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Ok, since there are too many here that only mention racist, opinionised and wrong events, I will explain it all free of opinion of any side. All that I write are historical facts.

Palestine was the name of the country between the Jordan river on the east, the Sinai desert on the south and the territory of Lebanon on the North. The name of the country came from the name of the ancient powerful nation that lived in it in the time of the Bible, Plishtim.
Through the history, the country was ruled by many differant empires troughout the ages like the Romans, the Bizanties, the Saracens, the Crusadersand, and the Ottoman empire. (and NOT just "ruled by Arabs for 1000 years" like some one before me said).
Until the year 1918, the country was ruled (for 400 years) by the Ottoman empire. In 1918, Britanny conquered Palestine and started ruling it as a Mandate (temporary government that is meant to prepare the land under its control for independant national government).
In the ending of the 19th century, the "Zionist organisation" was formed by European Jews, and, because of the wake of Jewish nationalism, started searching for territorial answers for "the problem of the Jews, a nation without a country". One of the answers was, very obviously, Palestine (also named Zion for Jerusalem), which Jews saw for centuries as their true land, where they were banished from, and dreamed of returning to. This started a great wave of immigration to Palestine, that increased troughout the beginning of the 20th century.

Unlike what someone here said, the Palastinians were NOT always a nation. In fact, for years in Palastine lived Arab peasants, almost all of them uneducated. They saw themselves as Arabs, muslims who lived in Palestine, and had no nationalistic identity.
If you want the truth, Palestini nationalism awakened only in the 1920's. This, is when more educated Palastini Arabs realised that the Jews are intending to take over Palestine (with the massive immigration and purchasing of land), and the Mufti (religious Muslim leader) Haj Amil el-Huseini decided to take action:
He declared that the Jews want to take over the el-Aktza mosque, immediatly gaining the support of Muslim countries and turning the nationalistic war into a religious war. That immediatly increased the anti-cemitism in Arab countries.

The nationalistic struggle increased towards the 40's, and keeps going until today. However, the wake of Palestini nationality happened too late- when they started real fighting, there were more Jews in Palestine than Arabs.

I would like to add another fact: In 1947, there was a vote in the UN, and it was declared officially that in Palestine two states would be formed: A Jewish country, and an Arab country. A year later, a Jewish county called Israel was formed. However, a Palastinian country was not formed UNTIL TODAY, in spite of the fact they were given many opportunities to do so.

Also, about the six-day war: it is a terrible rude lie to claim that Israel was losing. In fact, the war was so well planned, that in the first day of war all of the Egyptian and Yardeneese airforce was destroyed. Israel did not want to go to this war, but the Arab countries were gaining too much power and put Israel in danger. Israel also tried convincing Jordan not to join, but it refused, losing many territories. The six day war was a complete defeat to Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and the USA had nothing to do with it.
Egypt and Syria, however, took revenge for their loss in 67 six years later, when they attacked Israel in 73, causing Israel great loses in men and millitary power. However, even this war, Israel managed to win.

I am not trying to take either one's side, all I am saying are facts, and the fact is: The Jews rule Israel now, while the Palastinians can't do anything about it. Nothing at all. True, Israel does not do anything it can to help the Palastinians, but take into account again the fat that the Jews formed a country long ago, while the Palastinians didn't.
Is it because they can't? No. It is only because they don't want to.
American Arab-supporter: You stole your land of from the Palestinians!
Israeli: We did not STEAL it! Years ago, we purchased it from them fair and square.
Hey, didn't you steal your land from the Indians?
American Arab-supporter: ......

I wish that if one day, the country of Palestine will be formed, Jews and Arabs could live in peace again.
by Urban_Fellow June 30, 2006
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Modern day not-quite-country situated in and adjacent to Israel. The area is currently involved in a bloody struggle for independence from Israel. Despite what the anti-Israeli Western media likes to say, the politics of the situation have almost nothing to do with the Palestinian people themselves and everything to do with other Middle Eastern states (and some power-mongering militants) trying to get revenge on Israel for being owned in the Six-day War (namely Egypt, Jordan and Syria, whom most coincidentally lost the Palestinian territories during said war).

For years the Palestinian Authority, the main governing entity for the region, was run by Yasser Arafat, a wolf-in-sheeps-clothing who clandestinely sponsored terrorism against Israel knowing full well it would prevent the peace and independence he claimed to desire. Of course, this is the same guy who turned down a perfectly good peace agreement brokered by the US and agreed to by Israel for no good reason so it should be expected.
Palestine might actually get its independence now that Arafat is out of the picture and sane people are running the show there.
by Bogus February 04, 2005
"Palestine" is derived from "Provincia Syria Palestinae" a regional name given to what was formerly "Provincia Judea" -- renamed by Roman Emporer Hadrian in 70AD as punishment for the Jewish Revolt, by trying to erase its Jewish identication.

Modern day "Palestine" however, is a complete fabrication. There has never been a separate country or people of Palestine. Arabs calling themselves Palestinians are well aware that there is no connection between the "ancient civilization of the Philistines" and themselves. Philistines were sea-people from the Greek Islands, most likely from Crete. (Arabs came from the Arabian Peninsula.) The Philistines settled along the coast of what was called "Canaan" in Biblical times, around the same period as the migration of the ancient Hebrews -- in the 13th and 12th Century, BC. Philistine cities were at constant war with the early Israelites. The Philistine nation was eventually destroyed by the Babylonian invasion of Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC.

Arabs arrived a thousand years later.

The modern usage of "Palestine" comes from the post-Ottoman Empire "British Mandate of Palestine," which included what is now called Jordan. The Arabs now calling themselves "Palestinians" are the same as those calling themselves "Jordanians."
Arab: "I'm a Palestinian and deserve my own country!"

Historian: "Could you please describe a Palestinian language, culture or history, which makes you different from your Arab brothers in Jordan?"

Arab: "Help, help, I'm be oppressed!"

This is a re-post of a completely factual definition that was deleted by twats who can't handle the truth.
by radium December 29, 2004
The name given to Israel by the Romans after they conquered the area. THe name comes from Philistines, Israel's sworn enemies. Those who call themselves Palestinians are not related to the Philistines in any way, but only took the name so they would seem like a separate people, in an attempt to drive the Jews out of the region under the pretext of getting their own state.
"Palestinian": I want my own country
Person who knows history: You have one. It's called Jordan.
"Palestinian": It's too far.
Person who knows history: It's like 2 miles away.
"Palestinian": Well, my legs are very tired and I'm already settled and... (blows self up to avoid any more of logical conversation)
by ayabab2 September 13, 2003
A made up nation. Named after the contry "palestine"
Was accualy "Judea" or "Israel", and been changed to palestine by cysar Adriyanos (132BC) after the old tribes of the philisities that lived along the southern beach of Israel.
there is no palestine language - the language is arabic; there is no palestine religion - the religion is Islam;
and we don't know anything about the palestine history - that because there isn't any history before the 67' war.
by itamar tzur May 19, 2006
In Biblical times the Jewish people lived in areas of Judea and Samaria, which made up the Holy Land which is now called Palestine.
After major rebellions, the Jews were expelled by the Romans in the 2nd century and settled in Europe and North Africa. A little while later, Muslim Arabs settled in Palestine around the 11th century. As the 20th century began, the Jewish people began to move back to what they had always regarded as thier homeland. thier attempts to reclaim the land from the Arab Palestinians has caused conflict which remains unresolved.
by CrnaStrela August 12, 2005
People whom live in a "state" which has yet to be claimed by Israel. The culture of palestine is a sickening culture of taking pleasure in the killing of jews. Palestinians are a people whom cannot accept peace with their cousins, because they have been united by the false prophet (mohammad). His teachings dont directly teach people to kill, so not all of them are to blame, but regimes like Hamas are tolerated by the Palestinian state, and for this reason, its existance should not be tolerated. They are not like other towelheads, unlike those of Iran, they are not run by a theocracy, but are still unneeded just the same.
The palestine terror unleashed upon Israel meny times in the past, and the US sits out on it.
by True Zionist March 09, 2007
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