Talk:Palestine
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Unnecessary use of word "though"
edit"Saddam surprised the international community by presenting a peace offer to Israel and withdrawing Iraqi forces from Kuwait, in exchange of withdrawal from the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights.[58][59] Though the peace offer was rejected, Saddam then ordered firing of scud missiles into Israeli territory." Under the history section, Gulf War. Note that final sentence begins with the word "though" which seems grammatically incorrect. Either remove that word or change the prior period to a comma Bleerpbloorp (talk) 18:21, 26 March 2026 (UTC)
Done removed the word "though". Lova Falk (talk) 09:55, 28 April 2026 (UTC)- likewise there's a word close to this, "tragically", describing the assassination of Yitzak Rabin, which is less impartial than Wikipedia promises to be Bleerpbloorp (talk) 19:24, 26 March 2026 (UTC)
- Done not by me though. Lova Falk (talk) 09:56, 28 April 2026 (UTC)
- "A peace summit was organized by the Arab League in Beirut, which was endorsed by Arafat and nearly ignored by Israel.[73]" to say something was "nearly ignored" also reads as extremely confusing. A better term may be "mostly ignored"? Right now it's not making a lot of sense Bleerpbloorp (talk) 19:35, 26 March 2026 (UTC)
- Done fixed that sentence as well. BTW it was not a summit that was endorsed by Arafat and nearly ignored by Israel, but a peace proposal. Thank you Bleerpbloorp for bringing this to our attention. Lova Falk (talk) 14:43, 28 April 2026 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 10 May 2026
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Please change the opening lead paragraph from:
"Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. It encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the Palestinian territories, or occupied Palestinian territory."
to:
"Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a partially recognised state in West Asia. It claims the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as its territory, although the sovereignty, borders and final status of these areas remain disputed. These areas are widely referred to internationally as the Palestinian territories or the occupied Palestinian territory. Israel disputes aspects of this characterisation, and Israeli official usage often refers to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, while some sources describe the territories as disputed."
Rationale: This wording retains the existing international terminology, but more clearly reflects the disputed sovereignty, borders, final status and competing terminology. It is a neutral clarification rather than a removal of the current terminology. ~2026-28197-17 (talk) 12:02, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before posting an edit request. Please also do not use llms in discussions establishing such a consensus. CMD (talk) 13:12, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
May 10 2026
edit|
[Retitled from: First paragraph is biased and incorrect] The first paragraph of this article is biased and should be changed to meet WP:NPV standards. I understand that it reflects the recognition of Palestine by many UN member states, but I think that the way it is written may go against WP:NPOV by stating "is a country" as a definitive, settled fact without immediately acknowledging the current dispute about its status. It lacks control over its own borders, airspace, and security, which are largely managed by Israel, meaning that calling it a country is somewhat incorrect. Palestine is a "Non-member Observer State," not a full member. Stating "is a country" without officially qualifying for UN membership oversimplifies the complexity of the situation. I suggest that there should be a better opening for the article that acknowledges Palestine's recognition while also mentioning how complex its status truly is. For example, "Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a partially recognized state in West Asia that claims sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, which include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip". This change follows WP:LEAD by providing a neutral summary that accounts for both the official recognition and the lack of full sovereignty. SamKramer123 (talk) 22:49, 12 May 2026 (UTC)
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Edit request 13 May 2026
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Description of suggested change: There is no mention in the History section of the fact that "Palestine" was originally the derogatory name assigned to Judea after it was conquered by the Roman Empire, or the fact that it was only formally adopted by Arabs relatively recently to lend credence to their land claims in Israel and the surrounding Middle East, including the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. There is also no mention in the Etymology section of the fact that it comes from the Latin word "philistine," meaning "hostile or indifferent to culture and arts," or the fact that it can't be written in Arabic because there is no "P" equivalent in that language.
~2026-21899-91 (talk) 20:13, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
- Not done. The request must be of the form "please change X to Y". CoconutOctopus talk 20:34, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
- Palestine is older than the Roman Empire, Hasmonean Judea, or even the Seleucid Empire. The term has been used in Greek text since the 5th century BCE, while "Judea" has no such presence in sources. See Timeline of the name Palestine.
- The ancient Greek term that forms the basis for the term Palestine first appears in the 5th century BCE when the historian Herodotus wrote of a "district of Syria, called Palaistinê" between Phoenicia and Egypt in The Histories.[1] Herodotus provides the first historical reference clearly denoting a wide region for Philistia, extending beyond the coast to the inland regions such as the Judean Mountains and the Jordan Rift Valley.[2][3][4][5] Later Greek writers such as Aristotle, Polemon and Pausanias also used the word, which was followed by Roman writers such as Ovid, Tibullus, Pomponius Mela, Pliny the Elder, Dio Chrysostom, Statius, Plutarch as well as Roman Judean writers Philo of Alexandria and Josephus,[6] these examples covering every century from the 4th BCE to the 1st CE.Dimadick (talk) 08:35, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
References
- ↑ Rainey 2001, pp. 57–63
• Jacobson 2001: As early as the Histories of Herodotus, written in the second half of the fifth century BCE, the term Palaistinê is used to describe not just the geographical area where the Philistines lived, but the entire area between Phoenicia and Egypt—in other words, the Land of Israel.
• Jacobson 1999: The first known occurrence of the Greek word Palaistine is in the Histories of Herodotus, ... Palaistinê Syria, or simply Palaistinê, is applied to what may be identified as the southern part of Syria, comprising the region between Phoenicia and Egypt. - ↑
• Sicker, Martin (1999). Reshaping Palestine: From Muhammad Ali to the British Mandate, 1831-1922. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-275-96639-3. OCLC 1023081856.
The name later appears in the Persian Wars of the Greek historian Herodotus in the form of an adjective describing "the Philistine Syria," which presumably was intended to include all of Cis-Jordan.
• Gösta Werner Ahlström; Gary Orin Rollefson; Diana Vikander Edelman (1993). The History of Ancient Palestine from the Palaeolithic Period to Alexander's Conquest. Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-85075-367-4.: "The Greek historian Herodotus (1.105, 3.5) called Cisjordan the Palestinian Syria or sometimes only Palaestina. Thus, there is a tradition from at least the fifth century BCE for the use of this name"
• Isidore Singer; Cyrus Adler (1925). The Jewish encyclopedia: a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day. Funk and Wagnalls.: "As early as Herodotus, who is followed by other classical writers, as Ptolemy and Pliny, the phrase Συρίε ἡ Παλαιστίνη (Syrian Palestine, Palestine of Syria) denotes both the littoral and the neighboring inland region (Judea and Palestine), as well as the entire interior as far as the Arabian desert"
• Nur Masalha, The Concept of Palestine: The Conception Of Palestine from the Late Bronze Age to the Modern Period, Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, Volume 15 Issue 2, Page 143-202: "Herodotus uses the name accordingly and Aristotle, for example, used the term in a way that includes the regions of Transjordan, or 'Eastern Palestine', beyond the Jordan Rift Valley. Herodotus' conception of Palaistine included the Galilee and applied to Palestine in the wider sense." - ↑ Jacobson 1999: "The first known occurrence of the Greek word Palaistine is in the Histories of Herodotus, written near the mid-fifth century B.C. Palaistine Syria, or simply Palaistine, is applied to what may be identified as the southern part of Syria, comprising the region between Phoenicia and Egypt. Although some of Herodotus' references to Palestine are compatible with a narrow definition of the coastal strip of the Land of Israel, it is clear that Herodotus does call the "whole land by the name of the coastal strip."..."It is believed that Herodotus visited Palestine in the fifth decade of the fifth century B.C."..."In the earliest Classical literature references to Palestine generally applied to the Land of Israel in the wider sense."
- ↑ Feldman 1990, p. 1: When Herodotus in the fifth century B.C.E. mentions Palestine he refers only to the coastal area, so called because it had been inhabited by the Philistines; or he is speaking loosely, since the only part of the area that he had visited was apparently along the coast.
- ↑ Tuell 1991: Herodotus considered Abar-Nahara (his "fifth province") a maritime province. That this would be true of Cyprus and Phoenicia is self-evident. However, Herodotus claims the same distinction for Syri he Palaistine kaleomenj ("the part of Syria called Palestine," or "Palestinian Syria"). Hence, in both 3.5 and 3.91, as we have seen, he describes Palestine as a coastal strip. ... Herodotus apparently considered Palestine a coastal region. Hence, his description of the satrapy of Abar Nahara, which consisted largely of Phoenicia and Palestinian Syria, as a strip of coastland is consistent with his view concerning the nature of Palestine expressed elsewhere.
- ↑ Cite error: The named reference
Robinsonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Citing Hamas
editDear @Cinaroot, I reverted your edit, because I find the wording problematic. The reasons which Hamas gives for its October 7 attacks are irrelevant to the preamble of the general article on Palestine, and the blockade and occupation are mentioned above, while settler violence is mentioned below. Wikisaurus (talk) 10:50, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
- Is Hamas launching Oct 7 attacks preamble to the general article on Palestine or to cite Gaza genocide? Let me think of a better way to cite the blockade as illegal. Because that context is important if you are going to mention Oct 7 attacks in lede 🐈Cinaroot 15:52, 25 May 2026 (UTC)
- I have made an edit to address my concerns. Let me know if you have any issues. 🐈Cinaroot 01:29, 27 May 2026 (UTC)
Edit request 5 June 2026
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I know this is a sensitive topic. I would like to add that the word "Palestine" means "invaders". This goes back to Biblical ethnonym Philistines. This apply only to the meaning of the word; and not the people. It is an important historical fact that should appear on this section. Not including it seems very dishonest.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Theonlyback (talk • contribs) 18:49, 5 June 2026 (UTC)
- Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want made. This would also require a consensus to add. LizardJr8 (talk) 19:07, 5 June 2026 (UTC)
Edit request 10 June 2026
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Change “Gaza was its largest city prior to Israel's forced evacuations in 2023.” to “Gaza was its largest city prior to Israel's displacement of the population in 2023”
Forced evacuation by a foreign power is displacement (article 49 of the Geneva convention)
Eating.sharpened.erasers (talk) 01:16, 11 June 2026 (UTC)
- Not done: Your proposed change is potentially controversial and will require a consensus before it can be implemented. Day Creature (talk) 20:16, 15 June 2026 (UTC)