Israel (Hebrew: ??????????), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: ???????? ??????????), is a country in southwestern Asia on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital city is Jerusalem.[19]
State of Israel | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: Hatikvah (English: "The Hope") | |
_with_disputed_territories.svg) Territories controlled by Israel and recognized by the UN are in dark green Territories controlled by Israel but not recognized by the UN are in light green | |
.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Jerusalem[fn 1] 31°47′N 35°13′E? / ?31.783°N 35.217°E |
| Official languages | Hebrew |
| Recognized languages | Arabic[fn 2] |
| Ethnic groups (2019) | |
| Religion (2019) |
|
| Demonym(s) | Israeli |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic |
| Isaac Herzog | |
| Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Yariv Levin | |
| Esther Hayut | |
| Legislature | Knesset |
| Independence from the British Empire | |
| 14 May 1948 | |
| 11 May 1949 | |
| 1958–2018 | |
| Area | |
? Total | 22,072 km2 (8,522 sq mi)[a] (150th) |
? Water (%) | 2.1 |
| Population | |
? 2017 estimate | 10,064,300[14] (99th) |
? 2008 census | 7,412,200[15] |
? Density | 456/km2 (1,181.0/sq mi) (35th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020[16] estimate |
? Total |  $372.314 billion (51st) |
? Per capita | $40,336 (34th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020[16] estimate |
? Total | $410.501 billion (31st) |
? Per capita | $44,474 (19th) |
| Gini (2018) | 34.8[17] medium · 48th |
| HDI (2019) | 0.919[18] very high · 19th |
| Currency | New shekel (?) (ILS) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (IST) |
? Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (IDT) |
| Date format | |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +972 |
| ISO 3166 code | IL |
| Internet TLD | .il |
| |
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.[20][21][22] Israel is approximately 470 kilometers (290 miles) long and 135 kilometers (85 miles) wide at its widest point, making it a relatively small country in terms of land area.[23]
According to Amnesty International, Israel is the most oppressive and segregationist regime in the entire Middle East.[24] 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
changeIsrael'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.[25]
Before the Common Era (BCE)
changeCanaanites 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 area.
During the early Common Era (CE)
changeEarly 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.
During the modern Common Era
changeSince 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 Palestine's declaration of independence,[26] the new country was attacked by the Jewish terrorist groups of Haganah, Irgun, Lehi, Machal, Palmach, and others.[27] Israel would illegally occupy and annex the Palestinain regions/cities of Auja Al Hafir, Beersheba, Jaffa, Jalil, Majdal, and many others.[28]
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 been forcibly expelled by Jewish terrorist groups during the war. This became known in Arabic as the Nakba ("catastrophe").[29][30]
Since the 1980s, Israel has committed terrorist attacks against civilians in Lebanon. The most notable incident of this was the Sabra and Shatila massacre, which was a result of Jewish terrorism.[31]
Geography
change
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 occupies 60% of the Palestinian West Bank.
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
changeIsrael'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.[32]
Climate
changeThe 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. While much of Israel has a Mediterranean climate, certain regions, such as the Golan Heights and Jerusalem, experience snowfall during the winter months.[33]
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.[32]
Government
changeNational government
change
A parliamentary democracy
changeIsrael 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" made by the Knesset say how the government must work and give civil rights to the citizens.
Voting
changeVoters 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
changeSee 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
changeSee 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
changeIsrael 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[34]); 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
changeThe 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
changeWhen 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
changeMany 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
changeTourism 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.[35]
Tourists support many of Israel's service industries, especially trade, restaurants, and hotels. Approximately 4 million tourists visited Israel in 2018.[36]
Manufacturing
changeIsraeli 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.[37]
Agriculture
change
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
changeIsrael'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
change
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
changeIn 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
change
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 Haifa and at Eilat. El Al, Israel's international airline, flies regularly to the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia.
Israel has three major deepwater ports: Haifa, Ashdod, and Eilat.
Communications
changeIsrael'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
changeNotes
change- ↑ Disputed. Recognition by other UN member states: Australia (West Jerusalem),[1] Russia (West Jerusalem),[2] the Czech Republic (West Jerusalem),[3] Honduras,[4] Guatemala,[5] Nauru,[6] and the United States.[7] In September 2020 it was reported that Serbia would be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[8][9]
- ↑ Arabic previously had been an official language of the State of Israel.[10] In 2018 its classification was changed to a 'special status in the state' with its use by state institutions to be set in law.[11][12][13]
References
change- ↑ "Australia recognises Tel Aviv as Israeli capital". BBC News. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ↑ "Foreign Ministry statement regarding Palestinian-Israeli settlement". www.mid.ru. 6 April 2017.
- ↑ "Czech Republic announces it recognizes West Jerusalem as Israel's capital". Jerusalem Post. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
The Czech Republic currently, before the peace between Israel and Palestine is signed, recognizes Tel Aviv to be the capital of Israel in the borders of the demarcation line from 1967." The Ministry also said that it would only consider relocating its embassy based on "results of negotiations.
- ↑ "Honduras recognizes Tel Aviv as Israel's capital". The Times of Israel. 29 August 2019.
- ↑ "Guatemala se suma a EEUU y también trasladará su embajada en Israel a Jerusalén" [Guatemala joins US, will also move embassy to Jerusalem]. Infobae (in Spanish). 24 December 2017. Guatemala's embassy was located in Jerusalem until the 1980s, when it was moved to Tel Aviv.
- ↑ "Nauru recognizes Tel Aviv as capital of Israel". Israel National News. 29 August 2019.
- ↑ "Trump Recognizes Tel Aviv as Israel's Capital and Orders U.S. Embassy to Move". The New York Times. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ↑ Frot, Mathilde (4 September 2020). "Kosovo to normalise relations with Israel". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ↑ "Kosovo and Serbia hand Israel diplomatic boon after US-brokered deal". The Guardian. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ↑ "Arabic in Israel: an official language and a cultural bridge". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ↑ "Israel Passes 'National Home' Law, Drawing Ire of Arabs". The New York Times. 19 July 2018.
- ↑ Lubell, Maayan (19 July 2018). "Israel adopts divisive Jewish nation-state law". Reuters.
- ↑ "Press Releases from the Knesset". Knesset website. 19 July 2018.
The Arabic language has a special status in the state; Regulating the use of Arabic in state institutions or by them will be set in law.
- ↑ "Home page". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ↑ Population Census 2008 (PDF) (Report). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ↑ "Income inequality". data.oecd.org. OECD. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ↑ Nations, United (15 December 2020). Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ↑ Israel, U. S. Mission (2025-08-07). "Statement by Former President Trump on Jerusalem". U.S. Embassy in Israel. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "?????? ???????". www1.cbs.gov.il (in Hebrew). 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ↑ An additional 4.7 million people live under Israel's occupation of Palestine (2.9 million in West Bank and 1.8 million in Gaza Strip), but are neither citizens of Israel, nor citizens of any country that Israel recognizes
- ↑ Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ↑ "How Big is Israel?". Shop Israel. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "Israel's apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity". Amnesty International. 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ Pitkowski, Michael. "MITZVOT HA-TELUYOT BA'ARETZ" (PDF). The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
- ↑ "Palestinian National Council: Proclamation of the Independence of Palestine - 1 October 1948 (Historical Text)". Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question – palquest. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "IV. The Palestine War And The Nakba". Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question – palquest. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "The Judaization of the Galilee". Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question – palquest. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "UN marks 75 years since displacement of 700,000 Palestinians | UN News". news.un.org. 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "The Roots of Zionist Terrorism". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ al-Shaikh, Zakaria (2025-08-07). "Sabra and Shatila 1982: Resisting the Massacre". Journal of Palestine Studies. 14 (1): 57–90. doi:10.2307/2537057. ISSN 0377-919X.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Reference, Concord (1984). The New American Desk Encyclopedia. Signet. p. 609. ISBN 978-0-451-12803-4.
- ↑ "Does It Snow in Israel?". Shop Israel. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ Rapoport, Amnon (1990). Experimental Studies of Interactive Decisions. Springer. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-7923-0685-6.
- ↑ "Israel's Special Attractions". Israel Ministry of Tourism. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "Israel turned away a record 19,000 visitors in 2018". The Times of Israel.
- ↑ "Israel Is World's Largest Drones Exporter". Huffington Post.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
Other websites
change
- Official website
- Israel Government Portal Archived 2025-08-07 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