Eretz Israel - Definition and Overview

The Land of Israel (Hebrew: Eretz Yisrael) refers to the land making up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The term has been used by Jews and Christians throughout history. Many Israelis see Eretz Yisrael symbolically represented in the Israeli national flag, with the blue stripes representing the Nile and the Euphrates, with everything in between as part of Eretz Yisrael. This territory includes the modern State of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as well as parts of the modern Kingdom of Jordan, south-western Syria, and southern Lebanon.

During the British mandate of Palestine, the name Eretz Yisrael (abbreviated Aleph-Yod), was part of the official name of the territory, when written in Hebrew. Consequently, in its modern usage, the term usually denotes only those parts of the land which came under the British mandate, i.e. the land currently occupied by Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and sometimes also Transjordan (now the Kingdom of Jordan).

See also

• Palestine, History of Palestine
• Holy Land
• Promised land
• Israel

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