“The Land of Israel” is the Hebrew (or Jewish) name used to denote the area in south-west Asia along the coast of the Mediterranean sea, “the southern Levant.” The borders of this area have been subjected to many changes, the widest including areas in Trans-Jordan and reaching all the way to the Euphrates river. However, the borders of the biblical Israel are usually the sea on the west and the Jordan river on the east.

In biblical times, Israel was called “Canaan,” thus named for the Canaanites populating it. Subsequent to the partition between the monarchies of Judea and Israel, Israel came to denote the northern part of the region and Judah the southern. However, in the Second Temple period the general name “Israel” regained its meaning as the entire region. The name “Palestine” first appears in the 5^th century BCE in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotos, and was adopted by the Muslims following their conquest in the 7^th century CE.

Known as “the land of milk and honey,” Israel is rich with agricultural produce and natural resources. It is blessed with seven species of fruits and crops typical of the region – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives and dates. Due to the fact that Israel lies on part of the Syrian-African rift, there is a variation of natural settings and climates within a small geographic area: maritime planes, different mountain ridges, the Negev desert, many streams leading water to the Mediterranean sea, the sea of the Galilee (“Kineret”), and the Dead Sea, which is not only a unique natural phenomenon but is also the lowest place below sea level in the world.

For water for agricultural and every-day purposes, Israel is dependant on rain and natural springs, as the Book of Deuteronomy tells us: “a land of hills and valleys, drinking rain water” (Deuteronomy 11:11). Due to this fact, the Bible sees the dependence on rain as a religious one, indicating the care of God for his people, as the next verse tells us: “A land which your God YHWH cares for, the eyes of your God YHWH are always watching it.”

Israel has been inhabited since pre-historic times, with archaeological finds revealing every-day life in pre-history and early historical periods, as well as many finds from the biblical period and later on. It was the home of nomads roaming the desert as well as agrarian societies working the fertile land. From a religious aspect, Israel was the birth-place of Judaism and Christianity and an important part of the Muslim empire, and is considered holy by all three of these religions.

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