Israel and the Palestinian Territories/Introduction to the Region

The territory of the former Mandatory Palestine, also referred as Historic Palestine in some contexts, or simply Palestine(filas̊ṭīn) by many Palestinians, and Land of Israel( ˈerets yisraˈel) by Israelis and other Jews, is a region that stretches from Metula in the North to Elat in the South, and from Rafaḥ to the West to the the intersection point between the 1923 border and the Nahal Hermon in the East(excluding Golan Heights, otherwise the Easternmost point would be on the Blue Line near Al-Rafid, Syria). It is divided into several physio-geographic regions, includes the Central Hills, which stretches from Galilee, interrupted by Jezreel Valley, to Samaria Mountains/Nablus Mountains( jibālu nābulusiⁿ) and then to Judaean Mountains/Hebron Mountains( jibālu ạl̊kẖalīli); the Central Plains, which runs from Rosh Haniqra to Gaza Strip, interrupted by only the Mount Carmel, and where most major Israeli cities are located; East of the Central Hills would be the Jordan Valley, which, as a part of the greater Syria-East African Rift Valley, includes the Galilee Panhandle, the entire length of the River Jordan, the Lake Kinneret, and the Dead Sea, and then through Arava and ultimately to the Gulf of Elat(Gulf of Aqaba); and ultimately Negev, the desert that occupies half of the area between the River and the Sea.

Golan Heights, which is outside the territory of former Mandatory Palestine but currently controlled by Israel, is a hilly region with an average elevation of 1000m. On its borders with Lebanon is the Mount Hermon, which, at 2236m, is the highest point controlled by Israel.

The highest point of the region of former Mandatory Palestine is the top of Mount Meron, which is 1208m above sea level. The lowest point is at the Dead Sea, which is around 400m below Sea Level.

The most important river of the region is the River Jordan, which stretches through the border of the former Mandatory Palestine and Jordan(Transjordan before 1949). Another major river is the River Yarkon, which empties into the Mediterranean at Tel Aviv-Yafo. The River Qishon runs through Jezreel before entering the Mediterranean at Haifa. Most other rivers in the region are wadis, which are ephemeral.

Much of the region has a Mediterranean Climate, while the rest has a Desert climate.