Levant (Many Wonderful Things)

The State of Levant (Arabic: دولة الشرق, Hebrew: מדינה רהב) is a nation on the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East. Originally under British condominium after the Second Egyptian-Ottoman War, the Levant was granted independence in 1905 after decades of gradual Jewish immigration and the World Zionist Movement. In spite of many internal conflicts of ethnic and religious dominance, most notably the Levantine Civil Wars, the nation has remained largely one of the most well-organized and modernized state in the Middle East.

Etymology
The name Levant is extremely old in origin, and perhaps the oldest place name for any part of the region in recorded history. It is first referenced in Middle Bronze Age inscriptions of the Epic of Gilgamesh, as the place where the god Humbaba lived. In the Hebrew Bible, the name was given as Canaan after the people there who were Canaanites. The Promised Land or Land of Israel was given varying different geography in different parts of scripture, but generally stretched from Mount Herman in northern Levant all the way to the Brook of Egypt in the south.

In the Iron Age, the names Syria and Palestine were used at various times to refer to the region, starting with the Greek historian Herodetus. The Romans divided administration of the region between Syria and Judea in 1 BC, but renamed it to Palestine after the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 AD. Muslim dynasties in both Arab and later Ottoman Caliphates referred to the region as The Holy Land, which was even adopted by the Christian crusaders.

When the British created the joint condominium after the Second Ottoman-Egyptian War, they reused the name Palestine. Once the Jewish and Maronite ethnic groups worked towards independence at the end of the 19th century, various names were proposed, including Israel, Palestine, Judea, and even Zion, but ultimately they settled on Levant as most neutral. Lebanon is an alternative name used to refer to the region around Mount Lebanon in northern Levant, which traditionally was ruled by an independent dynasty under the Ottoman Empire.

Background
In the 19th century, Judaism was experiencing an increasing amount of antisemitism and violence with the rise of nationalism in Europe. This was much more of a concern in Eastern Europe with increasing pogroms from Russia and Poland, while Western Europe was becoming more liberal. However, even that was not to last. The Dreyfus Affair during the Franco-Prussian War brought disillusionment to Jews in France who thought that the Republican system kept them protected. These forces came together to spark Jewish nationalism, initially sending millions of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants to the United Kingdom and the United States.

Starting in the late 1870s, Theodore Herzl led the Zionist movement to push for Jews to return to the Holy Land in the Levant. The first settlement of this movement was established in Jaffa as an agricultural community in 1878. Starting in 1883, the Jewish Aliyah saw over 30,000 Jews moving to settlements in Levant. These initial communities saw an early revival of the Hebrew language and Messianism. In 1896, Herzl published The Jewish State where he asserted Zionism as the solution to the Jewish Question in Europe.

After numerous conflicts within the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, Britain assumed more direct control of Palestine and Syria first as a joint condominium, then a direct protectorate. The British administrated Levant similar to the Ottomans, divided between the Emirate of Mount Lebanon, the Mustaffirate of Jerusalem, and the Governorate of Beyrut. The Emirate was an autonomous Muslim protectorate, initially allied to Napoleon III before the Mahdist War placed it under British rule. The governorate, by contrast, was a direct British military outpost, ruled by a number of governors starting with Sir Garnet Woolsey. As the British primarily supported the Druze of Lebanon, this caused many resentment and violence among the Maronite Christian community.

In 1897, Herzl founded the World Zionist Congress in Switzerland, gathering the most eminent minds across European Jewry to solve the Jewish question. The subsequent seven Congresses between 1897 and 1905 mainly worked at the logistics and administration of the Jewish colonies in Levant, especially as a possible second Aliyah was causing rapid growth among these communities. At the same time, local Arab Christians unsatisfied with British rule, mainly from the Maronites, began allying with the Zionists to help establish a joint Judeo-Christian nation. Herzl was skeptical of mixing the purely Jewish nationality with other religions, but after he died in 1904, the two movements worked closer together.

Shortly after the Seventh Zionist Congress in 1905, the British Prime minister Arthur Balfour permitted the independence of Levant, in a statement known as the Balfour Declaration. This new state was to annex the three provincial governments that existed up to that time, but allow universal male suffrage to the various ethnicities within the nation.

Early Years of Independence
Even though Jews themselves made up a significant minority of Levant's population, they nonetheless made up the largest part of the government for the first generation of the nation's history. Although some attribute this to a sense of early Jewish nationalism, others see this as a necessary evolution of the state as a former British colony, until the native Arabs became more assimilated in the 1920s. Although there was a steady stream of Jewish immigrants to the nation, it was much more stable and gradual than the original Aliyah.

The established Parliamentary government over Levant, although ostensibly based on the British model, was originally mostly made up of former members of the Zionist Congress. The Polish immigrant Nahum Sokolow, being one of the most politically active at the time, was appointed as the first Prime Minister. Sokolow's administration was instrumental to establish the initial military and political structure of the nation, but he mainly focused on ensuring international recognition of Levant.

Sokolow was considered a great diplomat, and managed to secure support from most of the secular world, although more conservative nations following Pope Pius X and Tsar Nicholas II were active against him. Sokolow was also considered a visionary leader, bridging the gap between liberal and conservative factions. After the Russian Revolution of 1905, large numbers of Marxist Jews immigrated to the Levant, leading to the Labour party founded in 1909. By 1912, Solokov was considered more biased towards the Conservative party, and was voted out in favor of the more neutral Leo Motzkin. He continued in politics afterwards as Secretary of State.

Motzkin was more involved and proactive in raising and modernizing the military of Levant. Due to the limit of Jewish population, military units were open to Arab volunteers starting in 1913, although highly segregated. It was also at this stage that Pope Benedict XV, successor of Pius X, gave recognition of Levant as an independent, secular state. This new military was immediately put to the test, as the Ottoman Empire declared war on Great Britain in November 1914 at the start of World War One. In January 1915, the Ottoman commanders Mustafa Kemal and Djemal Pasha coordinated an attack on British Levant, seizing control of the Golan Heights and invading across the West Bank with a total of 20,000 troops. The subsequent defense of Palestine throughout the war was a cooperative effort between the Egyptian Expeditionary force under Edmund Allenby and the Levantine National Army under General Joseph Trumpeldor.

The initial fighting across central and northern Levant reached a stalemate in Spring of 1915, and continued with little progress until the summer of 1916. In early 1916, corresponding to the disastrous Galipoli Campaign, the conservative government collapsed in Levant and was replaced with the leftist Labour party, appointing Nachman Syrkin as Prime minister. In June, the Arab Revolt led by King Hussein of Hejaz and T.E. Lawrence completely disrupted the Ottoman control across the Middle East. By the end of the Summer, the Ottomans had completely been forced into retreat, allowing the allies to invade in both Transjordan and Syria.

The offensive campaign to seize control over Jordan continued until the beginning of 1917, capturing Jericho in October. It was during this time that a secret correspondence between Mark Sykes and Georges Picot worked out how to divide Syria and Iraq for after the end of the war. That summer proceeded to push into Syria, capturing Aleppo on July 25, 1917. In October, the British and Arab forces began invading Anatolia itself. In the beginning of 1918 they met up with the Mesopotamian campaign, having completely seized the Middle East away from the Ottoman Empire.

After the end of the Syrian campaign, Syrkin directed his attention more domestically, creating more universal economic opportunity and an initial welfare system. At the same time, the wake of the Arab Revolt and the McMahon-Hussein correspondence created a sense of Arab nationalism within the Levant, seeking more fair economic representation within a nation thus far run by the Jewish minority. Syrkin ran for re-election in 1920, but the labor party was largely voted out in favor of the moralists led by Max Nordeau. Nordaeu's administration pushed for greater social reform, emphasizing individualism and building local communities, mainly by modernizing the military.

In the 1919 Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I, it was believed at first that the borders of Levant would be increased to include the occupied territories, but this was removed by the suggestion of Winston Churchill. The Maronite Patriarch Elias Hoayek and King Faisal of Iraq were invited to represent the Christian and Arab interests, respectively. After the Hashemite control of Syria was crushed by the French in July 1920, a social movement began in Levant pushing for more Arab representation in government, primarily led by Aref Al-Aref. In opposition to this, however, both the Jewish and Druze communities feared what treatment they would face being placed in the numerical minority they belonged.

In 1923, a compromise was created where the constitution would require parliament be divided between the ethnicities of Levant: equal parts Jewish, Muslim, Maronite, and Druze. The constitution was fully reformed in 1924, at the end of Nordaeu's tenure. Shortly after, in 1926 Charles Debbas was appointed the first non-Jewish Prime minister. During this period, the Levant experienced a rapid economic growth as a more fully modernized nation, seeing an annual GDP increase of 9.9%, and a per capita increase of 4.1%. In addition, much infrastructure was created, which included railroads, roads and factories for the nation.

Debbes himself, however, acted more as a figurehead while more complex politics occurred behind the scenes. The rising power of Maronite and Arab influence in parliament pulled national legislation in different directions, the Christian factions leaning towards more support from Europe while the Arabs sought influence from the monarchies in Syria and Jordan. In 1932, Debbes was voted out in favor of Bechara El Khoury, a moralist politician who worked towards codification and enforcement of the constitution. Khoury was well loved and charismatic, and helped keep the Christians, Jews and Arabs satisfied throughout the 1930s. This was an especially difficult time, due to the increasing persecution of Jews by Nazi Germany created more tension among the Jews of Levant.

World War Two
After Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympics, a national-socialist movement came through the Levant, allied between the nationalist and labor parties, allowing the Maronite Pierre Gemayal to be elected Prime Minister in 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the polarized Parliament of Levant declared neutrality, sympathizing more with the nationalist governments of Europe, and especially the Vichy French government after the Fall of France in 1940. At the same time, their economic dependence to Britain compelled them to send supplies and arms for the allies on the Western Front.

In summer of 1942, as Erwin Rommel was moving his Afrika Corps into Egypt towards the Sinai, the Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden related to Prime Minister Churchill that something suspicious was going on. It was clear for a long time that the Arab populations of Egypt and Levant both had resentment towards the British Empire, and would rather grant support to Nazi Germany, if secretly. That same year, a military expedition landed in Cairo and forced the Muhammad Ali King of Egypt to abdicate. Although the British had plans to invade Levant as well, Gemayal's regime was quickly exposed, and pressure from the Jewish populace forced him to resign office that year.

The Muslim former mayor of Jerusalem Raghib Al-Nashashibi was appointed to succeed Gemayal, and continued to administrate through the end of the war. His administration was more passive, working to settle ethnic tensions from the recent political scandal, and normalize relations with Britain. In June of 1944, Levant organized its first multi-ethnic military force, and dispatched it to aid the allies during the liberation of France. After Germany surrendered in May 1945, Raghib was voted out for the much more dynamic and politically-active Izzat Darwaza.

The effect of World War II left a lasting impact on the people of Levant. The massacre of Jews and other minorities in Europe, many of whom were closely related to immigrants to Levant, caused a larger rise of Jewish nationalism and a sense of ethnic paranoia. At the same time, so much assimilation and political diversity had existed in Levant by this point, that the original goals of Zionism had been almost completely forgotten. Darwaza's government itself was especially focused to that end, as he worked to establish many religious and cultural institutions within the nation.

Post colonialism and Arab Nationalism
In May 1945, two days after the surrender of Germany, the British government concluded an agreement to grant the full independence to the nation of Levant. This would allow the nation to elect its own President, and act as an executive office completely independent of Britain. That day is henceforth celebrated as the Independence Day of Levant. The wake of post colonialism, and the growing power of Transjordan, Egypt, and Syria, created a greater feeling of entitlement among the Arab population. Coupled with the feeling of ethnic paranoia among the Jewish population, this quickly led to increasing tensions in the nation.

When Prime Minister Darwaza was assassinated by Musa ben Moisha in 1948, these tensions would start to come to a head. Although it was clear Moisha was insane and a lonely assassin, this nonetheless caused outbreak of violence across the nation by various disorganized Arab mobs. Known as the 1948-49 Levant Conflict, this was eventually put down by the federal government, but the psychological damage had been done. Arab Nationalism quickly became a demonized concept within the nation, and the subsequent conservative government that succeeded Darwaza pushed many discriminatory, repressive policies through the 1950s.

In spite of domestic issues, the general economy and standard of living rose dramatically in Levant during this same period, known as the "Age of Austerity". Public education was also established, compulsory up to 14 years old. The tension between Jewish, Muslim and Christian worldviews forced a de facto secularism, creating neutral policies for economy and education. Increased immigration from Arab nations caused a staggering growth of labor as well, by as much as 700,000 people. The military was also modernized more than it had been in previous years. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, it revolutionized Biblical archaeology and helped the reinvention of aegyptography.

In foreign policy, Levant was admitted to the United Nations very early on, and became an observer state of the Arab League in 1949. The Levantine Secret Service (LSS) was founded that same year, and known as its chief foreign spy agency. Over the years, the LSS succeeded to kidnap and arrest various Nazi war criminals, starting with Adolf Eichmann in 1960. In 1952, Levant opened close relations with West Germany, in spite of the more Stalinist Labor party that persisted in the Parliament. Even after France's withdrawal from Africa in 1966, the nations of the United States, West Germany and France jointly took the obligation of ensuring stability in the Middle East.

When Egypt was taken over by a military coup of Arab nationalists under Abdel Nasser, the influence of Arab Nationalism and Nasserism affected Levant tremendously. Some extreme parties in the nation even wanted to join Nasser's proposed United Arab Republic. However, when Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, Britain and France approached the Levantine government to attack Egypt and take additional territory from them. Levant refused to be involved, but in a controversial move the government authorized selling large amounts of ammunition and supplies to the allied invasion. This would further cause deterioration of the nation's infrastructure as soon as Nasser came out politically victorious.

Two years later, a brief civil war broke out in the nation known as the 1958 Levant Conflict. This was initially caused by the formation of the United Arab Republic between Egypt, Syria, and possibly Iraq, sparking the Nasser-supporting agencies that existed in the nation already. This resulted in splitting the Parliament in half, between the supporters and dissenters against the UAR. This led to direct intervention of the United States in Operation Bluebat, which occupied the ports of Beirut and Haifa during the summer. At the same time, Egypt threatened to directly invade across the Negev, but this was never followed through.

At the end of the conflict, the Arab Nationalist ministers of parliament were all suspended or dismissed. In the following election in 1959, the Labor party of mostly Jewish members took a much larger portion of the seats, and continued the previous discriminatory policies. Domestic violence from Nationalist supporters continued sporadically in the following few years.

The years following Operation Bluebat saw relative peace and prosperity. Levant's economy in the 1960s was one of the fastest growing in the world, mostly due to its export of oil in competition with the gulf states, and established a national bank in 1966. In this same year, public television was first introduced. In 1964, Levant created a national water service that provided water piped from the Jordan river. Transjordan saw this as an illegal front on their natural resource, and led to a brief military skirmish in Galilee in July 1964, known as the Water War. Following that conflict, Levant decided to further modernize their military, adopting the Uzi as well as modern tanks.

Throughout the 1960s, various Jihadist organizations gathered underground among the Arabs in the military, drawing on the common military training and armaments afforded to all Levantine citizens, known collectively as the SSNP. On June 6, 1967, the SSNP executed their plan of attack, launching a large-scale revolt around the central parts of Levant, mostly at the religious and rural areas. Within six days, a third of the nation was under de facto rebel control. The following conflict was known as the 1967-73 Levant Conflict, more commonly called the Levantine Civil War.

Due to a miscommunication by the Jihadist rebels, the capital city of Levant was not under attack for the first phase of the war, which allowed the government to set up proper defenses and quickly organize a counter strike. The SSNP placed their headquarters in the Old City of Jerusalem, hoping to use the significance of the site as cover against air strikes. Within the second week of the war, the United Nations drew up a resolution in the hope of bringing a resolution to the conflict. Known as the "Land for Peace" compromise, it proposed partitioning Levant into zones of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sectors in return for mutual peace. This proposal was rejected by both sides.

Starting in July 1967, the United Arab Republic consisting of Egypt and Syria began supplying the Jihadist rebels with arms and ammunition. The Jewish and Maronite populations in Levant accused the UAR of having planned this attack in advance. Late in 1968, the Levant government began surgically bombing the northern pocket near Beyrut, as a way of driving the rebels from their encampments. The UAR responded that this was an act of aggression on the Arab people, and sent military intervention into the conflict. Syria deployed Soviet fighters into the airspace of Beyrut and the Golan Heights, while Egypt invaded Gaza and used their navy to blockade the strait of Tiran. This military operation, albeit light and eventually withdrawn in 1970, nonetheless succeeded to prolong the conflict.

In the Cairo Agreement of 1969, Egypt recognized the SSNP as the legitimate government, and even after their withdraw of troops continued to supply the jihadists through the end of the war. The Levantine government increased their ruthlessness against the rebellion, leveling whole infrastructures in order to limit their mobility. This caused the SSNP to start supporting more international terrorism. In the 1972 Munich Olympics, nine Levantine citizens were kidnapped by jihadist sympathizers, most of whom were eventually murdered.

Relations with neighboring Arab nations deteriorated, and fearing an attack from Levant, the UAR coordinated a pre-emptive strike in October 1973 against Levant again. This escalated the conflict internationally, leading to both the US and USSR to supply opposite sides. A ceasefire was finally declared on October 31, and an agreement was settled throughout the end of the year and into spring 1974. The resulting declaration, known as the Yavne Agreement, rescinded most of the segregation laws between Arabs and Jews formally made, and promised universal suffrage and opportunity for all religions. This was a monumental document, considered to be a move for Civil Rights within the Middle East.

The remainder of the 1970s saw a push towards more assimilation and cooperation between the three ethnic groups within the nation. A joint housing program saw many Jewish and Christian settlements built within the previous rebellious zones, which helped relations in the long run, but for a long time was a cause of great controversy. This was coupled with a period of hyperinflation in the economy, thought to be due to a logistical strain on attempts to expand the military. In November 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat began re-opening negotiations with Levant, and ended all hostilities in the 1978 Camp David Accord in March.

Civil Conflicts
Starting in 1981, three years after the Camp David accord, various individual conflicts started by jihadist groups such as Fatah, SSNP and the Lebanon Nationalist Front (LNF) have sporadically caused episodes of violent terrorist activity, often requiring the intervention of the Levant military and foreign governments such as Syria, America, and the United Nations. The main point of contention is an ambiguous stretch of territory in the north-central part of Levant, which Muslim extremists and Arab nationalists refer to as "The State of Lebanon", or alternatively "the Arab State of Lebanon" or "the Islamic State of Lebanon".

In essence, by the early 1980s Levant had become a full melting pot of ethnic groups, and the most diverse nation of the Middle East. By 1981 they had large minorities of both Maronite and Orthodox Christian, Shia and Sunni Muslim, Hasidic and Orthodox Jews, as well as Druze, Armenians, and Kurds. A census in 1976 included information of all these minorities, as well as the relative displacement of demographics. In April 1981, a movement within the Parliament attempted to force politics of the nation to match this census, leading to the first outbreak of violence.

Raids by Fatah in discontiguous parts of central and northern Palestine were random at first, but quickly took the appearance of deliberate terrorism. In November 1981, the Coastal Road Massacre killed 38 people and injured 71. This prompted the Levant government to deploy full military in the region to quash the violence. However, this proved difficult due to the presence of other terrorist groups of Arab Nationalism in Lebanon. The Levant military saw no distinction between these groups, and throughout 1982 would indiscriminately fire on both Fatah and the SSNP. This prompted the Nationalists to start reaching out for Syrian military intervention. The federal government responded by mobilizing local militias for more direct attack, known officially as the Lebanon Army.

A summit of the Arab League in the Summer of 1982 determined a partial resolution to the crisis. Syria would officially withdraw their military intervention (although unofficial support would remain), while a policy of containment in the Litani Region would be implemented. The region was systematically evacuated throughout the following months. Meanwhile, Fatah continued sponsoring random attacks, mostly against military targets in other parts of Palestine. The UN Security Council Resolution 420 established an additional army of peacekeepers, hoping to enforce Levant's containment of the region.

By early of 1983, Levant had contained all resistance in northern and central Lebanon, creating resolution with local Maronite and Druze populations, in spite of occasional violence from the Arab Nationalists. On May 6, the Lebanon Army with Levant support launched a decisive military operation in the Litani Region, demolishing most of the SSNP and some of the LNF. The area was fully occupied by May 17, but some reactionary terrorism also took place. A group of Maronites massacred 40 Arabs in the Sabra district of Beirut in June.

Fighting would continue sporadically around Litani and other parts of north-central Levant throughout the 1980s, mostly in Beirut and Jerusalem. Around 1985, the Arab nationalist forces had mostly collapsed, but was replaced with a stronger jihadist movement. Towards the end of the decade, however, pressure began to be applied to bring more resolution to the conflict. A border conflict in 1989 nearly forced Syria to send military intervention against Fatah, known as the Galilee Incident.

During this same time period, in spite of frequent civil conflict modern high-tech industries arrived in Levant for the first time. Starting in 1988, Levant's independent space program launched its first independent satellites.

In 1991, the Human Rights Watch on behalf of the United Nations began suspecting Levant of committing discriminatory acts against minorities of the nation yet unresolved since the Levantine Civil War. Finally, in 1992 the Tel Aviv Accord settled a new political compromise. Organized by President Bill Clinton, the new accord ensured a strict 1:1 ratio of representation in parliament for all minorities, regardless of previous census data. Unfortunately, in spite of this landmark achievement periodic violence from radical groups have continued, with the first case of suicide bombing in Tyre in 1996.

The 1990s did see greater international influence and general prosperity within the nation. formal relations were extended to many more African nations, most importantly Ethiopia and Madagascar. In 1990, the Gulf War saw Iraq under Saddam Hussein launch 12 SCUD missiles against Levant, which prompted the US to ask Levant to join the coalition retaliation. Levant declined, citing the ongoing dispute within their nation in relations to the Ba'athists and Arab nationalism in General. In 2000, Pope John Paul II was the first Pope to visit the Holy Land since the Second Vatican Council.

Present Day
Much of the Levant's history since the 21st century has revolved around further civil conflict, political irregularity and attempts at de-militarization. However, at the same time Levant has remained one of the most modern nations in the Middle East, and remains the center of both scientific and historical progress.

Starting in 2000, pressure from the UN and the Human Rights Watch have compelled Levant to de-militarize the former rebellious regions of north-central Palestine, after continued allegations of racial or religious prejudice in the region. However, in 2001 the Nationalist Party received a landslide victory over the Parliament, and determined to take a strong hand to eliminate the threat of Fatah once and for all. In 2002, reactive attacks around the Jordan River by jihadists prompted the Levant military to launch a full-scale assault against the Fatah strongholds, ending with the Battle of Jenin in May.

In 2004, confidants of the Prime Minister petitioned for amending the constitution to allow more terms for the executive. When this was blockaded by the right-wing members of parliament, the PM resigned. As this started to cause some political insecurities in the nation, the former Prime Minister was then assassinated in February 2005. This caused a large amount of protest from among his supporters, namely the Shia Muslims of northern Levant. After the parliament attempted to suppress these protests, it further led to strife where Lebanese ministers threatened to secede from the nation. Known as the "Cedar Crisis", this was ultimately resolved by rooting out the perpetrators of the assassination later that year.

Following the collapse of that government and the creation of a more left-wing parliament in 2006, further grass-root movements and cultural trends have created more liberal policies in the nation in general. After the housing crisis in 2010, a national housing service was established. However, the liberal policies have had a fair share of backlash from religious extremism. A suicide bombing at the Shebaa farm in southern Levant led to the brief 2006 Levant Conflict. Starting in 2007, more right-wing news corporations have grown in popularity in Levant to counteract the liberal media.

Smaller strongholds of Fatah remained in the cities of Ashkelon and Tripoli. In the brief Fatah Rebellion in May 2007, the northern stronghold was crushed by Levantine forces. The southern stronghold was also crushed in June the same year, but guerrilla warfare has persisted across the Levant-Egypt border ever since. After an Egyptian border guard was killed by terrorists on October 30, 2012, the "Gaza Crisis" ensued where the new government of Egypt had threatened military intervention. This was resolved in November that year. The worst incident in the last 10 years in the Gaza region occurred in June 2014, where three teenagers were kidnapped by jihadist terrorists, and one was killed. However, in December 2013 the Levant government held more respectful religious funerals for presumed war heroes who happened to also be suicide bombers. The gesture was welcomed by most, but criticized by others.

Starting in 2000, Levant has occasionally been elected into the Security Council of the United Nations. This has contributed to its rift against members of the Non-Aligned Movement, particularly its leader the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since 2006, Iran's theocratic government has been very critical of Levant as an openly secular, corrupted state in the Middle East, if not a protectorate of western powers. Starting in December 2006, the Iranian government has encourage denial of the Holocaust. The Syrian Civil War has had quite a bit of spillage in the conflict in the northern borders of Levant, and has caused the death of over 800 people. This has been most significant in the proclaimed independence of Kurdistan from both Syria and Iraq starting in 2013, which Levant has supported.

The military of Levant also continues to be updated. In 2001, the Arrow Missile was implemented to be the counterweight to the SCUD missiles that were key in the Gulf War. Starting in 2010, Levant has been the forefront of creating the world's first fully-automated missile defense grid, known as "Project Iron Dome". Another project, creating de-salinization plants in Ashkelon to combat droughts, is the largest of its kind in the world. As of 2007, compulsory education has been in effect for children's ages up to 18, as it had been 16 since the 1950s.

Geography
The State of Levant is located in the Middle East, in the farthest western portion of the Fertile Crescent. It is located on the most eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Egypt in the south, Transjordan to the east, and Syria to the north and east. Its exact location lies between 34 and 37 degrees East, and between 31 and 35 degrees North. The nation is a total of 37,443 sq km in surface area, or 14,457 sq mi, thus making it the 134th largest nation on Earth.

Despite of its size, the State of Levant contains some impressive range of geographic features. The Negev desert in the south and Lebanon mountains in the north, the range of different altitudes alone is remarkable, including the Dead Sea valley that is the lowest point on Earth. The Coastal Plain stretches from the coast of Syria all the way down through the Gaza valley, and it is in the plain that the majority of Levant's population lives. The Lebanon mountains are also known for great height, with the largest being Mount Herman reaching 2.814 km (1.74 miles) above Sea Level. These mountains, as well as the west bank of the Jordan River are part of the Great Rift Valley system stretching far into Africa.

Along with the Jordan River and Dead Sea, there are many smaller rivers that flow from the Lebanon mountains down to the Mediterranean Sea. Levant straddles the northern end of the Arabian tectonic plate, and as such the region is known for some powerful earthquakes in its ancient and medieval history. Floras also are in great variety, with more species of plants per square foot than any other nation on Earth.

Climate
The main coastline of Levant is a Mediterranean climate, which is very temperate year round, including the major cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa and the capital Jaffa. Some regions to the south and south-central Levant, particularly near the Sinai, are semi-arid climates that are extreme temperatures in summer and winter, with little rain. Mountainous regions across Levant are the opposite extreme, with some having heavy snowfall during winter months.

As much of southern Levant receives very little rain, irrigation systems and desalination of the Jordan River is vital. The highest recorded temperature, which was the highest in all of Asia, was in 1942 at 129.2 F (54 C). At the same time, this extreme excess of light and heat is also used to an advantage, and Levant is one of the leading nations in solar energy in the world.

Demographics
The total population of Levant was estimated at 19,104,253 in 2015, making it the 60th most populated nation on Earth. Exact census data and demographic distribution is very difficult to discern. Over the 4000 years of Levant's history, the region has been extremely mixed between ethnic groups around the world, from as far as Britain and Central Asia even before Levant gained its independence. The various ethnic groups of Arabs, Jews, Armenians, Druze and many others are mixed together with very little clear divisions.

From what can be surmised, Levant is made up of almost 17% native Arab, 11.17% Mesopotamian, and a little over 14% Jewish. It also has a sizable minority of 5.23% Assyrians, and 0.7% Druze. In recent years, over 50,000 people of African origin have migrated to Levant, now making up 0.2% of the population. Of Caucasian origin, a hefty minority of 5.5% are of Armenian heritage, while Circassians make up 0.1% (just over 3000 people). There are also a large number of Kurds escaping from the Syrian Civil War, now making up 5.3% of the population. Gradual migrations have caused almost 0.6% Iranians, and just over 0.1% Europeans, as well as 0.4% Turks.

In the last ten years, migrant workers have come to Levant in many droves to help the industrial sector, from as far as East Asia and Eastern Europe. In total, they currently make up 3.6% of the population. In total, the growth rate of Levant is about 3.5% per year.Due to increasing instability across the Middle East after the Arab Spring, large numbers of refugees have also come into the nation. As much as 1.5 million people have immigrated to the nation by this method to date.

Religion
Levant has been known as the "Holy Land" since ancient times, and has been the center of all Abrahamic religions including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. As such, it is the most religiously diverse nation in the Middle East, with proportional parts of each Abrahamic religion represented. Levant has a staggering 33% Judaism, with 47% Muslim and 15% Christian. There are also smaller minorities of Druze, comprising 2.5%, and Samaritans, comprising 0.5%, or about 20,000 people. However, over the last 20 years there has been a decline in the ratio of Muslim and Christian populations, due to the higher birth rates of Muslims and larger immigration of Christians. This has had a combined result of having an overall decline in Jewish populations as well.

Jerusalem is the most important city in all Abrahamic religions, and as such its association with each religion is closely guarded. The city is split into four quarters: the Muslim quarter around the Dome of the Rock, the Jewish quarter around the Wailing Wall, the Christian quarter around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Armenian quarter. Other important pilgrimage sites include various sacred locations in Nazareth, the Cave of the Patriarchs, the Church of the Nativity and Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem, and even the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa, the center of the Bahai' faith. Although there is a wing of the government in charge of administrating holy sites for safety reasons, in general protection of these sites are done by private owners, in conjuction with the World Heritage Organization.

Languages
There is no official language in Levant. All official documents and most public documents are written in three languages: Arabic, French, and English. Levantine Arabic is the native dialect to the region, which is a dialect that also includes Arabic speakers from coastal Syria and southern Turkey. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is used for the vast majority of newspapers, magazines, and television broadcasts. About 15% of the population are at least partially Francophone, mostly from Mount Lebanon. A little over 50% of the nation is familiar with English, as it was the official language under British protectorate. It has also been increasingly used for science and business.

Politics
Levant is a Parliamentary Democracy, and considered the most free nation in the Middle East according to Freedom House. The government consists of the Parliament, along with the Prime minister, the head of government, and the President, who is the head of state. The Parliament is made of 240 members, which is elected every four years. However, the Parliament can be dissolved by a vote of no confidence at any year. The Prime Minister is also elected with each parliament, and is the head of the leading party. The president is elected to up to two, six-year terms, although the position is largely symbolic. There is also another layer of bureaucracy, the National Council, which is more of a committee of various department chairs to organize the enforcement of legislation.

Levant's constitution was written up first in 1907, and has been amended four times since. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority from the general population. It is a secular state of no official religion, although many civic laws are designed to form a balance or common denominator across Orthodox Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The office of president didn't exist until after 1943, when the nation became completely independent from the British Commonwealth. Until then, the British monarchs of Edward VII through George VI were technically the rulers of of Levant as well, but this is never officially addressed.

Until 1928, native Arabs had very little suffrage in the nation, which was dominated by the Zionist Jews. From 1928 until 1978, voting was open to all parties, but the proportions of Parliament was based on evolving census data on the nation to reflect proportions of religious groups, in a style of government known as confessionalism. After 1978, Levant has mandated equal representation for all three religions, regardless of statistical data. This has been questioned and debated by conservative and liberal parties ever since, however, and particularly the cause of the civil conflicts that persisted until the 1990s.

Legal System
Levant has a three-tier court system. The lowest level is the civil courts, followed by district courts in each administrative unit, and finally the Supreme Court of the entire nation. There are three forms of legal codes as well: English common law, civil law, and communal law. For most criminal cases, panels of experienced judges are used to lay judgement. However, in cases of federal crimes or felonies the defendent is entitled to a jury. In either case, everyone has the right to a lawyer.

Communal laws are based within each ethno-religious community. For instance, Muslim communities in Levant are governed by sharia law and dispense justice by means of tribunal. The legal code was originally unorganized and case-based, but was first compiled as a single legal code in 1932. International mandates on laws and human rights, including the Geneva Convention, Rome Statute, and the International Court are all supported by Levant, but capital punishment is still practiced for major felonies.

Administration
Levant is divided into 13 governorates, which in turn is subdivided into 56 districts. Levant is a unitary state, and as such each governorate is just an administrative office for logistical purposes, directed directly by the federal government. Each district is centered around the most major urban center in that region. Each district in turn is subdivided into regions, usually encompassing a single community within a metropolitan area.

Military
The Levantine Armed Forces (LAF) are divided into four departments: the Levant Army, Navy, Air force, and a localized national security focre known as the Lebanon Army. Members of the Lebanon Army, based on the Litani region of southern Lebanon, are also trained in air and sea vehicles, and primarily function as an autonomous military to mitigate terrorist activity. Leaders of each of the branches of the military, known as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, report alternatively between the National Council and the Prime Minister under different circumstances. The Levant Secret Service works as a civilian intelligence organization to act on behalf of the nation in and without the nation, often covertly. The LSS always reports directly to the Prime Minister.

Upon reaching 18 years old, military service is required for all male citizens. It is optional, however, for female citizens. A short period of time in the 1920s attempted to discriminate the military by ethno-religious background, but this was ultimately terminated. The general mandate of the military is three-fold: defend the citizens from external aggression, maintain internal stability, and provide relief effort in conjunction with humanitarian organizations. Levant receives over 100 million dollars of US foreign military aid each year. There are a total of 170,000 active military in Levant, with 427,000 reserves. Currently, the military budget of Levan'ts military is 2.24% of the nation's GDP.

Over the years, Levant has developed many types of ballistic missiles for national defense, in conjunction with its allies in NATO and the Arab League. The Arrow missile was first deployed for defensive use in 2001. Starting in 2010, the LAF and associated organizations developed the world's first fully-automated missile defense system, known as the Iron Dome. The Levantine Space Agency (LSA) have been operating reconnissance satellites since the 1990s. Levant has developed its independent nuclear program starting in the 1970s, and launched its first test of a nuclear weapon in 2005. However, it has not yet signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. It also is in possession of biological and chemical weapons, but this arsenal has declined significantly since 2011.

Foreign Relations
Levant has been a member of the United Nations since its inception, and has close connection to almost every single nation in it. In total it has 107 ongoing diplomatic missions in other countries. Staring in 2001, Levant has been in economic association with the European Union under European Neighborhood Policy, and is also a signatory of the World Trade Organization. Levant is a prominent member of the Arab League, and hosted a summit of the league last in 2002. In addition, Levant is considered in close relation of the former British Commonwealth, and has attended many Anglophone conferences in the 21st century. However, the nature of Levant's government has all foreign missions conducted by the National Council, functioning as a more elaborate state department.

Levant has varying relations with its immediate neighbors, Syria, Egypt, and Transjordan. The Arab Nationalist governments in both Syria and Egypt, partiularly when they were one nation as the United Arab Republic, always supported Arab nationalist insurgents within the nation, particularly during the Levantine Civil War. Since 1978, subliminal or indirect support to insurgencies have continued, particularly leading to the Syrian border dispute in 1989 and the Egyptian border dispute in 2012. Since the onslaught of the Syrian civil war, Levant has remained mostly neutral with the exception of supporting the independence of Kurdistan.

Levant had good relations with the Pahlavi Dynasty of Iran, but since the 1979 revolution it has remained tense in its relation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocratic Shia regime. Iran's Non-Aligned Movement considers Levant somewhat of a pariah. However, the nation has kept good relations with the state of Azerbaijan, from which it gets a large share of its oil.

Levant and Cyprus has kept good relations for creating the EuroAsia connector pipeline, and thus has worked to extract a lot of natural gas from the Leviathan gas field. However, Greece has accused Levant of cross-syphoning from their waters, which has contributed to bad relations with Greece. Greece is also suspected by Levant in recent years to have committed acts of antisemitism caused by the Golden Dawn. Formal relations with Turkey were first opened in 1991, and Levant eventually joined Saudi Arabia's Islamic Military Alliance in 2016.

Since the 1960s, Levant has maintained a policy of keeping friendly relations with former European colonies in Africa. As a result, Levant has maintained good relations with Mauritania, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Madagascar, among others. It has also enjoyed good relations with the United States, having received a total of 400 million dollars under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1962. Germany has also paid a total of 20 billion euros in repatriation of the Holocaust survivors as of 2007. It also has good relations with all the former states of the Soviet Union and the British Commonwealth, especially as it was formally a British protectorate.

Economy
Levant is considered to have one of the most advanced nations in Western Asia in terms of economic and industrial development. Its quality university education stemming from the American University of Beirut is a large contributor of this, making Levant the highest proportion of skilled labor in the Middle East. The economy is dollarized under the Levantine Pound, but otherwise the rest of the economy is very laissez-faire, with very little restrictions or regulations from the government. Its external economy is managed by the Investment Development Agency (IDA), which signed with OCED in 2010.

The coastal real estate of Levant is particularly noted as an international enterprise, and created many commercial networks around the world. Such emigration has contributed to one-fifth of the economy. Due to the multiplicity of religions in Levant, work days are variable by different community districts, granting different days off for Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Druze faiths. In the years since the start of the Syrian Civil War, refugees in Levant have made a serious impact on the economy, primarily by increasing competition in labor. Unemployment has doubled within three years, reaching 10% in 2014. Public spending had increased by 500 million dollars and losses have increased by three billion dollars.

Since the end of the Levantine Civil War, the economy has experienced a fairly steady growth averaging at 4.6%, with a current total GDP of 157.6 billion dollars. This isn't always as stable, however, as recent civil conflicts have created an inflation of 2.4%. Its economy is fairly balanced, with a public debt of 1.6 billion dollars. Imports to the nation, mainly from Western Europe and East Asia, have totaled to 30.5 billion dollars in 2015. Exports, primarily to Middle Eastern nations, have totaled to 22.3 billion dollars.

Just as in ancient times, agriculture is a very large part of its natural resources, and comprises 5.9% of its GDP. Some of its major produces are apples, oranges, and olives, as well as basic grain and beef. Levant has a substantial amount of gold production, as well as cut diamands, reaching as high as 20% of the GDP at one point. However, the International Air Transport Association has mandated that these exports must first be declared.

Haifa is the economic capital of the nation, holding the national stock exchange as well as the central Bank of Haifa. Banks are highly reputed for their security, and even managed to ride throughout the 2008 global recession. Industrialized economy are also very plentiful, including international corporations such as Microsoft, Apple, and Google. However, in more rural areas to the north of Levant there are less industrial companies, due to a general communal feeling for small business. In 2004, the industrial sector comprised of 26% of the workforce.

Oil and gas are an industry growing most recently, with off-shore exploitation in the Mediterranean Sea quickly becoming a valuable resource. As of 2013, only 10% of the seabed north of Cyprus has been mapped. For this reason, Levant has kept close economic connections with both Cyprus and Egypt to ensure there is no dispute.

Tourism
Tourism is a thriving business of Levant, comprising 10% of its total GDP. In 2015, it was estimated a total of 5.04 million people visited tourist destinations across the whole nation. This is largely due to the various religious sites of the nation sacred to many world faiths, particularly Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Ramlah. According to the New York Times, other contributing factors include having great resorts, low prices and warm hospitality. Unfortunately, there have been some decrease in popularity due to civil conflicts in the 21st century, most significantly being a drop in 20% in 2006.

Culture
The culture of Levant is an accumulation of its long and complex history, stretching back across the Canaanites, Jews, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Egyptians, Arabs, Turks, and Crusaders all before the British Protectorate. This has not only created an enormous array of different artistic, architectural, and linguistic styles, but also left a large diversity of religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds to feed into the larger culture. Levant has always been considered a Middle Eastern and Arab nation, but continues to span the gap between its Jewish and European populations as well.

Sports
Levant has five ski resorts. Due to its varying geography, it is possible to both ski and swim outdoors in the same day. Due to a rising interest in water sports, including canoeing, rafting, and sailing, it has started a national water festival each year since 2012. The Jerusalem Marathon is held in the fall. Chess is one of the most popular games among both youth and adults, and Levant is home to a large number of chess grand masters. The Levant chess team won silver in the 2008 Chess Olympiad, and hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005.

Rugby is a relatively new sport that has been steadily growing in popularity. The Levant National Rugby Team won 3rd place in the 2009 European Rugby Cup. The nation also competes in basketball, where it qualified for the FIBA World Championship twice, and hosted EuroBasket in 2017. Football (soccer) is by far the most popular competitive sport, and the Levantine National Football team is qualified in both UEFA and AFC. It hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. It has participated in the Asian Games since 1974, and hosted the Pan-Arab games in 2013. Levant has participated in every Olympic Games since 1948, and has won seven medals. It has also participated in the Paralympics, and hosted the games in 1968.

Media
There are quite a large number of newspapers, radio stations, and television programs native to Levant. Levant has a national cinema centered in Beirut, which since the 1930s has produced hundreds of movies. It is considered the only Arab nation other than Egypt to have its own film making tradition. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech is part of the federal constitution, and Reporters Without Borders have ranked Levant as the most free nation in the whole Middle East.

Music
Like most of its culture, Levant's musical tradition is a fusion of various cultures from around the world, most pervasively Greek and Arabic influence. While traditional music continues to be popular among local communities, various forms of rock, jazz and Arab pop music have rapidly grown traction. However, fusion music between pop and traditional is by far the most prevalent. Classical music is also produced in the nation, primarily by the Levantine Philharmonic Orchestra, which has existed since the 1930s. It has also hosted the Red Sea Jazz festival every year since 1987.

Education
Levant is considered one of the best nations in the world for education, particularly for math and science. It is essentially a continuation of its education heritage across multiple cultures since ancient times. Compulsory education up to 18 years of age has been a large contributor for its economic and technological growth, succeeding at a literacy rate of 96%. Primary education has been mandated for ages three through 18 since the 1950s, but there are also over 2000 private schools as well. The majority of these schools are based in religious groups of local communities, and are recognized by the federal Ministry of Education. Between these religious private sectors of education, Christian communities do best in grades, followed by Muslims, then Jews.

There are over 100 accredited universities in Levant, many of which are internationally recognized. The American University of Beirut and the University of Jerusalem both have ranked among the top 100 universities by the ARWU globally. Tertiary or graduate schools are also very well acclaimed.