library
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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