History of the State of Palestine

Palestine, an historic area in the Middle East, is currently controlled by Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Various proposals have been introduced to reconfigure the states in this area and create a new state named "Palestine":

• One plan is to establish a new nation "Palestine" on the shores of the Mediterrenean Sea and bordering on Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. This new state would incorporate the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the land currently comprising the state of Israel. This is generally seen as a strictly Arab or Islamic state, from which Jews would be forced to emigrate. Some advocates envision the state as a federation of seperate Jewish and Arab areas; others, as one large, multi-ethnic state. The Palestininan Authority and some other Arab groups publish maps that depict the proposed nation as already existing.

• Another plan is to create a Palestinian state out of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with its capital in East Jerusalem. This would require Israel to return its borders to the Green Line, the borders before the 1967 Six Day War. This long-extant idea forms the basis of a peace plan put forward by Saudi Arabia in March 2002.

• Other, more limited plans for a Palestinian state have also been put forward, which would see parts of Gaza and the West Bank which have been settled by Israelis or are of particular strategic importance remaining in Israeli hands. The status of Jerusalem is particularly contentious. Some groups, such as the Catholic church, favour giving the city a special international status independent of either Israel or a Palestinian state.