 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2018) |
Geography of the State of Palestine refers to the geographic, climatic and other properties of the areas claimed by State of Palestine.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2018) |
Geography of the State of Palestine refers to the geographic, climatic and other properties of the areas claimed by State of Palestine.
The terrain of the Gaza Strip is flat or rolling, with dunes near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda), at 105 m (344 ft) above sea level.
The terrain of the West Bank is mostly rugged dissected upland, with some vegetation in the west, but somewhat barren in the east. The elevation span reaches from a low on the northern shore of the Dead Sea at 429 m (1,407 ft) below sea level,[ citation needed ] to the highest point at Mount Nabi Yunis at 1,030 m (3,380 ft) above sea level. [1] The area of the West Bank is landlocked; the highlands are the main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers.
The coastal plain of Gaza is composed of sand dunes and fertile sandy sediments. Except for a porous calcareous sandstone called kurkar in Arabic, there are no other rocks in this region. In contrast, the West Bank is dominated by low mountains: Mount Gerizim (881m), Nabi Samwil (890m), and Mount Scopus (826m). The rocks are principally composed of marine sediments (limestone and dolomite). The porosity of these rocks permits water to filter down to the non-porous strata, which supply water to the numerous aquifers in the region. [2]
The Jordan Valley is a segment of the Dead Sea Transform, a continuation of the Great Rift Valley which separates the African Plate from the Arabian Plate. The entire segment is thought to have ruptured repeatedly, for instance during the earthquake of 749 and again in 1033, the most recent major earthquake along this structure. The deficit in slip that has built up since the 1033 event is sufficient to cause an earthquake of Mw~7.4. [3]
The tectonic disposition of Palestine on the margin of the Dead Sea Transform has left it exposed to relatively frequent earthquakes, the most destructive of which were those of 31 BCE, 363, 749, and 1033. For a detailed list see here.
The River Jordan is the largest river in Palestine, forming the eastern boundary of the West Bank, until it flows into the Dead Sea. Friends of the Earth Middle East reports that on the one hand up to 96% of the river's fresh water is diverted by Israel, Jordan and Syria, while on the other hand large quantities of untreated sewage are being discharged into the river. [4]
The Dead Sea is the largest body of water in Palestine, while the valley of Marj Sanur forms a seasonal lake. [5]
A number of ephemeral streams, in Arabic called wadis, flow into the Jordan River or Dead Sea through the West Bank, including Wadi Og, Wadi Fa'rah and Wadi Qelt. Others flow through Israel and into the Mediterranean Sea, such as Hadera Stream and Wadi Kabiba. [6]
The climate in the West Bank is mostly Mediterranean, slightly cooler at elevated areas compared with the shoreline, west to the area. In the east, the West Bank includes much of the Judean Desert, including the western shoreline of the Dead Sea, characterised by dry and hot climate.
Gaza has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with mild winters and dry hot summers. [7] Spring arrives around March–April and the hottest months are July and August, with the average high being 33 °C (91 °F). The coldest month is January with temperatures usually at 7 °C (45 °F). Rain is scarce and generally falls between November and March, with annual precipitation rates approximately at 4.57 inches (116 mm). [8]
| Climate data for Gaza | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17 (62) | 17 (63) | 20 (69) | 26 (78) | 29 (84) | 31 (89) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 31 (88) | 28 (83) | 24 (75) | 19 (65) | 26 (78) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7 (45) | 7 (45) | 9 (49) | 13 (55) | 15 (60) | 18 (65) | 20 (69) | 21 (70) | 19 (66) | 17 (62) | 12 (54) | 8 (47) | 14 (57) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 76 (3.0) | 49 (1.9) | 37 (1.5) | 6 (0.2) | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 14 (0.6) | 46 (1.8) | 70 (2.8) | 301 (11.9) |
| Source: Weatherbase [9] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Jericho | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.0 (66.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 24.4 (75.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 34.4 (93.9) | 37.0 (98.6) | 38.6 (101.5) | 37.9 (100.2) | 35.8 (96.4) | 32.7 (90.9) | 28.1 (82.6) | 21.4 (70.5) | 30.0 (86.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 12.6 (54.7) | 16.3 (61.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.4 (86.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 25.8 (78.4) | 22.8 (73.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 22.9 (73.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.6 (56.5) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.2 (68.4) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.5 (68.9) | 17.6 (63.7) | 16.6 (61.9) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.1 (59.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 59 (2.3) | 44 (1.7) | 20 (0.8) | 4 (0.2) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 3 (0.1) | 5 (0.2) | 65 (2.6) | 204 (8.0) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 57 | 52 | 56 | 54 | 74 | 61 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 189.1 | 186.5 | 244.9 | 288.0 | 362.7 | 393.0 | 418.5 | 396.8 | 336.0 | 294.5 | 249.0 | 207.7 | 3,566.7 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 13.1 | 13.5 | 12.8 | 11.2 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 9.8 |
| Source: Arab Meteorology Book [10] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Jerusalem (1881–2007) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) | 25.3 (77.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 35.3 (95.5) | 37.2 (99.0) | 36.8 (98.2) | 40.6 (105.1) | 44.4 (111.9) | 37.8 (100.0) | 33.8 (92.8) | 29.4 (84.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 44.4 (111.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.6 (54.7) | 15.4 (59.7) | 21.5 (70.7) | 25.3 (77.5) | 27.6 (81.7) | 29.0 (84.2) | 29.4 (84.9) | 28.2 (82.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 18.8 (65.8) | 14.0 (57.2) | 21.5 (70.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) | 9.5 (49.1) | 11.9 (53.4) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 20.7 (69.3) | 15.6 (60.1) | 11.2 (52.2) | 17.5 (63.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) | 6.4 (43.5) | 8.4 (47.1) | 12.6 (54.7) | 15.7 (60.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.5 (67.1) | 18.6 (65.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 13.5 (56.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) | −2.4 (27.7) | −0.3 (31.5) | 0.8 (33.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.6 (58.3) | 15.5 (59.9) | 13.2 (55.8) | 9.8 (49.6) | 1.8 (35.2) | 0.2 (32.4) | −6.7 (19.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 133.2 (5.24) | 118.3 (4.66) | 92.7 (3.65) | 24.5 (0.96) | 3.2 (0.13) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.3 (0.01) | 15.4 (0.61) | 60.8 (2.39) | 105.7 (4.16) | 554.1 (21.81) |
| Average rainy days | 12.9 | 11.7 | 9.6 | 4.4 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 7.3 | 10.9 | 62.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 61 | 59 | 52 | 39 | 35 | 37 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 42 | 48 | 56 | 46 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 192.2 | 243.6 | 226.3 | 267.0 | 331.7 | 381.0 | 384.4 | 365.8 | 309.0 | 275.9 | 228.0 | 192.2 | 3,397.1 |
| Source 1: Israel Meteorological Service [11] [12] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Hong Kong Observatory for data of sunshine hours [13] | |||||||||||||
Natural resources of Palestine include mud extracts from the Dead Sea, [14] such as magnesium, potash and bromine. However, these resources are monopolised by Israeli settlements; the Palestinian policy network Al-Shabaka reported in 2015 that the added value access to these natural resources could have delivered to the economy was $918 million per annum. [15]
Palestine has a number of environmental issues; issues facing the Gaza Strip include desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne diseases; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources. In the West Bank, many of the same issues apply; although fresh water is much more plentiful, access is restricted by the ongoing occupation of Palestine. [16]
The Dead Sea, also known by other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel to the west. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, the northeast by Syria, the east by Jordan and the West Bank, and to the southwest by Egypt. To the west of Israel is the Mediterranean Sea, which makes up the majority of Israel's 273 km (170 mi) coastline, and the Gaza Strip. Israel has a small coastline on the Red Sea in the south.
Jordan is situated geographically in West Asia, south of Syria, west of Iraq, northwest of Saudi Arabia, east of Israel and the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The area is also referred to as the Middle or Near East. The territory of Jordan now covers about 91,880 square kilometres (35,480 sq mi).
Jericho is a city in the West Bank; it is the administrative seat of the Jericho Governorate of the State of Palestine. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. In 2017, it had a population of 20,907.
The West Bank, so called due to its relation to the Jordan River, is the larger of the two Palestinian territories. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the Levant region of West Asia, it is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. The territory has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has referred to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as "the Occupied Palestinian Territory", and this term was used as the legal definition by the ICJ in its advisory opinion of July 2004. The term occupied Palestinian territory was used by the United Nations and other international organizations between October 1999 and December 2012 to refer to areas controlled by the Palestinian National Authority, but from 2012, when Palestine was admitted as one of its non-member observer states, the United Nations started using exclusively the name State of Palestine. The European Union (EU) also uses the term "occupied Palestinian territory". The government of Israel and its supporters use the label "disputed territories" instead.
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. In 2012, in a de facto recognition of statehood, it was designated a non-member observer state by the United Nations, and it is recognized by over 72% of UN member states. Palestine shares borders with Israel to the west and north, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. The state comprises the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The population of Palestine exceeds five million people, and covers an area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi). Jerusalem is its proclaimed capital and the official language is Arabic. The majority of Palestinians practice Islam while Christianity also has a significant presence. Rafah is the largest city and Ramallah serves as the administrative center.
Biodiversity in Israel and Palestine is about the fauna and flora in the geographical region of Israel and of the Palestinian National Authority. This geographical area within the historical region of Palestine extends from the Jordan River and Wadi Araba in the east, to the Mediterranean Sea and the Sinai desert in the west, to Lebanon in the north, and to the gulf of Aqaba, or Eilat in the south.
Wadi Gaza and Besor Stream are parts of a river system in the Gaza Strip and Negev region of Palestine and Israel.
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to the lower course of the Jordan River, from the spot where it exits the Sea of Galilee in the north, to the end of its course where it flows into the Dead Sea in the south. In a wider sense, the term may also cover the Dead Sea basin and the Arabah valley, which is the rift valley segment beyond the Dead Sea and ending at Aqaba/Eilat, 155 km (96 mi) farther south.
Almog is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, near the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea, in the Jordan Rift Valley, organized as a kibbutz. It is under the jurisdiction of the Megilot Regional Council. In 2022 its population was 236. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the State of Palestine:
The water resources of Palestine are de facto fully controlled by Israel, and the division of groundwater is subject to provisions in the Oslo II Accord.
Nader Al-Khateeb is the General Director of the Water and Environmental Development Organization (WEDO), a non-profit Palestinian organization that promotes a number of environmental programs and projects centered on water quality control, water conservation, wastewater treatment and reuse, as well as solid waste management and recycling. He was also the Palestinian Director of EcoPeace Middle East. EcoPeace Middle East is a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. It has offices in Amman, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv, employs 40 paid staff and actively involves hundreds of volunteers.
Water conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) primarily deals with three major river basins: the Jordan River Basin, the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin, and the Nile River Basin. The MENA region covers roughly 11.1 million square km. There are three major deserts in the MENA region:
The Valley of Peace initiative is an effort to promote economic cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and Palestine based around efforts and joint projects in the Arava/Arabah Valley, along which runs the southern portion of the Israel - Jordan border. It received the personal attention and support of Shimon Peres, President of Israel. The initiative involved ongoing joint efforts by regional leaders to launch joint new industrial and economic projects, which will create new local businesses and job growth, and promote ongoing cooperation.
The three-state solution, also called the Egyptian–Jordanian solution or the Jordan–Egypt option, is an approach to peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict by returning control of the West Bank to Jordan and control of the Gaza Strip to Egypt.
The Yarkon-Taninim Aquifer, also known as the Western Mountain Aquifer of Israel/Palestine, is the western and larger part of the Mountain Aquifer, which also contains the Eastern and the smaller North-Eastern (Mountain) Aquifers. The Mountain Aquifer and the Coastal Aquifer are the main aquifers shared by Israel in its pre-1967 borders, and Palestine .It has been the main longterm reservoir of the Israeli water system.
Israel–Palestine relations refers to the political, security, economical and other relations between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. Israel and the PLO began to engage in the late 1980s and early 1990s in what became the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, culminated with the Oslo Accords in 1993. Shortly after, the Palestinian National Authority was established and during the next 6 years formed a network of economic and security connections with Israel, being referred to as a fully autonomous region with self-administration. In the year 2000, the relations severely deteriorated with the eruption of the Al-Aqsa Intifada – a rapid escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The events calmed down in 2005, with reconciliation and cease fire. The situation became more complicated with the split of the Palestinian Authority in 2007, the violent split of Fatah and Hamas factions, and Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas takeover resulted in a complete rift between Israel and the Palestinian faction in the Gaza Strip, cancelling all relations except limited humanitarian supply.
Wadi Auja, also spelled Ouja, known in Hebrew as Nahal Yitav is a valley or stream, in the West Bank, originating near the Ein Samia spring and flowing to Al-Auja near Jericho before it runs into the Jordan River.
By granting substantial financial benefits to the settlers, as well as by licensing Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories Ltd., 44.5 per cent of whose shares are owned by the settlements of 'Mitzpe Shalem' and 'Kalia,' to mine and manufacture products that utilise the mud extracted from the occupied Dead Sea area, Israel is openly in violation of its obligations as an Occupying Power in the OPT. It is encouraging and facilitating the exploitation of Palestinian natural resources and actively assisting their pillaging by private actors.
The Dead Sea abounds in valuable minerals, principally large deposits of potash and bromine. Israel and Jordan together derive some USD 4.2 billion in annual sales of these products, and account for 6 percent of the world's supply of potash and fully 73 percent of global bromine output. Demand for both these products is projected to remain strong, with the Dead Sea a cheap and easily exploited source. There is no reason to suppose that Palestinian investors along with prospective international partners would not be able to reap the benefits of this market, provided they were able to access the resource. Taking as a benchmark the average value added by these industries to the Jordanian and the Israeli economies, the Palestinian economy could derive up to USD 918 million per annum –equal to 9 percent of 2011 GDP, almost equivalent to the size of the entire Palestinian manufacturing sector
