This section of the
North African/Southwest Asia realm is the pivotal area. It is a region of
historical and current unrest and it is the land bridge that connects Africa
and Asia. Five countries lie in this region: Iraq, the largest in
population and territory; Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.
The state of Israel was established as a Jewish homeland in Palestine in
1948. Its people, who had been for centuries scattered all over the
world, have historical ties with the region that date back more than 3,000
years. However, the Jews' claim to the land conflicts with that of the
Palestinian Arabs, whose historical ties are also strong. A state of
hostility between Israel and neighboring Arab countries has existed ever
since.(see geopolitical issues)
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ISRAEL AT A GLANCE * LAND: Israel is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel can be divided into four main areas which include the fertile densely populated strip of the Mediterranean coastal plains; the central hills extending from Galilee in the north to Judea in the center; the Great Rift Valley running the length of the eastern borders to the Gulf of Aqaba; and the Negev desert in the south. The river Jordan flows south along the Great Rift Valley and into the Dead Sea. CAPITAL:Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. However, most countries maintain their embassies in the largest city, Tel Aviv ,rather than in the disputed capital of Jerusalem. PEOPLE: population: 6,433,000. 80% Jewish and 20% Arab. Hebrew is the official language but Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority. English is also widely spoken. RELIGION: 80% Judaism and 15% Sunni Muslim. There are also Christians and Druzes GOVERNMENT: Israel is a republic. Its Head of State is President Moshe Katsav. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the Likud Party. . The legislative branch is called the Knesset. ECONOMY: Israel's progress
toward economic growth and stability has been greatly helped by financial aid
from the United States and support from Jewish communities world wide. GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES : The creation of a Jewish homeland on Arab land has been the source of on-going hostilities (see geopolitical issues). The status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is still unclear. Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to transfer land from Israeli occupation to Palestinian control has been stalled since the election of Netanyahu in 1996, and its permanent status is yet to be determined. There are 202 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 26 in East Jerusalem (the Arab section of Jerusalem) (CIA World Facttbook) Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War, and it remains occupied by Israel. * Statistics from the 2004 World Almanac |
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Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon
The ancient land of Mesopotamia
is now called Iraq. This was the site of one of the earliest
civilizations in the world (see overview).
Later the Persians, Greeks, and Arabs conquered the land. Mongol and
Turkish conquests led to a decline in population, economic, and cultural life,
and the irrigation system. After the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in World War I, Britain
received a League of Nations mandate over Iraq. It gained independence in
1932, and after a revolt, became a republic in 1958. The Baath Arab
Socialist Party has ruled since 1968 with Saddam Hussein in office since
1979. Since then, Iraq has fought an 8-year war with Iran over control of
the Shatt-al-Arab; bombed and used nerve gas on
the Iraqi Kurds living in the north; invaded Kuwait which resulted in the
Persian Gulf War; and continues to attempt
to develop weapons of mass destruction. In the aftermath of the Persian
Gulf War, the United Nations placed economic sanctions on Iraq and required
Iraq to dismantle and scrap its weapons of mass destruction. In the aftermath
of the September 11 , 2001 attacks on the United States and the fear of Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction the US
led an invasion of Iraq in March of 2003 and the ouster the Saddam Hussein regime. Coalition forces remain in the country to
help rebuild the infrastructure of the country and to facilitate the
establishment of an elected democratic government.
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IRAQ AT A GLANCE * LAND: Iraq is located at the north-western end of the Persian Gulf and it is bordered by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, and Iran to the east. Southwestern Iraq is a desert, while the northeast is mountainous. In between is the fertile Tigris-Euphrates River basin. CAPITAL:Baghdad. The Arab invaders founded Baghdad and it was from here that the caliph ruled a vast empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. PEOPLE: Population 25,175,000. Arabs comprise 75-80% of the population and Kurds make up between 15 and 20 %. Arabic is the official language. Kurdish is also spoken. RELIGION: 97% are Muslims and Islam is the official religion. Animosity and hostilities between the majority Shiite Muslims (60-65 %) and the minority, but ruling Sunni Muslims have added to instability in Iraq. GOVERNMENT: The government is in transition as since the American-led ousting of Saddam Hussein who had been the dictatorial president of Iraq since 1979. The U.S. military commander in Iraq is General John Abizaid. The U.S. Civilian administrator is Paul Bremer. There is a 25 member governing council. ECONOMY: Oil has been the mainstay of the Iraqi economy, though 30% of the population works in agriculture. Cultivated land is concentrated in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. Vegetables and cereals of the most important crops, but international sanctions have damaged trade in recent years. GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES: Iran and
Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but, they have not as yet settled
their outstanding disputes from their 8-year war. Still in dispute are:
demarcation of the border between Iran and Iraq, prisoners-of-war, and
freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab. Iraq disputes Turkey's water development and the building of upstream dams
on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. * Statistics from the 2004 World Almanac |
This area was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century; the Ottoman's took
control in the 16th; and the it became part of the Palestinian mandate given to
Britain by the United Nations after World War I. Abdullah, son of the
ruler of Hajez in Arabia, was installed by Britain as emir of an autonomous
Transjordan, covering two-thirds of Palestine. An independent kingdom was
proclaimed in 1946. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Transjordan annexed
the West Bank and East Jerusalem and changed its name to Jordan. These
territories were lost to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
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JORDAN AT A GLANCE * LAND: Jordan shares a frontier with Israel to the west, Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south. It has a short coastline in the far southwest. This is the Gulf of Aqaba which gives Jordan access to the Red Sea. Most of the country is arid with only a small fertile area in the west. Jordan shares the Dead Sea with Israel. CAPITAL: Jordan's capital Amman lies about 50 miles east of the Jordan River. Amman is a new town, built almost entirely since the 1880s over the ruins of the Roman city of Philadelphia. PEOPLE: Population 5,473,000 -98% are Arabs. Arabic is the official language. RELIGION: Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4% GOVERNMENT: Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. King Hussein who died in 1999 had been the Head of State since 1952. His son, Abdullah is his successor. ECONOMY: Irrigated and dry farming produce vegetables, cereals, lentils, olives, and fruit; only 4% of the land is arable. Sheep and goats are kept for meat and milk. The discovery of phosphates and potash reserves have boosted the country's industrial development. GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES: Jordan is
the only Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel. This treaty,
signed on Oct 26, 1994, formally ended the state of war between Jordan
and Israel that had existed since 1948. (see the Treaty of Peace Between the
State of Israel and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)
King Abdullah of Jordan * Statistics from the 2004 World Almanac |
Lebanon was settled in about 3000 BCE by the Phoenicians. The
Phoenician city of Tyre fell to Alexander
the Great in 332 BCE, and later the region was conquered by the
Romans. Early in the 7th century, Syrian Christians founded a Maronite
community in what is now northern Lebanon. Arabs settled in the south and
adopted the Druze faith; Sunni Muslims predominated in the coastal towns.
By the 19th century the Maronites had expanded into southern Lebanon, and
in 1861 the French compelled the ruling Ottomans to establish Mount Lebanon as
an autonomous Christian district.
After the defeat of the Ottomans, the region fell under a UN mandate given to
the French. The French created the present day boundaries of Lebanon that
were established to protect the Maronites, but included Shiite and Sunni
Muslims. Lebanon received independence in 1946, but the delicate balance
between the religious groups was disrupted with the influx of the rural Muslims
and refugees who fled into Beirut during the Arab-Israeli wars. The Palestine
Liberation Organization set up headquarters in southern Lebanon from which
it launched attacks against Israel.
In 1975 a Civil War erupted when the Palestinians clashed with the Christian controlled government. Syrian troops intervened the following year and they were joined by UN peace-keeping troops. A 1982 invasion of Lebanon by the Israelis drove the Palestinians into Beirut, which then became the background for rival militias. The PLO evacuated the city as Israeli troops entered west Beirut. The massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in a refugee camp by a Christian militia was blamed on the Israel. Israel withdrew from Beirut but left a "security force" in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border.
Bombings and kidnappings became common in Beirut. In 1983, 241 US service men died in their barracks in Beirut following a Muslim suicide bombing. Many British, French, Soviet, and American citizens in Lebanon were kidnapped by various militant factions.
The chaos in Lebanon ended when Syria and Lebanon signed a peace
treaty. Syrian troops today control half the country, Palestinians still
control areas. Israel withdrew its troops from South Lebanon in May of
2000, leaving Hezbullah , an
Iranian-backed guerilla group in control of the region.
Situated on ancient trade and military routes between the Mediterranean and
Mesopotamia, Syria was part of Akkadia- one of the earliest urban
civilizations. It was ruled by many different civilizations when the
Arabs came in the 7th century and the people of the area converted to
Islam. Syria was the scene of many battles during the Crusades. The
crusaders seized much of Syria but were expelled in 1187 by the Kurdish general Saladin. Taken by the Ottoman Turks
in 1516, Syria was then part of the French mandate that included Lebanon after
Turkey defeat in World War I.
Syria fought against Israel in the four Arab-Israeli wars. The country
suffered a major defeat when in the 1967 war Israel captured the Golan Heights
from Syria. Syria attempted to regain the Heights during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but Israel defeated
Syria and further entrenched its military presence on the Heights.
During the Persian Gulf War, Syria
joined the coalition forces against its old rival Iraq and thus improved its
relations with the west.
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SYRIA AT A GLANCE * LAND: Syria lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. To the north is Turkey, to the east Iraq, to the south Jordan, to the southwest Israel, and to the west Lebanon and the Mediterranean coast. Syria's Mediterranean seaboard extends 119 miles between Turkey and Lebanon and is one of the country's most fertile and densely populated areas. Inland are the mountains. Extending north and east from the mountains is a broad, semiarid plateau that turns into the Syrian Desert. CAPITAL: Damascus, the capital of Syria has been continuously inhabited since 2500 BCE. PEOPLE: Population: 17, 800,000 90% Arab. Kurds also live in Syria Arabic is the official language. Also spoken is Kurdish and Armenian. RELIGION: 74% are Sunni Muslims but the ruling Baath Party is controlled by Alawites - a Shiite Muslim sect. There are many other religious minorities, including Druze Muslims and some Christian denominations such as Greek Orthodox. GOVERNMENT: Hafez al-Assad , the president since 1971, died in 2000 and was succeeded by his son, Bashar al-Assad. Although the 1973 constitution defines Syria as a "socialist popular democracy", there is only one political party, the Baath party, which has ruled since 1958. ECONOMY: Military spending consumes two-thirds of the budget of Syria. Chief crops are cotton, tobacco, and grains. Industries include textile and food processing. There is a modest amount of oil in Syria and this provides the leading source of export revenue. GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES: The Golan Heights is under Israeli occupation. Although no conflicts have erupted along this border, Syria fights its war against Israel in Lebanon by backing the terrorist group Hezbullah. Syria objects to Turkey's water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. * Statistics from the 2004 World Almanac |
PALESTINE - The West Bank and Gaza Strip
There is no country of Palestine and Palestine is many things to many
people. Palestinians refers to the Arabs who were living in Palestine in
1948 when the state of Israel was formed. Palestine is the name given to
the region by the Romans in 70CE. It was named after the Philistines who
inhabited the area. Some Palestinians still refer to the whole region
(Isreal, Gaza Strip, and West Bank) as Palestine. More recently,
Palestine refers specifically to the areas that some hope will become the new country
of Palestine, The West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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PALESTINE AT A GLANCE * LAND: Palestine was created by the Oslo Accord, and its boundaries are still under negotiation. It has been created from land that was conquered by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War. Presently it consists of most of the Gaza Strip (except those areas occupied by Jewish settlers), and about 30% of the West Bank. The Arab controlled cities of Ramallah, Jenin, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus on the West Bank are separated by Israeli occupied territory. CAPITAL: For now the capital of Palestine is Gaza City. Palestinians hope that East Jerusalem will become the capital. PEOPLE: There are 1,274,868 people living on the 140 square mile Gaza Strip and 2,237,194 people living on the West Bank. The population on the West Bank and in Gaza consists mainly of Arabs but Jewish settlers also live here. Many of the Arabs live in refugee camps that were created by the United Nations. RELIGION: Most Palestinians are Sunni Muslim. GOVERNMENT: The Palestine National Authority (PNA) has control over the affairs of its citizens on the Gaza Strip and in the six Arab cities on the West Bank. Elections will be held on January 9, 2005 to replace the first president, Yassir Arafat. ECONOMY: The economy of Palestine is dependent mainly on Israel. Workers from the West Bank and Gaza enter Israel to work. Border closures due to Israeli security concerns greatly hurt the economy. GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES: The peace
process has slowed as Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli retaliation
has caused many to fear the unraveling of the peace agreement and an era of
renewed conflict in the region. Israeli settlements continue in Arab
East Jerusalem and on the West Bank. Jewish settlements surround and
fragment Arab territory. The “security fence” that Israel is building
on the West Bank which separates Israeli and Palestinian property is also a
source of friction. Israel sees
the measure as necessary to its security while the Palestinians settlements
become isolated and disconnected from each other.
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