Israel

Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל), is a country in southwestern Asia on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital city is Jerusalem.

State of Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל (Hebrew) اسْرَائِيلُ (Arabic)
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Hatikvah (English: "The Hope")
Territories recognized by the UN are in dark green Territories recognized by Israel but not by the UN are in light green
Capital and largest city	Jerusalem 31°47′N 35°13′E
Official languages	Hebrew
Recognized languages	Arabic
Ethnic groups (2019)	74.2% Jewish 20.9% Arab 4.8% other
Religion (2019)	74.2% Judaism 17.8% Islam 2.0% Christianity 1.6% Druze 4.4% other
Demonym(s)	Israeli
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Isaac Herzog
• Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu
• Knesset Speaker	Yariv Levin
• Chief Justice	Esther Hayut
Legislature	Knesset
Independence from the British Empire
• Declaration	14 May 1948
• Admission to the United Nations	11 May 1949
• Basic Laws	1958–2018
Area
• Total	22,072 km2 (8,522 sq mi) (150th)
• Water (%)	2.1
Population
• 2017 estimate	9,947,370 (99th)
• 2008 census	7,412,200
• Density	451/km2 (1,168.1/sq mi) (35th)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$372.314 billion (51st)
• Per capita	$40,336 (34th)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$410.501 billion (31st)
• Per capita	$44,474 (19th)
Gini (2018)	34.8 medium · 48th
HDI (2019)	0.919 very high · 19th
Currency	New shekel (₪) (ILS)
Time zone	UTC+2 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (IDT)
Date format	יי-חח-שששש (AM) dd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+972
ISO 3166 code	IL
Internet TLD	.il
Website https://www.gov.il/en
^ 20,770 km2 is Israel within the Green Line. 22,072 km2 includes the annexed Golan Heights (c. 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi)) and East Jerusalem (c. 64 km2 (25 sq mi)).

Israel's population is around 9.8 million people. This includes around 7 million Jews. Most of Israel's other citizens (1.2 million) are Arabs and include Muslims, Christians, and Druze.

According to the Democratic Index, Israel and Cyprus are the only full democracies in the Middle East. Israel has has a relatively high standard of living and life expectancy. Almost all of its people can read and write.

There is a long history of conflict between Israel and Palestine.

History

Israel's history begins thousands of years ago, in ancient times. Two major world religions, Judaism and Christianity, began here. The Jewish nation and religion first grew in this region.

Jews and Christians call Israel the Holy Land because many events described in the Bible happened there, and because some commandments of Jewish law can be accomplished only on its soil.

Before the Common Era (BCE)

Canaanites and other Semitic peoples first populated the area around four thousand years ago. According to the Bible, the first Jewish patriarch, Abraham, lived at this time.

Around 1400 BCE, another Semitic people called the Hebrews settled in Canaan under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. They were named the “Children of Israel” or “Israelites”, and were divided into 12 tribes.

A few centuries later, the Hebrews made Saul their leader. The next king, David, began the Kingdom of Israel in about 1000 BCE and made Jerusalem its capital city. His son, Solomon, built the first Temple for the worship of their God.

Solomon died around 928 BCE, and his kingdom broke into two countries. The northern country kept the name Israel. The southern country, called Judah, kept Jerusalem as its capital.

The Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 732 BCE. Then, in 586 BCE, the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah and destroyed Solomon's Temple. In response, many Jews returned from Babylonia to rebuild their country and their temple.

First the Persians, then the Greeks, and then the Romans ruled the Land of Israel.

During the early Common Era (CE)

Early in the first century, Roman soldiers defeated the Jews in modern-day Israel. In 70 CE, they destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Jewish Temple there. Again in 135 CE, the Romans defeated the Jews and killed or took many of them to other places.

The number of Jews living in Israel became much smaller. Many were forced to live in other countries. This spreading of Jewish communities outside of Israel is called the Diaspora.

Many of the Jews who remained moved to the Galilee. Jewish teachers wrote important Jewish books, called the Mishnah and part of the Talmud there, in the 2nd to 4th centuries CE.

The Roman and then the Byzantine Empires ruled until 635 CE, when Arabs conquered the region. Different Arab rulers, and for a while Crusaders, ruled the land. In 1516, the Ottoman Empire conquered the land and ruled the region until the 20th century.

The name "Palestine" is the English version of the Romans' name for the area.

During the modern Common Era

Since the Diaspora, there have been many attempts to make a new homeland for the Jewish people. Starting in 1860, the Zionist movement advocated for the creation of a Jewish nation in Israel.

Jews from all over the world began to come to the area and settled in desert zones. These zones were first governed by the Ottoman Empire, and later by the British Empire.

On 14 May 1948, British control over Palestine ended. Jews living in Palestine (under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion) declared independence for a new Jewish state.

Immediately following Israel's declaration of independence, the new country was attacked by the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Jordan occupied and later illegally annexed today's West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

After a year of fighting, a ceasefire was declared. Temporary borders called the Green Line were established. The UN estimated that more than 700,000 Palestinians had fled (or were expelled by) advancing Israeli forces during the war. This became known in Arabic as the Nakba ("catastrophe").

Since the 1980s, Israel's main military opponents have been Islamist groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Geography

View of the Galilee from Mount Meron

View of Haifa from Mount Carmel

Israel is a small country, but it has mountains, deserts, shores, valleys and plains.

The countries of Lebanon and Syria are to the north of Israel; Jordan is on the east; and Egypt is to the southwest. Israel also controls 60% of the West Bank of the Jordan River.

Jerusalem is the biggest city in Israel. It is also Israel's official capital city. However, most countries do not recognize this, because they believe Jerusalem should be split up or be under international control. Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheba and Rishon LeZion are also large cities.

Variations

Israel's geography varies from place to place.

In the west, Israel's long coastline meets the Mediterranean Sea. A coastal plain runs alongside this coastline.

To the north, Israel has a mountainous region called the Galilee. On the eastern side of the Galilee, there is a low area called a depression that includes the Hula Valley and the Sea of Galilee.

To the south, there is the Negev Desert: a barren area of flat plains, mountains, and craters. Israel's southern-most city is Eilat, which is located on the Gulf of Aqaba (a part of the Red Sea).

In the center of the country, there is a range of mountains that runs from north to south. The Jordan River also runs north to south, starting in the Sea of Galilee in the north and emptying into the Dead Sea in the south. The land next to the Dead Sea -426 meters below sea level: the lowest in the world.

Climate

The climate is hot and rainless in the summers, with high humidity in lower places like the coastal plain. It is cool and rainy in the winters, rarely going below freezing temperatures. Rain falls mostly in the north, and mostly in the winter (between the months of November and April). Snow falls at higher elevations.

To make it possible for crops to grow in the south, Israel built a very big irrigation system to bring water to the area from the north.

Government

National government

Satellite image of Israel (2003)

A parliamentary democracy

Israel is a parliamentary democracy. All Israeli citizens who are 18 years or older have the right to vote. The Israeli parliament is called the Knesset.

The Knesset has 120 members. Each member is elected for no more than four years at a time. The Knesset makes laws, helps decide national policy, and approves budgets and taxes. The current Knesset is the country's 25th, sworn in on November 15, 2022.

Israel has no written constitution. Instead, the "Basic Laws" created by the Knesset say how the government must work and give civil rights to the citizens.

Voting

Voters do not vote for individual candidates in Knesset elections. Instead, they vote for a party. Before the election, each party prepares a list of its candidates. The list might include a single candidate or over a hundred. Voters can see each party's list and decide which party they want to vote for.

In an election, each party wins a certain percentage of the votes. This percentage decides how many representatives, or seats, the party gets in the Knesset. For example, if a party list gets 33 percent of the vote, it gets 40 Knesset seats.

The Prime Minister

See the main article: Prime Minister of Israel

The head of Israel's government is the Prime Minister. They are usually the leader of the party that has the most seats in the Knesset. The prime minister must keep the support of a majority of Knesset members in order to stay in office.

The prime minister appoints ministers to the cabinet, which The Knesset approves. The ministers are responsible for subjects such as education, defense, and social welfare. The Prime Minister is the head of the cabinet; they decide what will be discussed at meetings, and they make the final decisions.

Benjamin Netanyahu has been the Israeli Prime Minister since December 29, 2022. The current government is called the Sixth Netanyahu Government because it was the sixth time Netanyahu has been elected.

The President

See the main article: President of Israel

The President is the head of state. The Knesset elects the president for seven years.

Most of the president's duties are ceremonial: they can sign laws and treaties approved by the Knesset, appoint judges, and choose members of some public organizations. They also accept the documents from ambassadors and foreign diplomats bring when they are appointed.

Isaac Herzog has been the President of Israel since July 2021.

Politics

Israel has many political parties, with a large variety of opinions. In the elections of 2020, 20 different parties won seats in the Knesset.

The parties belong to several main groups. The biggest groups are the Zionist parties. These include the conservative liberals (such as HaLikud); social democrats (like HaAvoda, the Labor Party); and religious Zionists. There are also smaller religious Orthodox Jewish parties; special-interest parties; and Israeli Arab parties.

Usually, a single political party does not win enough seats in the Knesset by itself to have a majority. If this happens, one of the bigger parties asks for support from the other parties (including the religious ones) to form a coalition government. This gives these small parties a lot of power despite their size.

Likud vs. Labor

The Likud supports free market policies and does not think government should be involved much with the economy. It also believes strongly in protecting Israel's security. It wants Israel to make fewer concessions (to give less away) while negotiating with the Palestinians and the Arab states.

The Labor Party supports government control of the economy, but also believes in a limited amount of free enterprise. It is willing to make more concessions (to give more away) in order to reach an agreement in the peace process.

Economy

When it gained its independence in 1948, Israel was a poor country that produced very little agriculture or industry. But Israel's economy has grown tremendously since 1948. The nation now enjoys a very high standard of living, despite having few natural resources and a limited fresh water supply.

Many immigrants came to Israel in the years immediately after independence. Many of these immigrants were skilled laborers and professionals who greatly aided the nation's economic development.

Service industries

Many of Israel's service industry workers are employed by the government or by businesses owned by the government. Government workers provide many of the services needed by Israel's large immigrant population, such as housing, education, and job training.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the country's important sources of income. Tourists visit many archaeological, historical, and religious sites; museums; nature reserves; and beach resorts in Israel.

Tourists support many of Israel's service industries, especially trade, restaurants, and hotels. Approximately 4 million tourists visited Israel in 2018.

Manufacturing

Israeli factories produce such goods as:

• Chemical products
• Electronic equipment
• Fertilizer
• Paper and plastics
• Processed foods
• Scientific and optical instruments
• Textiles and clothing

Tel Aviv and Haifa are Israel's major manufacturing centers. Government-owned plants make equipment for Israel's large armed forces.

The cutting of imported diamonds is a major industry. Israel is also the world's largest exporter of drones.

Agriculture

Harvesting date in Israel.

Israel produces most of the food it needs to feed its people, except for grain. Exporting agricultural products provides enough income to import needed foods. Israel's agricultural products include citrus and other fruits; eggs; grain; poultry; and vegetables.

The government develops, helps finance, and controls agricultural activity, including fishing and forestry.

Most Israeli farmers use modern agricultural methods. Machines now do much of the work that people used to do. Water drawn from the Sea of Galilee irrigates much of the land in Israel.

Most Israeli farms are organized as moshavim or kibbutzim. Israel also has some private farms.

Mining

Israel's biggest source of minerals is the Dead Sea, the world's saltiest body of water. Bromine, magnesium, potash and table salt are all extracted from the sea. The most important of these is potash, used mainly in fertilizers.

In the Negev Desert, there are mines for phosphates, copper, clay, and gypsum.

Energy

Solar field in Kibbutz Elifaz, Israel.

Israel has few energy sources. It has no coal deposits or hydroelectric power resources, and only small amounts of crude oil and natural gas. As a result, Israel depends on imported crude oil for gasoline and diesel for transportation, and coal producing electricity for its energy needs.

Solar energy – energy from the sun – is used widely to heat water for houses. Israel is developing other ways to use solar energy to power houses and factories.

In 2008, Israel began investing in building electric cars and stations to charge them. There may also be large natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea that Israel could develop.

International trade

In 2006, Israeli exports grew by 11% to just over $29 billion. The hi-tech sector accounted for $14 billion of this: a 20% increase from the previous year.

Because it has few natural resources, Israel imports more goods than it exports. The country's main imports include chemicals, computer equipment, grain, iron and steel, military equipment, petroleum products, rough diamonds, and textiles.

Israel's main exports are chemical products, citrus fruits, clothing, electronic equipment, fertilizers, polished diamonds, military equipment, and processed foods. The nation's main trading partners include the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg); Germany; Italy; Switzerland; the United Kingdom; and the United States.

Transportation

Reception hall at the Ben Gurion Airport.

Israel has a well-developed transportation system. Most middle-class Israeli families either own a car or have one that an employer provides. Paved roads reach almost all parts of the country. Public transportation, both in cities and between them, is provided primarily by bus.

Ben-Gurion Airport is Israel's main international airport. It is near Tel Aviv. Smaller airports are located at Atarot (near Jerusalem) and at Eilat. El Al, Israel's international airline, flies regularly to the United States, Canada, Europe, and parts of Africa and Asia.

Israel has three major deepwater ports: Haifa, Ashdod, and Eilat.

Communications

Israel's communication system is one of the best in the Middle East. Israel has about 30 daily newspapers, about half of which are in Hebrew. The rest are in Arabic, Russian, Yiddish, or one of several foreign languages. The Israel Broadcasting Authority, a public corporation set up by the government, runs the television and nonmilitary radio stations.

Related pages

• Israel at the Olympics
• Israel national football team
• List of rivers of Israel
• Jewish Autonomous Oblast
• Israel-Palestine conflict

Other websites

• Official website
• Israel Government Portal Archived 2015-07-14 at the Wayback Machine (English)
• Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English)
• Israel Breaking News, News from Israel and the Middle East, updated daily.
• Israel-Times Daily News, Breaking News: World, USA, Europe, Asia and Israel.
• Haaretz Daily Newspaper, News from Israel in English.
• Israel national news, News from Israel in English.
• A Brief History of the Jewish people