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Everything About Palestine (State of Palestine) | Geography, History, Culture and Life

—

by

eduKate Asia
Original illustration of three fictional adults studying an illustrated book and a handmade terraced-hills and olive-tree model in an imagined library.

What can you learn about Palestine? Begin with a place, an everyday practice or a question. These twenty chapters connect geography, history, community life and creativity. Read from the beginning, or choose a route and explore the subjects that interest you.

Choose a reading route: country foundations, everyday life, culture and discovery, or connections and perspectives. Each route leads to the complete chapters.

At a glance

  • Location: UN M49 groups the State of Palestine in Western Asia.

Source: UN M49.

This educational overview is not a travel itinerary or personalised medical, legal or financial advice. Historical places, programmes and cultural accounts do not establish current safety, access or service availability. Surveys, historical accounts and institutional plans answer different questions. Their dates and limits matter when comparing experiences or deciding what to investigate next.

Cover illustration: original AI-generated artwork of three fictional adults studying an illustrated book and a handmade terraced-hills and olive-tree model in an imagined library. This is a nonliteral artistic composite, not a photograph, an accurate map, an exact view of a named place or a representation of all Palestinian communities or territories. It does not depict current conditions or establish safety, access or the condition of real buildings.

Choose your reading route

Country foundations

Everyday life

Culture and discovery

Connections and perspectives

Chapter 1: Geography and regional landscapes

Regions and relief

The United Nations M49 classification places the State of Palestine in Western Asia, within Asia. Its row carries numerical code 275 and alphabetical code PSE. These groupings serve statistical purposes; the UN explains that they do not imply a position on political affiliation. Source 1.1

A 2011 Environment Quality Authority report describes several contrasting landscapes. The Eastern Slopes extend from eastern Jenin towards Hebron, forming a transition between the Central Highlands and the Jordan Valley. The highlands are mountainous and hilly, with elevations described as ranging from 400 to 1,020 metres. The report also distinguishes a narrow semi coastal strip from the coastal zone in the Gaza Strip. The highland zone was described as approximately 120 kilometres long and fifty kilometres wide. Its classification draws on an earlier Ministry of Agriculture account, which also places the Eastern Slopes between zero and 800 metres above sea level. Source 1.2

Images and historical maps

A NASA caption provides a regional view of the Dead Sea, based on an ASTER observation from the Terra satellite on 22 May 2006. Highlands and plateaus end in escarpments beside the rift. The caption contrasts greener eastern land with the arid tan of the West Bank and identifies dark blue irrigated squares along the eastern and southeastern shores. It also describes the Lisan Peninsula as a land bridge in that scene, which extends beyond Palestinian territory. Source 1.3

Historical maps organise the landscape differently. The Palestine Land Society describes its Atlas of Palestine, covering 1917 to 1966, as an enlarged and edited version of an atlas published in 2004. The publisher lists 1,600 towns and villages, 16,000 landmarks and 30,000 place names among its contents. Its description also identifies 65 tables and 125 illustrative maps, diagrams and photographs, alongside 150 pages analysing historical borders, land ownership and population composition. Source 1.4

Water and changing spaces

Beneath the West Bank, a Palestinian Water Authority account published in January 2018 identifies Eastern, Northeastern and Western groundwater basins, each containing multiple aquifers. It describes rainfall entering the ground through fractures and fissures in rock. Recharge varies between years with the amount, intensity and duration of rainfall. Vegetation, soil type and soil structure also influence how much water reaches the aquifers. Wells and springs connect these underground stores with water supply. Source 1.5

Maps also record changes in lived space. A May 2026 Lund University account describes Birzeit researcher Salem Thawaba comparing map layers from different years through Geographic Information Systems. His analysis combines land divisions, crossings, terminals, the separation wall, settlements and bypass roads. In Al Dahriya and Tarqumiya, in Hebron Governorate, he argues that barriers and access restrictions influence where buildings appear and the direction in which towns grow. Source 1.6

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Chapter 2: History and political change

International decisions

On 29 November 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 67/19 by 138 votes to nine, with 41 abstentions. It accorded Palestine nonmember observer State status while preserving the Palestine Liberation Organization's existing rights, privileges and representative role. That was distinct from full UN membership: the resolution separately expressed hope that the Security Council would favourably consider the membership application submitted in September 2011. Source 2.1

An earlier resolution concerned a proposed future government. Resolution 181, adopted on 29 November 1947 by 33 votes to thirteen with ten abstentions, envisaged a commission representing five UN member states, selected on a geographically broad basis. Its plan proposed transferring administration as the mandatory power withdrew, establishing Arab and Jewish provisional councils, and treating the City of Jerusalem separately. It also said village areas should generally not be divided by state boundaries unless pressing reasons required it. The proposed commission could issue regulations for its administrative responsibilities. Source 2.2

Refugees and documentary collections

Resolution 194, adopted on 11 December 1948, established a Conciliation Commission of three UN member states. Paragraph eleven addressed refugees wishing to return home and live peacefully with their neighbours, saying they should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date. It also addressed compensation for property belonging to those choosing not to return, and for specified loss and damage. The Commission was instructed to facilitate repatriation, resettlement, economic and social rehabilitation, and compensation. Source 2.3

UNRWA's photographic and film archive preserves another kind of historical record. Its institutional description lists negatives, prints, slides, films and videocassettes documenting Palestine refugee life. Subjects include departure from homes in 1948, the establishment of camps in the 1950s, further flight in 1967 and events in Lebanon. UNRWA records the archive's inscription in UNESCO's Memory of the World list in 2009. Digitisation is described as supporting preservation, classification and dissemination of the material. Source 2.4

Historical reference and memory

PalQuest offers an organised reference platform for modern Palestinian history. Its overall chronology sits alongside thematic chronologies and explanatory highlights. Biographies focus on people, while a document section brings together historical texts, photographs, maps and charts. This structure lets readers approach a subject through a sequence of events, a selected theme, an individual life or a documentary record. Source 2.5

At Birzeit University, the Pluralistic Memories Project collected detailed personal interviews from people of different backgrounds and areas, alongside a survey in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The project describes its archive as a resource for social science research and cooperation between universities. Activities included a Rethinking Memory Studies conference, a creative writing workshop for children around Ramallah and discussion sessions with university students about memory, collective identity and life under settler colonialism within the project's stated framework. Source 2.6

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Chapter 3: Languages and belonging

Population coverage and Arabic vocabulary

Who belongs within a statistical account depends on its rules. PCBS describes the 2017 census as covering people present on the morning of 1 December, regardless of citizenship or reason for being there. It also included specified temporarily absent Palestinians with families inside Palestine and detainees in Israeli prisons. People absent for a year or more were excluded, except students abroad. Its stated geographic coverage was the West Bank and Gaza, not the whole diaspora. Source 3.1

Language resources can reveal differences within that geography. The Maknuune lexicon, presented in December 2022, contained more than 36,000 entries from about 17,000 lemmas and 3,700 roots. Entries combine vocalised Arabic spelling, phonological transcription and English meanings. Some add inflections, associated phrases, usage notes or examples. The authors explicitly limited the initial phase to Palestinian Arabic varieties spoken in the West Bank, recognising variation across urban, rural and Bedouin settings as well as other social dimensions. Source 3.2

Signing and language study

A May 2025 research preprint explored mathematics accessibility through Palestinian Sign Language recognition. Its authors created a dataset of 41 mathematical gesture classes, recorded by specialists in the language. They then fine tuned a Vision Transformer for classification. The work describes a research resource and technical approach, not a survey of all signers or verified classroom deployment. Source 3.3

Birzeit's Palestine and Arabic Studies programme combines language learning with social sciences. Its academic description specifies four levels of Modern Standard Arabic and three colloquial levels using the Jerusalem dialect. Social science courses, taught in English, address politics, sociology, literature and history in Palestinian and wider Arab contexts. The programme presents Arabic as part of culture rather than separating language teaching from those surrounding subjects. Source 3.4

Children and a Jerusalem school

A different study examined children's everyday conversation. Tala Nazzal and Anna Gavarró's corpus, published online in June 2025, includes sixteen children aged nineteen to fifty eight months and their adult interlocutors. Families recruited through the first author's networks recorded spontaneous interactions between February and August 2021. Parents were encouraged to use play, questions and discussion of life events to encourage conversation. Transcripts were prepared in Arabic and a romanised system; eleven families permitted their transcripts to enter the CHILDES platform. The sample is local research, not a national language census. Source 3.5

Lance Levenson's Jerusalem Armenian school study, first published in March 2023, describes Western Armenian for Armenological subjects, compulsory Hebrew and Arabic, and English as the main instructional language. During the 2020 study period, school posts used Armenian and English and featured artwork, assemblies, performances and other ordinary activities. Digital observation was combined with participant observation and interviews with ten graduates aged nineteen to twenty five. Current pupils were not interviewed because of ethical limitations. Source 3.6

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Chapter 4: Institutions and public life

Law and elections

The amended Basic Law promulgated in March 2003 sets out a historical constitutional framework. It describes the people as the source of power, exercised through legislative, executive and judicial authorities under separation of powers. Other articles provide for political pluralism, government accountability to the president and legislature, and institutions subject to law. Equality before the judiciary and respect for basic rights are stated commitments, not evidence that every institution has implemented them. Source 4.1

The Central Elections Commission's July 2022 report covers local elections held in two phases, on 11 December 2021 and 26 March 2022. The round took place in the West Bank without Gaza participation. Jerusalem governorate localities participated, although the city itself was excluded. The Commission also described a code opposing the concealment of female candidates' names and photographs during campaigning, while explaining that compliance required a binding legal amendment. Source 4.2

Oversight and complaints

An independent evaluation examined the Independent Commission for Human Rights during its 2019 to 2022 strategic plan. Finland's foreign ministry published a summary in September 2025, reporting the evaluators' view that the Commission combined ombudsman and national human rights roles. They identified political division, absent elections and judicial weaknesses as constraints. Recommendations included broader complaint handling authority for regional offices, expanded detention centre oversight, monitoring of training and stronger follow through on legislative recommendations. Source 4.3

The State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau's 2024 summary describes its own caseload. It reported receiving 378 complaints and statements, releasing 233 reports and continuing follow up on 145. Separately, forty of 45 institutional requests had been processed, with others continuing into 2025. Three reports involving suspicions of corruption were referred to the Anti Corruption Commission. These are categories of administrative work, not a count of proven corruption offences. Source 4.4

International law and youth participation

International legal assessments form another part of public life. In its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory was unlawful and should end as rapidly as possible. The Court's published unofficial summary also records obligations to cease new settlement activity and provide reparation. It describes duties of other states not to recognise the unlawful situation or assist in maintaining it. This was an advisory opinion, not a criminal conviction. Source 4.5

Youth participation has its own organisational settings. In November 2022, AMAN and Sharek announced a voluntary Youth Accountability Forum bringing together 35 young men and women. Membership included graduates of the Integrity Schools, and the forum was based at the Youth Village in Kafr Ni'ma. Its stated aims involved accountability and joint solutions with relevant authorities. A constituent assembly elected the board under the supervision of the two partner organisations. Source 4.6

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Chapter 5: Economy and livelihoods

Payments and economic priorities

Payment infrastructure was part of the Palestine Monetary Authority's 2023 planning. Its annual report said the regulatory and operational framework for iBURAQ had been completed, with launch anticipated in the first quarter of 2024. The proposed central system was designed for immediate retail credit transfers between customers of banks and payment service companies, with funds transferred and received around the clock. This describes the historical design, not a verified service launch. Source 5.1

The World Bank's May 2026 economic update placed protection of vulnerable people, restoration of essential services and stabilisation of public finances among its immediate priorities. It advocated better revenue collection and efficiency rather than indiscriminate spending cuts, with reforms sequenced alongside social protection and predictable donor support. Other recommendations concerned finance for smaller firms, entrepreneurship and women's economic participation. International financing and technical assistance were presented as support for reconstruction, public institutions and sectoral recovery. Source 5.2

Statistics and export development

Understanding economic publications also means understanding revisions. PCBS national accounts metadata explains that preliminary and revised series are labelled and tables carry annotations about methodological changes. It describes quarterly GDP estimates as consistent with annual estimates. Annual and quarterly bulletins published in Arabic and English contain notes on sources, transactions, compilation techniques and deflators. The metadata says there were no separate specialised methodology publications beyond these bulletin notes. Source 5.3

EU4Trade is a PalTrade initiative with European Union support, designed for July 2024 to July 2027 and covering the West Bank and Gaza. Its proposed assistance for thirty companies includes product development, branding, certification and trial shipments. The programme also describes training in export and business skills, a market intelligence hub providing data and trends, and a Rotterdam hub intended to connect Palestinian exporters with European and other international markets. Source 5.4

Local industry and olive livelihoods

A local industrial proposal centres on footwear in Hebron. An Italian cooperation account records the launch of the Shoe Village project on 15 October 2025 with UNIDO and the Palestinian Ministry of Industry. Italian funding of 4.2 million euros supported a three year initiative intended to create a production cluster. Its planned components included infrastructure, technologies and training facilities, with goals of improving production efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of industrial processes. Source 5.5

Olive livelihoods also feature in training partnerships. In June 2023, FAO described a programme organised with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and supported by the Netherlands through an EBRD fund. Training began in the West Bank and was repeated in Gaza, with each regional course combining one theoretical session and three practical field days. Italian producers and experts participated. The account placed a sector review, an exchange visit to Puglia and later seasonal training in the programme's follow up plans. Source 5.6

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Chapter 6: Homes and everyday community life

Households and shared support

The 2017 household expenditure survey offers a dated account of how household life was studied. PCBS used a two stage sample, selecting 391 enumeration areas and then twelve households within each selected area. Strata combined governorates with urban, rural and refugee camp locality types, and 3,739 households responded. Collection was conducted face to face. Record keeping covered October 2016 to September 2017, while durable goods, tuition and cars used longer reference periods. Jerusalem was treated as two statistical areas within the governorate classification. Source 6.1

A UNFPA account dated 6 July 2025 describes spaces supporting women and girls in Gaza where they remained operational. It reported around 3,000 service recipients between January and May, with psychosocial support and referrals to legal and health services. The account also records earlier provision of hygiene kits. A caption describes an arts and crafts session with the Culture and Free Thought Association. This historical provider account cannot establish present availability or safe access. Source 6.2

Community projects and livelihoods

In Aida Camp near Bethlehem, Lajee's environmental programme links community participation with water management, waste and connections to agriculture. Its description places volunteers and local young people within project development. Staff, women and students participated in water monitoring training, while rooftop gardens served as demonstrations for residents. Environmental education also addresses recycling materials such as paper, wood, tyres and bottles. The organisation describes support from its international summer camp, publications and independent donations. Source 6.3

UNDP's May 2019 account describes DEEP as an economic empowerment partnership with the Palestinian government, principally funded through the Islamic Development Bank's Al Aqsa Fund. It targeted poor households and people vulnerable because of youth, gender or disability. NGO and microfinance partners provided routes to financial services and other economic tools. The account states that DEEP concluded in 2019 after being institutionalised within government. Source 6.4

Historic neighbourhoods and inclusion

Historic neighbourhoods are also places to live. Taawon's Old Cities Revitalization Programme aims to help residents remain in historic spaces while improving social and economic conditions. Its components include restoration of residential buildings and public heritage facilities, documentation and archiving, and training local workers in restoration. Awareness work and support for heritage linked livelihoods and small businesses sit alongside those physical conservation activities. Source 6.5

A 2025 Humanity and Inclusion study examined barriers to disability inclusion in humanitarian services. RoadWise researchers combined a survey with 27 respondents from organisations, nineteen interviews and six focus groups in the West Bank with a literature based review for Gaza. Education, protection and health were central sectors, with attention also to water, sanitation, shelter, food security and social protection. The authors explicitly described the work as not statistically representative: triangulated patterns were intended to inform analysis rather than stand as national prevalence figures. Source 6.6

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Chapter 7: Learning and education

Education planning and emergency learning

The Ministry of Education's April 2017 sector plan set inclusive and equitable access to quality education among its goals for 2017 to 2022. It proposed school self management, continuing staff development and coordination with teacher training institutions so student teachers could gain practical experience. Its inclusion goal extended from preschool to higher and nonformal education, with attention to disability and exclusion. Maintaining enrolment and participation formed part of the historical plan. The plan distinguished vocational, scientific and humanities tracks. Source 7.1

In January 2026, UNICEF announced plans to expand Back to Learning to 336,000 children in Gaza. The target concerned a network of nonformal learning centres, combining education with mental health and psychosocial support. UNICEF described working with education partners and the Palestinian Ministry of Education. Its spokesperson presented the initiative as a bridge towards restoring formal schooling, not a substitute for schools. Source 7.2

University advocacy and early childhood

Universities also organise advocacy around education. Birzeit's Right to Education Campaign describes work documenting, researching and raising awareness of problems facing Palestinian students, teachers and academic institutions. Its account identifies affiliated groups at An Najah in Nablus, Hebron University and Al Quds in Abu Dis. Branches collaborate on major projects while addressing issues particular to their universities. The campaign also seeks to build international support for students, teachers and educational institutions. Source 7.3

Anera's early childhood programme combines work on learning spaces with support for teachers and families. Its provider description explains that in service training encourages active, child centred classrooms, followed by mentorship as teachers practise new approaches. Renovations include reading corners, water fountains and shaded playgrounds. Hayya Naqra, or Let's Read, supplies materials and dedicated reading spaces in classrooms and community centres. Parenting activities encourage families to participate in children's education. Source 7.4

Reading together and classroom research

Tamer dates its reading promotion campaign to 1992. Its Arabic account describes National Reading Week as an annual April initiative involving community and school libraries, cultural centres, popular committees and youth groups across towns, villages and camps. Father Read to Me, launched in 2011, encourages fathers and other family members to read with children. A separate book donation campaign gathers books for libraries with limited resources and for new collections in marginalised or remote places. Source 7.5

Classroom research provides a more tightly defined perspective. Asad Atwan's July 2020 study involved 62 female university students in the basic education teaching department taking mathematics and its teaching methods at Al Aqsa University in Gaza. Thirty two students formed a flipped classroom group, while thirty received conventional teaching. The researcher prepared a mathematical power test for the study. Its published abstract reported positive effects for the flipped approach within this sample, not an assessment of all Palestinian classrooms. Source 7.6

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Chapter 8: Health and community care

Rehabilitation and community support

A 6 May 2025 announcement records the inauguration of rehabilitation outpatient centres in Ramallah and Qabatiya in the West Bank. The Ministry of Health operated the facilities, developed with WHO and UNOPS and Korean funding through KOICA. Twenty eight professionals had been recruited, with teams spanning physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and mental health. WHO supported training, operational guidelines and equipment. The announcement records that opening, not present access or uninterrupted operation. Source 8.1

The Palestine Red Crescent Society's community health programme description connects volunteers, households and schools. It describes first aid training intended to help communities during emergencies, alongside public health training and supplies for volunteers. Training covers public health, nutrition and psychological support, while branch and chapter contingency plans form part of preparedness. Home care involves family and community members in supporting people who are ill or injured, older people and women after childbirth. School activities include health education and first aid training. Source 8.2

Campaign coordination and teaching

Coordination challenges are visible in the September 2024 Gaza polio campaign account. The first round ran in three phases from 1 to 12 September, using fixed sites, outreach posts and mobile teams reaching displaced families. Community workers engaged families before and during the campaign. The partners described damaged infrastructure, staffing limitations, insecurity and population movement as operational difficulties. Monitoring teams oversaw the work, and further independent checks were planned because the original target had been estimated without an accurate population survey. Source 8.3

Professional education was the subject of a UNFPA procurement notice published on 29 September 2026. It sought midwifery faculty training for West Bank universities, covering lecturers and clinical instructors. The proposed assignment aimed to strengthen teaching competencies and integrate evidence based content and simulation learning into curricula. A procurement request establishes a planned assignment, not delivered training. Source 8.4

Research and organisational roles

Community care also raises questions about independence and belonging. A research programme led by Hanna Kienzler proposed ethnographic and participatory work in the West Bank, Ghana and the United Kingdom, combined with legal and philosophical analysis. It aimed to examine how people understand support and community life, and the barriers facing people with mental health problems and their families. Intended outputs included experience reports, policy guidance, training materials and storyboards or films developed with participants. Source 8.5

The Palestinian Medical Relief Society describes an organisation spanning the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, with headquarters in Ramallah. Its institutional account separates programme directors from district managers. Programme staff develop strategies, monitor activities and prepare reports across locations. District coordinators manage local staff and projects, communicate challenges to senior management and relay community needs. The Women's Health Programme is used as an example of how a shared strategy and district implementation are connected. Source 8.6

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Chapter 9: Transport and digital connections

Municipal infrastructure and a road project

A World Bank account of municipal development during 2014 to 2018 describes grants for infrastructure selected through consultation, with assistance from the Municipal Development and Lending Fund. Newly merged municipalities received support for social infrastructure and capacity building. Support also covered planning, financial management and social accountability. Citizen Service Centres brought municipal functions such as bill payment, licences and permits together. Activities included road and public building maintenance, electronic governance and renewable energy pilots and reconstruction of Gaza municipal services damaged in the 2014 conflict. Source 9.1

A December 2016 Qatari reconstruction committee account records final acceptance of the third phase of Salah al Din Street rehabilitation. The section extended six kilometres from Al Matahin junction to the northern entrance of Al Maghazi, with a reported total road width of 52 metres. Its cost was approximately 22 million US dollars. The committee and Ministry of Public Works and Housing completed handover procedures after technical comments had been addressed. This historical record does not describe today's road conditions. Source 9.2

Emergency communications and research links

Emergency communications depend on coordination as well as equipment. The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster's report of 1 July 2024 describes a meeting with the Office of the Quartet and mobile operators Jawwal and Ooredoo. They discussed fuel and spare parts needed for repairs in Gaza. A separate meeting assessed additional information technology equipment needs and operational gaps. The account distinguished planned equipment delivery in Jerusalem from efforts to obtain approval to import devices into Gaza. Source 9.3

A ministry presentation on the Palestine National Research and Education Network, delivered in October 2022, discussed academic connectivity in a wider setting. It identified mobility restrictions, visas, equipment imports and limited sustainable finance as challenges. It also pointed to joint programmes between Palestinian and international universities, developments in technology, and the spread of open educational resources and open science. Research database subscription costs were another concern in this historical presentation. Source 9.4

Digital development and customs systems

Digital development was the focus of a 26 March 2021 World Bank grant approval worth twenty million US dollars. The proposed project targeted broadband in selected areas and selected electronic government services. Its phased design began with advice on purchasing bandwidth and broadband services. Selected post offices could become digital access points, while a unified portal and an emergency response centre for the West Bank were proposed. Support for the telecommunications regulator was another component of the approved design. Source 9.5

Tasdeer's customs programme describes a different use of digital systems. Working with the Ministry of Finance and UNCTAD, it proposed upgrading ASYCUDA World, the customs management system. The intended capabilities included better data analysis and reporting, electronic submission of documents and earlier identification of higher risk consignments. The proposed paperless design envisaged electronic documents preferably arriving before consignments. Source 9.6

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Chapter 10: Work, skills and opportunity

Training partnerships

Canada's SALALEM project profile covers October 2019 to September 2024 and names Catholic Relief Services as its partner. The design aimed to improve learning opportunities for young women and young people with disabilities in the West Bank and Gaza. Activities included curricula on life skills, internships, apprenticeships and small business management. Professional role models would participate in networking events, while interested employers could join workplace improvement pilots. A messaging campaign was another planned component. Source 10.1

An October 2024 factsheet describes the second phase of Demand Oriented Technical Vocational Education and Training, planned from March 2024 to February 2027. Commissioned by Germany's development ministry, it identifies the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as its region. Partners include the national vocational commission and the federation of chambers. Its goal was to connect private enterprise with vocational education, with attention to gender, green transformation and digitalisation. Source 10.2

Specialist skills and refugee education

UNESCO's TVET4Future account describes a 2021 to 2023 project funded by Belgium through Enabel. Activities included labour market analysis and an information system, alongside innovation hubs in tourism, technology and fashion design. Bootcamps, specialist youth training, skills packages and training for vocational educators were also listed. Digital, green and entrepreneurial skills were central components, with gender and disability inclusion integrated into the work. Source 10.3

UNRWA's vocational programme serves young Palestine refugees across its five fields of operation, not only residents of the State of Palestine. Its description distinguishes two year technician courses after successfully completing year twelve of secondary schooling from trade courses lasting one or two years. Career guidance considers interests, aptitude, skills and opportunities. The agency also identifies constraints: limited places, courses needing revision, continuing development for trainers and ageing equipment or workshops. New courses may replace existing provision rather than expand it. Source 10.4

Continuing education and hospitality

Birzeit's Centre for Continuing Education catalogue illustrates several professional learning formats. A sports management certificate, developed with the Palestine Football Association, comprises six modules and 210 hours. The catalogue describes a joint supply chain diploma with the Palestinian Shippers' Council, covering the movement of goods from agreement between buyer and seller through transport to the end user. Its digital transformation programme is described as six modules with eighty hours of blended learning. Source 10.5

Bethlehem University's 2014 to 2015 newsletter describes a hospitality curriculum launched with USAID on 18 December. The vocational modules were designed to complement existing academic programmes at the Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism. Twenty five courses were intended to provide practical training across segments of tourism and strengthen the industry's training capacity. The stated goal was to prepare graduates to meet market needs and provide quality services across the hospitality sector. Source 10.6

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11. Landscapes and habitats

Terraces and wetlands

Battir’s landscape, southwest of Jerusalem, links farming with the management of water. UNESCO describes cultivated valleys with stone terraces: some receive irrigation for market gardens, while others support vines and olive trees without irrigation. Channels carry water from underground sources, and village families share it through a traditional distribution system. Allocation follows a timed rotation and a mathematical calculation, making the organization of irrigation an integral part of this terraced cultural landscape. (Source 11.1).

UNDP’s Wadi Gaza project record describes a proposed natural park and greenway connecting five municipalities with the river and wetland. Its listed schedule ran from January 2018 to December 2025. The design included cleaning and rehabilitation, pollution control, access roads, a check dam and an operational management plan. Partners included environmental and local government authorities, water institutions and several UN agencies. It also proposed institutional arrangements for protection and a recreational facility managed through a public and private partnership. These are recorded plans, not confirmation of the wetland’s present condition. (Source 11.2).

Environmental learning and woodland

The Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University describes environmental education through posters, videos and workshops. Community posters, including Arabic versions, were developed with Geneva funding and the Zoï Environment Network. Other materials addressed climate, transport, biodiversity, agriculture and waste through cooperation with Enabel and Terre des Hommes Italy. Its listed webinars in September and October 2020 covered public participation, home and community gardening, volunteering, and environmental awareness focused on children. (Source 11.3).

A local reserve profile places Wadi Qana in the Central Highlands, in Salfite Governorate, near Deir Istiya, Kafr Thulth and Jinsafut. It describes oak woodland growing on limestone. The profile lists birds including chukar, common kestrel, bluethroat, bee eater and Palestine sunbird, alongside several kingfishers. Its plant inventory includes Palestine pistachio, lemon, common fig, mastic and storax. Other recorded birds include turtle dove, blackcap, song thrush and the short toed eagle. (Source 11.4).

Ravines and migratory birds

A 2014 heritage description presents Wadi Qelt as a steep ravine between Jerusalem and Jericho, with high rock walls. It recounts hermits living in caves and niches from the third century, followed by monastery construction in the fifth and sixth centuries. The account attributes most of the present church to a Greek Orthodox restoration in 1901. (Source 11.5).

Umm Al Rihan’s 2012 submission to UNESCO’s Tentative List describes a forest northwest of Jenin, near the Green Line. The submission places it in a semi coastal setting with Mediterranean woodland characteristics. It emphasizes the forest’s role as a passage and stopping place for migrating birds moving between coastal and depression areas. Indigenous vegetation also provides habitat for nesting and roosting birds. Tentative listing is a proposal, not inscription on the World Heritage List. (Source 11.6).

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12. Food and shared memory

Cooperatives and olive oil

FAO’s October 2024 account describes support for women’s food enterprises in Qabalan, including freekeh and whole grain flour, technical training and market access. With support funded by Canada for agricultural value chains, it also recounts a partnership formed in 2012 by twenty women in Dura to produce hand rolled maftool, which it compares in texture with couscous. Their products extended to mulukhiyah, grape molasses and jams. A separate cooperative in Tafuh, involving twenty two women and one man, was assessed as needing bakery equipment to expand the quality and variety of its production. (Source 12.1).

Omar Qassis’s ethnographic article examines variation in Palestinian olive oil rather than proposing a single national taste. Drawing on years of research and two distinct foodways, it explores how people associate oil with home and how those associations change. The inquiry also asks whether a taste of homeland can be found in oil produced outside Palestine, connecting sensory experience with belonging. (Source 12.2).

Diaspora kitchens

Nicholas Bascuñán Wiley’s 2019 study examines Palestinian food and collective memory in the Chilean towns of La Calera and Quillota. Its evidence combines sensory ethnography in restaurants and home kitchens with interviews involving chefs, shopkeepers and local residents. The author interprets culinary practice as both engagement with Chilean surroundings and a form of diasporic steadfastness. Public and private cooking, exchanges between generations, and discussion of Palestine become ways of sustaining memory across considerable geographical distance. (Source 12.3).

An ethnographic study of Palestinian women in Britain approaches belonging through touch. It examines the sensations of ingredients and kitchen utensils during everyday food and drink preparation. Familiar and unfamiliar feelings become occasions for recalling people and places. The author argues that bodily knowledge and culinary memory help explain connections across borders, while retaining the importance of Palestinian identity within these women’s experiences. (Source 12.4).

Family books and school activities

In her author’s note for Palestine on a Plate, Joudie Kalla connects her interest in food to time spent cooking and listening with her mother, aunts and grandmothers. She describes a book containing vegetarian and vegan dishes alongside fish and meat recipes. Her account also recognizes that neighbouring Middle Eastern countries share dishes while giving them different interpretations and styles. (Source 12.5).

WFP’s August 2022 release reported a completed nutrition summer activity for around eighty schoolgirls at two schools, in the West Bank and Gaza. Organized with the Ministry of Education and Juzoor, it combined discussions with cooking and practical gardening. Arts, crafts, exercise and personal hygiene sessions were also included in the programme. WFP described expansion to other schools and localities as a future intention; the reported participation concerns those two schools, not nationwide coverage or evidence of current provision. (Source 12.6).

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13. Arts and expression

Stitches and storytelling

UNESCO’s 2021 inscription describes Palestinian embroidery as a social practice transmitted within families and through courses. On the thob, embroidery covers the chest, sleeves and cuffs, with vertical panels extending below the waist. Silk thread is worked onto wool, linen or cotton. Birds, trees and flowers appear among the motifs, while designs and colours can communicate regional and social identity. Women also gather to sew together, and some sell their work individually or through groups. (Source 13.1).

Palestinian Hikaye, inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 after its earlier proclamation, is a storytelling tradition associated with women. Its fictional tales explore family concerns and tensions between obligation and desire. Narration often takes place at home on winter evenings before small groups of women and children. Vocal emphasis, rhythm and changes of intonation help engage listeners. UNESCO identifies rural and urban Palestinian dialects as vehicles for this narrative art. (Source 13.2).

Dance and digital collections

Dabkeh’s UNESCO description presents a group dance accompanied by singing and traditional wind instruments. Dancers form lines or semicircles, holding hands or shoulders and combining jumps with emphatic footwork. It appears at weddings, graduations and other celebrations, performed by professional groups or spontaneously in family yards and public spaces. Lyrics in local dialects express feelings appropriate to the occasion. Learning occurs through imitation and participation, as well as schools, universities, summer activities and recorded media. (Source 13.3).

The Palestinian Museum’s account of its digital archive says archiving began in 2018. The project was designed to document and preserve photographs, films, recordings, papers and books through digitisation. Its stated aims include safeguarding collective memory and creating a resource for researchers, artists and others interested in political, social and cultural history. The range of intended subjects encompasses education, women, labour, land and economic life, while outreach to young people emphasizes the value of visual and written records. (Source 13.4).

Poetry and documentary

Bloodaxe’s catalogue identifies The Butterfly’s Burden as an Arabic and English bilingual volume by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Fady Joudah and published in November 2007. It brings together three books: The Stranger’s Bed, A State of Siege and Don’t Apologise for What You’ve Done, originally dated 1998, 2002 and 2003. The catalogue records the translation’s receipt of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize in 2008. (Source 13.5).

The press kit for No Other Land identifies a 2024 documentary from Norway and Palestine, running ninety six minutes in Arabic, Hebrew and English. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor share writing, directing and editing credits. The filmmakers describe working by consensus and editing together at Adra’s home in Masafer Yatta. Their synopsis follows his filming of his community and collaboration with an Israeli journalist. The editors also acknowledge consultancy from Anne Fabini. (Source 13.6).

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14. Historic places and conservation

Bethlehem and Hebron

UNESCO describes Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity as a site associated with belief in Jesus’s birthplace since at least the second century. The first basilica, dating to 339, had an octagonal eastern end surrounding the traditionally identified cave. The later church is essentially a sixth century building with subsequent alterations. The property also includes several Christian convents and churches, bell towers, gardens and a pilgrimage route, linking architectural periods and religious communities. (Source 14.1).

Hebron’s old town developed through local limestone construction during the Mamluk period. UNESCO describes an enduring arrangement of quarters and houses, even as Ottoman expansion added buildings and upper storeys. The town spread across three hills and the valley around the religious complex. Its sacred cave is traditionally associated with Abraham and members of his lineage and is venerated in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; that association is a religious tradition, not an archaeological identification of individual burials. (Source 14.2).

Settlement and monastic life

Ancient Jericho, or Tell es Sultan, is an oval mound northwest of modern Jericho beside the perennial spring of Ain es Sultan. UNESCO records archaeological deposits reaching back to around 10,500 BC and twenty nine occupation phases. A wall, ditch and tower illustrate the Neolithic settlement. Later remains provide evidence of Bronze Age urban planning and fortifications, illuminating settled communities and cities in the southern Levant. (Source 14.3).

The Saint Hilarion dossier describes a monastic settlement on the coastal dunes of An Nuseirat. Originating in the fourth century, it developed from a modest hermitage into a complex serving monks and pilgrims. Documented features include successive churches, mosaic floors, crypts, residential cells, a refectory and water facilities. Dormitories and baths illustrate accommodation for travellers alongside communal religious life. These are the historically documented remains, not an assessment of the site’s condition during the present conflict. (Source 14.4).

Archaeology and town planning

UNESCO’s 2026 decision inscribed Sebastia through an emergency procedure and also placed it on the World Heritage in Danger list. Northwest of Nablus, the mound records occupation from the ninth century BC through later historical periods. The decision identifies Iron Age, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and subsequent layers. It also explicitly states that the absence of a technical evaluation mission prevented a full assessment of authenticity and physical condition at the time of inscription. (Source 14.5).

RIWAQ describes Birzeit’s rehabilitation as a pilot within its wider work on fifty historic centres. Planning for 2007 to 2012 sought to reconnect the old centre with the newer town through physical interventions and cultural activity. Community meetings in 2008 and 2009 informed analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A stakeholder group included community organizations, authorities, tenants and building owners, contributing to a vision of mixed uses that respected the centre’s heritage. (Source 14.6).

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15. Research and discovery

Collaboration and water studies

A SESAME account records a January 2020 workshop bringing together twenty one Jordanian and Palestinian university professors and lecturers. Organized by the Association of Arab Universities, it introduced research opportunities at the international laboratory. Scientists presented applications, and staff explained how to submit research proposals through the user portal. Participants also toured the facility. The event followed an October 2019 memorandum between SESAME and the association, formalizing this institutional cooperation. (Source 15.1).

A 2019 study of Wadi Natuf examined how water replenishes a karst catchment monitored since 2003. The researchers distinguished direct recharge from rainfall and indirect recharge through wadis and springs. They tested a conceptual explanation with a distributed model, comparing simulated flows with a short recorded event. The paper concluded that brief monitoring could help test such a model, but further fieldwork was needed to strengthen understanding of recharge in this particular environment. (Source 15.2).

Coasts and solar mapping

A 2012 paper studied shoreline change along six kilometres around Gaza’s fishing harbour using Landsat images from 1972 to 2010. Image analysis and geographical information systems revealed contrasting erosion and accumulation. South of the harbour, the authors estimated beach growth at 15,900 square metres a year where the breakwater interrupted sediment movement. On the downdrift side, estimated erosion was 14,000 square metres annually. These are historical changes in coastal area, not measurements of present shoreline position. (Source 15.3).

Safaa Hamada and Ahmed Ghodieh’s solar mapping study, published online in February 2021, combined land cover and elevation data with geographical information systems. Its suitability analysis identified eastern and southern parts of the West Bank as the strongest candidates. The authors also interpreted the location of suitable sites within Area C as a constraint on Palestinian development because permission would be required. This was a dated geographical analysis, not a report of installed generating capacity. (Source 15.4).

Astronomy and community archaeology

Birzeit University reported in July 2014 that its physics department and astronomy club had received a donated telescope from Gaza. The gift involved Al Aqsa University’s astronomy centre and Suleiman Baraka, with transport coordinated through the French Cultural Center. It arrived on 2 June. At an open evening five days later, participants used the roof of the science building to observe the Moon, Saturn and Mars and take photographs, according to the university account. (Source 15.5).

Hamdan Taha and Gerrit van der Kooij’s 2023 chapter abstract describes community archaeology at Tell Balata. The four year partnership joined Palestinian antiquities officials, Leiden University, UNESCO’s Ramallah office and local people. Activities included excavation, restoration, oral history and staff training, guided by a management plan. Educational work extended to signs, a site map, leaflets, a teacher’s handbook and a guidebook. An interpretation centre and documentary were also part of the project’s outreach. (Source 15.6).

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16. Sport and participation

Olympic organization and football

The International Olympic Committee’s profile identifies the Palestine Olympic Committee by the code PLE. It lists Ramallah as its address and 1993 as its recognition year. (Source 16.1).

Palestine won the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup final in Male by beating the Philippines by one goal to nil. Ashraf Al Fawaghra scored from a free kick in the fifty ninth minute, his fourth goal of the tournament. The shot curled over the defensive wall. Earlier, Haytham Theeb had headed against the post, while goalkeeper Roland Muller had stopped several Palestinian attempts. Palestine finished the campaign unbeaten with five clean sheets. The victory secured a place in the 2015 Asian Cup, where the draw placed Palestine with Japan, Jordan and Iraq. The AFC report was republished in October 2021. (Source 16.2).

A continental milestone and inclusive sport

The AFC’s January 2024 account records Palestine beating Hong Kong, China by three goals to nil in Doha. Oday Dabbagh scored twice and Zeid Qunbar once at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. The result brought Palestine its first Asian Cup victory and first appearance in the knockout stage. Palestine finished third in Group C with four points, behind the United Arab Emirates on goal difference, while Iran topped the group. (Source 16.3).

Special Olympics describes its Palestinian programme in terms of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The profile lists Ramallah in the West Bank as its location. Its stated mission combines regular opportunities for training with competition throughout the year in a variety of Olympic type sports. (Source 16.4).

Basketball and running

At the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, Palestine defeated the Philippines by 75 points to 73 after trailing by sixteen points in the opening quarter. Jamal Abu Shamala scored twenty six points, including six three pointers, while Sani Sakakini added twenty two and Salim Sakakini ten. Imad Qahwash contributed seventeen points for Palestine. With fewer than five minutes remaining, the Philippines led 71–62, before a run of ten unanswered points reversed the advantage. Sani Sakakini scored the decisive points after the Philippines briefly recovered the lead. FIBA recorded fifteen rebounds for Abu Shamala and fourteen for Sani Sakakini. (Source 16.5).

The Palestine Marathon’s historical organizer account links running with cultural exchange and relationships across communities. It describes a 42.195 kilometre course beginning near Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, passing through the town and Aida and Dheisheh refugee camps, with two loops completing the distance. For 2019, it records participants supporting causes including disability, women’s and children’s rights, alongside cultural activities. Listed partners included Bethlehem’s governorate and municipality, education authorities, the Peace Center and relief organizations. This describes the historical event, not a currently available route or scheduled race. (Source 16.6).

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17. Environment and adaptation

Assessing impacts and maintaining infrastructure

UNEP’s preliminary assessment of environmental impacts in Gaza, issued in June 2024, covered waste systems, energy infrastructure, building debris, land, marine environments and air quality. It was prepared following a request from the State of Palestine. The report explicitly explained that ongoing conflict and access restrictions limited its analysis. Some concerns required further sampling before their extent could be understood, distinguishing documented impacts from unresolved environmental questions. (Source 17.1).

A World Bank project approved in June 2020 was designed to support North Gaza wastewater treatment operations and maintenance for four years. Alongside this operational funding, the design included equipment rehabilitation and civil works to strengthen the facilities. Technical assistance was intended to support institutions and a gradual transfer of service responsibilities to the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility. The historical project design does not establish whether those facilities or services are functioning under current conditions. (Source 17.2).

Planning choices and observing weather

The 2016 National Adaptation Plan set out a structured way to compare adaptation options. Its criteria included effectiveness, urgency, social acceptance, available technology, knowledge and skills, and costs. Options received relative ratings, while associated benefits could also receive a negative score. Cost appraisal distinguished the first five years from years six to ten. The method recognized measures that could remain beneficial even if climate change developed differently from expectations, and delays that might increase later costs. (Source 17.3).

NASA’s account of a December 2013 storm describes snow visible in a Terra satellite image acquired on 15 December, after clouds cleared. Snow was concentrated at higher elevations across several countries and the West Bank. The accompanying interpretation distinguished visible coastal sediment plumes from floods that could not be seen at the image’s scale. It offered both runoff and storm disturbed water as possible explanations for those plumes, rather than treating their appearance as conclusive evidence of flooding. (Source 17.4).

Waste recovery and station records

A World Bank account of southern West Bank waste management describes a landfill, collection equipment and temporary rehabilitation at Yatta. Recovery facilities handled carton, plastic and iron for local industries, while compost was sold to farmers. The project also supported municipal accounting, public awareness and a pilot linking disposal subsidies to measurable service improvements. Its account records closure and rehabilitation of seventeen dumpsites in Hebron and Bethlehem governorates by the end of the construction period. (Source 17.5).

PCBS and the Palestinian Meteorological Directorate’s March 2026 release reports observations for 2025. Relative humidity was 71 percent at Hebron station and 41 percent at Jericho. Reported evaporation reached 2,811 millimetres at Jericho, compared with 1,679 at Nablus. The release describes selected West Bank stations representing mountainous, semi coastal and Al Aghwar climate zones in its temperature analysis. These named station observations should not be read as averages for every part of Palestine. (Source 17.6).

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18. International relationships

Institutions and educational partnerships

On 31 October 2011, UNESCO’s General Conference voted to admit Palestine, with 107 votes in favour, fourteen against and fifty two abstentions. The announcement stated that membership would take effect after signature and ratification of UNESCO’s Constitution. It also explained the admission procedure for states outside the United Nations: an Executive Board recommendation and a two thirds majority of members present and voting, with abstentions excluded from the vote count. (Source 18.1).

The European Union’s September 2023 announcement described four higher education and two vocational projects awarded under Erasmus. The higher education projects were intended to run for three years with Palestinian, European, African, Lebanese and Emirati partners. Their subjects included research, energy, agriculture, green technologies and social and psychological support. The vocational projects involved organizations from Palestine, Jordan and Europe, addressing digital skills for shoe and leather industries and food law within vocational training. (Source 18.2).

Development cooperation

Japan’s account of the July 2026 CEAPAD ministerial meeting in Manila records a project list covering assistance from October 2023 onwards, including future plans. Nine countries registered forty seven bilateral or trilateral projects. The list followed the Kuala Lumpur Action Plan and emphasized human development and institutional capacity, including education and private enterprise. Hosted by the Philippines, the meeting was chaired jointly by Japan, the Philippines and Palestine. Participants represented thirteen countries and regions and one international organization, including eight ministers. UNRWA attended alongside countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Some projects involved third countries outside CEAPAD. (Source 18.3).

UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People traces its mandate to a General Assembly resolution of 20 December 1978. The mandate called for identifying social and economic needs and establishing projects to address them. UNDP’s institutional history connects the programme’s launch with support for economic and social development in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Source 18.4).

Administrative review and academic exchange

The OECD’s August 2024 review of Palestinian Authority public administration offered recommendations on institutional organization rather than reporting completed reforms. It called for clearer leadership and responsibilities, stronger coordination and better planning and monitoring. Recommendations included identifying lead institutions for uncovered policy areas, establishing organizational and individual accountability, and involving civil society in reform management. The review treated monitoring and evaluation as important tools for tracking progress against strategic objectives. (Source 18.5).

The British Council’s HESPAL anniversary account describes a scholarship programme launched in 2010 for junior academics at Palestinian universities. Participants undertake postgraduate study in the United Kingdom and commit to returning to their institutions. Home universities nominate scholars according to institutional priorities. The provider reported support for more than 250 scholars, over half women, across thirty eight UK universities. The programme was designed to strengthen teaching, research and leadership through those returning academics. (Source 18.6).

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19. Enterprise and creative work

Business ideas and training

The Swiss development agency’s Palestinian Innovation and Entrepreneurship Catalyst design lists a September 2026 to December 2029 schedule. It targets 350 entrepreneurs across the West Bank, from people developing ideas to businesses preparing for regional expansion. Planned support follows successive stages of testing, incubation, acceleration and investment readiness. The design also envisages Flow Ventures as an investment support vehicle. These milestones were expected results, not recorded business achievements. (Source 19.1).

An IFC evaluation published in December 2017 describes the Felestineya Mini MBA launched with Bank of Palestine in October 2015. It involved forty businesses owned by women in the West Bank and Gaza, drawn from existing or potential bank clients. The wider initiative combined financial and other services for women and their businesses. Its support approach included networking, mentoring, coaching, business information, financial literacy and online toolkits, alongside the training programme examined in the evaluation. (Source 19.2).

Design networks and digital skills

UNIDO’s January 2020 account describes Creative Palestine as a Ramallah network founded in 2015, linking designers and entrepreneurs with universities and arts organizations. It operated within the regional Creative Mediterranean programme, funded by the European Union and Italian development cooperation. Selected Palestinian clusters focused on Bethlehem handicrafts and Nablus furniture. The former included producers working in olive wood and mother of pearl, many of them women, while the furniture cluster brought together more than twenty five companies. (Source 19.3).

A provider account dated February 2022 traces Gaza Sky Geeks to an entrepreneurship initiative begun in 2011. It describes activities across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including incubation and acceleration for founders, workshops for freelancers and training for coders. Mentors, investors and business partners formed part of its support network. The account documents the programme historically, without establishing current service continuity. (Source 19.4).

Craft workshops and circular design

Sunbula’s profile describes Ma’an Lil Hayat as a Bethlehem project founded in August 2009 within the international L’Arche community. It brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together through shared work and activities. The provider described craft production, meals and social activities for forty people from nearby villages and refugee camps. Felt products use sheep wool purchased from local shepherdesses. A second workshop opened in Dar Salah in 2017, according to the same historical account. (Source 19.5).

Birzeit University’s November 2022 report describes an INNOMED UP workshop held in Hebron on 3 November 2021. About fifty three participants represented institutions, the local community and smaller businesses. Presentations addressed traditional crafts, circular economy principles and recycled products, while films introduced craftspeople and their work. The university also presented training undertaken through the project. This workshop belonged to a European funded Mediterranean initiative connecting innovation and education with the reuse of materials in creative industries. (Source 19.6).

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20. Community initiatives

Youth and shared responsibilities

UNICEF’s March 2017 release reported completion of an Al Fakhoora youth leadership project in Gaza. It recorded 1,233 students aged sixteen and seventeen implementing fifty initiatives, with eighteen presented at the closing ceremony. Training centred on communication, critical thinking, cooperation and creativity. UNICEF worked with Al Nayzak on the youth component, supported through Education Above All and the Qatar Fund for Development. The initiatives addressed social, scientific, environmental and humanitarian themes. (Source 20.1).

A September 2020 UN Women account describes a Palestinian couple attending online sessions organized with Al Ofoq. These formed part of a Swedish funded regional gender equality programme. The associated Because I Am a Man campaign sought greater sharing of unpaid care and household responsibilities, working with community groups and public figures. Its six country scope included Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. The account concerns one couple, not changes across all Palestinian households. (Source 20.2).

Public spaces and rural livelihoods

UN Habitat’s 2023 public space methodology grew from work under the HAYA programme. It connects citywide strategies with interventions at individual sites, starting with inventories that record physical and social characteristics. The approach combines qualitative, quantitative and spatial information before considering planning, design and management. The publisher describes testing tools with selected municipalities in the West Bank and Gaza. HAYA’s related work with local authorities began in 2018, aiming to improve prevention and responses to violence against women and girls. (Source 20.3).

IFAD’s Resilient Land and Resource Management Project design combines agricultural roads, soil improvement and rainwater collection with village market connections and better public services. The captured design gives priority to Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Tulkarm for initial land development and market activities before expansion. Intended participants include smallholders, landless young people, women and herders. Its estimate of thirty thousand households, representing 150,000 people, is an expected beneficiary total rather than a count of people already reached. (Source 20.4).

Environmental enterprise and music

A Small Grants Programme record describes a Jenin initiative intended to support twenty female engineering graduates through enterprise skills and electronic waste collection and sorting. It names the Palestinian Consultative Staff for Developing NGOs as grantee and includes community awareness among its aims. The record lists April 2024 to April 2025 dates but still labels the project under execution. Completion cannot be inferred. (Source 20.5).

Al Kamandjati’s institutional history dates its Ramallah school to 2005 and structured academic programme to 2006. It describes cooperation with Palestinian Child Club branches in Al Amari and Al Jalazoun, and with the Women Program Center in Qalandia. Beyond Palestine, workshops in Lebanese refugee camps during 2005 to 2007 preceded music classes in Shatila and Bourj el Barajneh in November 2008. Beit Atfal Assumoud was the named partner in Lebanon. (Source 20.6).

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Frequently asked questions about Palestine

Which groundwater basins does the West Bank account name?

The Palestinian Water Authority’s January 2018 account identifies Eastern, Northeastern and Western basins, each containing multiple aquifers. Source FAQ1

How is PalQuest organised?

It combines an overall chronology with thematic chronologies, explanatory highlights, biographies and a section of historical documents. Source FAQ2

What connects homes and heritage in Taawon’s programme?

Its stated aim is to help residents remain in historic neighbourhoods through restoration, documentation, training and support for heritage linked livelihoods. Source FAQ3

What does Birzeit’s Right to Education Campaign do?

Its institutional account describes documentation, research and advocacy, with affiliated university groups collaborating on projects and local educational issues. Source FAQ4

How is irrigation shared at Battir?

Through a timed rotation among village families. (Source 11.1).

Who translated The Butterfly’s Burden?

Fady Joudah. (Source 13.5).

When did UNESCO vote to admit Palestine?

On 31 October 2011. (Source 18.1).

Where did Al Kamandjati establish classes in Lebanon?

In Shatila and Bourj el Barajneh in November 2008. (Source 20.6).

Continue reading: specialist guides to Palestine

These guides offer focused educational reading. The companion How Palestine Works explains governance and everyday services and their practical connections; this overview offers a broader route through geography, history, culture and everyday life. Visitor-oriented pages do not confirm current access, safety, opening times or services, and vocabulary material is a reading resource rather than a claim about every community.

Explore the Everything About Countries archive for more national overviews. The companion How Countries Work archive follows the systems behind everyday life.

Bring the evidence together

Choose a place, practice or community project from these chapters. Which details describe observations, which explain an earlier event, and which set out an aim? Compare two examples and write a question that would help you understand them more fully.

Sources and further evidence

Sources consulted 26 October 2026; observations retain their original dates.