Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Israel

State of Israel (Hebrew)

Medīnat Yisrā'el (Arabic)

Dawlat Isrā'īl

Flag Emblem

Anthem:

Hatikvah ()

Capital(and largest city)

Jerusalem[a]

31°47′N 35°13′E

Official language(s) Hebrew, Arabic[1]

Ethnic groups 75.3% Jewish20.5% Arab4.2% other[2]

Demonym Israeli

Government Parliamentarydemocracy[1]

- President Shimon Peres - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin - Supreme Court

PresidentDorit Beinisch

Legislature Knesset

Independence from British Mandate forPalestine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the older use, see Eretz Yisrael.

This article is about the modern country. For other uses, see Israel (disambiguation).

Israel ( i /ˈɪzriəl/; Hebrew: , Yiśraˀel; Arabic: , ʾIsrāʾīl),officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: (help·info),Medīnat Yisrā'el; Arabic: , Dawlat ʾIsrāʾīl), is a parliamentaryrepublic in Western Asia, located on the eastern shore ofthe Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north,Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in theeast, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, andcontains geographically diverse features within its relativelysmall area.[6][7] Israel is the world's only Jewish-majoritystate,[8] and is defined as a Jewish and democratic state inits Basic Laws.

Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948 andneighboring Arab states invaded the next day. Since then,Israel has fought a series of wars with neighboring Arabstates,[9] and has occupied territories, including the WestBank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights,beyond those delineated in the 1949 Armistice Agreements.The border between Israel and the neighboring West Bankis not formally defined by the Israeligovernment,[10][11][12][13] as a result of a complex andunresolved political situation. Israel has signed peacetreaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts by elements onboth sides to solve the problem diplomatically have so farmet with only limited success.

The population, defined by the Israel Central Bureau ofStatistics to include all citizens and permanent residentswithin Israel and in Israeli settlements, was estimated inFebruary 2011 to be 7,718,600 people,[14] of whom5,818,200 are Jewish.[14][15][16] Arab citizens of Israel formthe country's second-largest ethnic group, which includesMuslims and Christians. Other minorities are Druze,Circassians and Samaritans. According to the May 2010population estimate, including 300,000 non-citizen Arabsliving in East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, these non-Jewish minorities number 1,579,700.[14]

Israel is a developed country and a representativedemocracy with a parliamentary system and universalsuffrage.[17][18] The Prime Minister serves as head ofgovernment and the Knesset serves as Israel's unicameral

Coordinates: 31°N 35°E

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- Declaration May 14, 1948

Area - Total 1 20,770 /

22,072 km2 (151st)8,019 / 8,522 sq mi

- Water (%) ~2%

Population - 2011 estimate 7,746,000[2] (95th) - 2008 census 7,406,900[3] - Density 365.3/km2 (30th)

946.1/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate - Total $219.431 billion[4] - Per capita $29,531[4]

GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate - Total $213.147 billion[4] - Per capita $28,685[4]

Gini (2008) 39.2[1]

HDI (2010)0.872[5] (very high) (15th)

Currency Shekel (₪) (ILS)

Time zone IST (UTC+2) - Summer (DST) IDT (UTC+3)

Drives on the right

ISO 3166 code IL

Internet TLD .il

Calling code 972

Excluding / Including the Golan Heights and EastJerusalem; see below.

Includes all permanent residents in Israel , the GolanHeights and East Jerusalem. Also includes Israeli citizensliving in the West Bank. Excludes non-Israeli population inthe West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Wikisource has original textrelated to this article:

Israel

legislative body. The economy, based on the nominal grossdomestic product, was the 41st-largest in the world in2008.[19] Israel ranks highest among Middle Easterncountries on the UN Human Development Index,[20] and ithas one of the highest life expectancies in the world.[21]

Jerusalem is the country's capital, although it is notrecognized internationally as such.[a] In 2010, Israel joinedthe OECD.[22]

Contents [hide]

1 History1.1 Etymology1.2 Jewish History in Israel and the Palestinian Territories1.3 Zionism and the British Mandate1.4 Independence and first years1.5 Conflicts and peace treaties

2 Geography2.1 Climate2.2 Biodiversity

3 Politics3.1 Legal system3.2 Administrative divisions3.3 Occupied territories3.4 Foreign relations3.5 Military

4 Economy4.1 Tourism4.2 Transport4.3 Science and technology

5 Demographics5.1 Languages5.2 Religion5.3 Education

6 Culture6.1 Literature6.2 Music and dance6.3 Cinema and theatre6.4 Museums6.5 Sports6.6 Cuisine

7 See also8 Notes9 References10 Bibliography11 External links

Main article: History of Israel

In 1948, the country was formally named Medinat Yisrael, or the State of

History

Etymology

1

2

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This article containsHebrew text. Withoutproper rendering support, youmay see question marks,boxes, or other symbolsinstead of Hebrew letters.

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Israel, after other proposed historical and religious names including EretzIsrael ("the Land of Israel"), Zion, and Judea, were considered andrejected.[23] In the early weeks of independence, the government chosethe term "Israeli" to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formalannouncement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett.[24]

The name Israel has historically been used, in common and religioususage, to refer to the Land of Israel, the biblical Kingdom of Israel and theentire Jewish nation.[25] According to the Bible, the name "Israel" wasgiven to the patriarch Jacob (Standard Yisraʾel, Isrāʾīl; Septuagint Greek:Ἰσραήλ; "persevere with God"[26]) after he successfully wrestled with anangel of God.[27] Jacob's twelve sons became the ancestors of theIsraelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel or Children of Israel.According to the Bible, Jacob and his sons had lived in Canaan and were

forced by famine to go into Egypt for four generations until Moses, a great-great grandson of Jacob,[28] ledthe Israelites back into Canaan in the Exodus. The earliest archaeological artifact to mention the word"Israel" is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late 13th century BCE).[29]

The area is also known as the Holy Land, being holy for all Abrahamic religions including Judaism,Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith. Prior to the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence, the region wasknown by various other names including Palestine, Southern Syria, Syria Palestina, Kingdom of Jerusalem,Iudaea Province, Coele-Syria, Retjenu and Canaan.

Further information: History of ancient Israel and Judah, History of Israel, and History of Palestine

The Land of Israel, known in Hebrew as Eretz Yisrael (or EretzYisroel), has been sacred and important to the Jewish people sinceBiblical times. According to the Torah, God promised the Land ofIsrael to the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people.[30][31] On thebasis of scripture, the period of the three Patriarchs has been

placed somewhere in the early2nd millennium BCE.[32]

According to Biblical evidencethe first Kingdom of Israel wasestablished around the 11thcentury BCE. SubsequentIsraelite kingdoms and statesruled intermittently over the next thousand years, and are known fromvarious extra-biblical sources.[33][34][35][36]

Between the time of the First Kingdom of Israel and the Muslimconquests of the 7th century, the Land of Israel fell under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman,Sassanian, and Byzantine rule.[37][38] Jewish presence in the region dwindled after the failure of the BarKokhba revolt against the Roman Empire in 132 CE.[39] Nevertheless, Jewish presence in the Land of Israelremained continuous and the Galilee became its religious center.[40][41] The Mishnah and part of theTalmud, central Jewish texts, were composed during the 2nd to 4th centuries CE in Tiberias andJerusalem.[42] During the initial Muslim conquests, in 635 CE, the Land of Israel, including Jerusalem, wascaptured from the Byzantine Empire.[43] Control of the region transferred between the Umayyads,[43]

Abbasids,[43] and Crusaders throughout the next six centuries,[43] before falling in the hands of the MamlukSultanate, in 1260.[44] In 1516, the Land of Israel was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled theregion until the 20th century.[44]

Further information: History of Zionism

The Star of David, symbol ofJudaism since the Middle Ages.

Jewish History in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

Masada in the Judean Desert, anational symbol

Zionism and the British Mandate

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Aliyah to Israeland settlement

Pre-Zionist AliyahThe Return to Zion

The Old Yishuv

Before May 14, 1948First Aliyah · Second Aliyah

During World War IThird Aliyah · Fourth Aliyah

Fifth AliyahDuring and after World War II

Berihah

After May 14, 1948Operation Magic Carpet

Operation Ezra and NehemiahJewish exodus from

Arab lands1968 Polish aliyah

1970s Soviet Union aliyahAliyah from Ethiopia

1990s CIS aliyah2000s Latin America aliyah

ConceptsJudaism · Zionism

Law of ReturnJewish homeland

Yerida · GalutJewish Messianism

Persons andorganizations

Theodor Herzl · KnessetWorld Zionist Organization

Nefesh B'Nefesh · El Al

Related topicsJewish history

Many Jews living in the Diaspora have long aspired to return to Zion andthe Land of Israel,[47] though the amount of human effort that should bespent towards such aim is a matter of dispute in Judaism.[48][49] Thathope and yearning was articulated in the Bible,[50] and is an importanttheme of the Jewish belief system.[48] After the Jews were expelled fromSpain in 1492, some communities settled in Palestine.[51] During the16th century, communities struck roots in the Four HolyCities—Jerusalem, Tiberias, Hebron, and Safed—and in 1697, RabbiYehuda Hachasid led a group of 1,500 Jews to Jerusalem.[52] In thesecond half of the 18th century, Eastern European opponents of Hasidism, known as the Perushim, settled inPalestine.[53][54][55]

The first large wave of "modern"immigration, known as the First Aliyah,began in 1881, as Jews fled pogroms inEastern Europe.[56] Although the Zionistmovement already existed in theory,Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzlis credited with founding politicalZionism,[57] a movement which sought toestablish a Jewish state in the Land ofIsrael, by elevating the Jewish Question tothe international plane.[58] In 1896, Herzlpublished Der Judenstaat (The State ofthe Jews), offering his vision of a futurestate; the following year he presided overthe first World Zionist Congress.[59]

The Second Aliyah (1904–1914), beganafter the Kishinev pogrom; some 40,000 Jews settled in Palestine, but nearlyhalf of them left.[56] Both the first and second waves of migrants were mainlyOrthodox Jews,[60] but those in the Second Aliyah included socialist pioneerswho established the kibbutz movement.[61] During World War I, BritishForeign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued what became known as the BalfourDeclaration, which "view[ed] with favour the establishment in Palestine of anational home for the Jewish people". At the request of Edwin SamuelMontagu and Lord Curzon, a line was also inserted stating "it being clearlyunderstood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil andreligious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rightsand political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".[62]

The Jewish Legion, a group of battalions composed primarily of Zionistvolunteers, assisted in the British conquest of Palestine. Arab opposition tothe plan led to the 1920 Palestine riots and the formation of the Jewishorganization known as the Haganah (meaning "The Defense" in Hebrew),from which the Irgun and Lehi paramilitary groups split off.[63] In 1922, theLeague of Nations granted the United Kingdom a mandate over Palestineunder terms similar to the Balfour Declaration.[64] The population of the areaat that time was predominantly Arab and Muslim, with Jews accounting forabout 11% of the population.[65]

The Third (1919–1923) and Fourth Aliyahs (1924–1929) brought an additional100,000 Jews to Palestine.[56] Finally, the rise of Nazism in the 1930s led to

An ancient synagogue (KfarBar'am), abandoned by the 13thcentury A.D.[45][46]

Theodor Herzl, visionary of theJewish State, in 1901

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Jewish diasporaJews in the Land of Israel

History of IsraelYishuv · Israeli Jews

Revival of Hebrew languageHistory of ZionismReligious Zionism

v · d · e

the Fifth Aliyah, with an influx of a quarter of a million Jews. This caused theArab revolt of 1936–1939 and led the British to cap immigration with theWhite Paper of 1939. With countries around the world turning away Jewishrefugees fleeing the Holocaust, a clandestine movement known as Aliyah Betwas organized to bring Jews to Palestine.[56] By the end of World War II, theJewish population of Palestine had increased to 33% of the totalpopulation.[66]

After 1945, Britain found itself in fierce conflict with the Jewish community, as the Haganah joined Irgun andLehi in armed struggle against British rule.[67] At the same time, thousands of Jewish refugees from Europesought shelter in Palestine and were turned away or rounded up and placed in detention camps by theBritish. In 1947, the British government withdrew from the Mandate of Palestine, stating it was unable toarrive at a solution acceptable to both Arabs and Jews.[68] The newly created United Nations approved thePartition Plan for Palestine (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181) on November 29, 1947, whichsought to divide the country into two states—one Arab and one Jewish. Jerusalem was to be designated aninternational city—a corpus separatum—administered by the UN.[69]

The Jewish community accepted the plan,[70] but the Arab League and Arab Higher Committee rejectedit.[71] On December 1, 1947, the Arab Higher Committee proclaimed a three-day strike, and Arab bandsbegan attacking Jewish targets.[72] Jews were initially on the defensive as civil war broke out, but theygradually moved onto the offensive.[73] The Palestinian Arab economy collapsed and 250,000 Palestinian-Arabs fled or were expelled.[74]

On May 14, 1948, the day before the expiration of the BritishMandate, the Jewish Agency proclaimed independence, namingthe country Israel.[75] The following day, the armies of four Arabcountries—Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq—attacked Israel,launching the 1948 Arab–Israeli War;[76][77] Saudi Arabia sent amilitary contingent to operate under Egyptian command; Yemendeclared war but did not take military action.[78] After a year offighting, a ceasefire was declared and temporary borders, knownas the Green Line, were established.[79] Jordan annexed whatbecame known as the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypttook control of the Gaza Strip. About 700,000 Palestinian refugeeswere expelled or fled the country during the conflict.

Israel was accepted as a member of the United Nations by majority vote on May 11, 1949.[80]

In the early years of the state, the Labor Zionist movement led by Prime Minister David Ben-Guriondominated Israeli politics.[81][82] These years were marked by an influx of Holocaust survivors and Jewsfrom Arab lands, many of whom faced persecution in and expulsion from their original countries.[83]

Consequently, the population of Israel rose from 800,000 to two million between 1948 and 1958.[84] Somearrived as refugees with no possessions and were housed in temporary camps known as ma'abarot; by1952, over 200,000 immigrants were living in these tent cities.[85] The need to solve the crisis led Ben-Gurion to sign a reparations agreement with West Germany that triggered mass protests by Jews angered atthe idea of Israel accepting financial compensation from Germany for the Holocaust.[86]

In the 1950s, Israel was frequently attacked by Palestinian fedayeen, mainly from the Egyptian-occupiedGaza Strip.[87] In 1956, Israel joined a secret alliance with Great Britain and France aimed at regainingcontrol of the Suez Canal, which the Egyptians had nationalized (see the Suez Crisis). Israel captured theSinai Peninsula but was pressured to withdraw by the United States and the Soviet Union in return forguarantees of Israeli shipping rights in the Red Sea and the Canal.[88][89]

In the early 1960s, Israel captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Final Solution, inArgentina and brought him to trial.[90] The trial had a major impact on public awareness of the Holocaust,[91]

[92]

Independence and first years

David Ben-Gurion proclaiming Israeliindependence on May 14, 1948, below aportrait of Theodor Herzl

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and Eichmann remains the only person ever to be executed by order of an Israeli court.

Further information: Arab–Israeli conflict, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and Positions on Jerusalem

See also: List of United Nations resolutions concerning Israel

Arab nationalists led by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser refused torecognize Israel, calling for its destruction.[9][93] By 1966, Israeli-Arabrelations had deteriorated to the point of actual battles taking placebetween official Israeli and Arab forces.[94] In 1967, Egypt expelled UNpeacekeepers, stationed in the Sinai Peninsula since 1957, and announceda partial blockade of Israel's access to the Red Sea.[95] Israel saw theseactions as a casus belli for a pre-emptive strike that launched a Six-DayWar, in which Israel was able to occupy the West Bank, Gaza Strip, SinaiPeninsula and Golan Heights.[96] Jerusalem's boundaries were enlarged,incorporating East Jerusalem, and the 1949 Green Line became theadministrative boundary between Israel and the occupied territories.

As the Arab states lost in the 1967 war against Israel, Arab non-stateactors came to have a more central role in the conflict. Most importantamong them is the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), establishedin 1964, which initially committed itself to "armed struggle as the only wayto liberate the homeland".[97][98] In the late 1960s and early 1970s,Palestinian groups launched a wave of attacks[99][100] against Israelitargets around the world,[101] including a massacre of Israeli athletes at the

1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

On October 6, 1973, as Jews were observing Yom Kippur, the Egyptian and Syrian armies launched asurprise attack against Israel. The war ended on October 26 with Israel successfully repelling Egyptian andSyrian forces but suffering massive losses.[102] An internal inquiry exonerated the government ofresponsibility for failures before and during the war, but public anger forced Prime Minister Golda Meir toresign.[103]

The 1977 Knesset elections marked a major turning point in Israeli political history as Menachem Begin'sLikud party took control from the Labor Party.[104] Later that year, Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat madea trip to Israel and spoke before the Knesset in what was the first recognition of Israel by an Arab head ofstate.[105] In the two years that followed, Sadat and Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords andthe Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.[106] Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula and agreed to enter negotiationsover an autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[107] Begin's governmentencouraged Israelis to settle in the West Bank, leading to friction with the Palestinians in that area.[108]

Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel, passed in 1980, waswidely believed to have reaffirmed Israel's 1967 annexation ofJerusalem by government decree and reignited internationalcontroversy over the status of the city. However, there has neverbeen an official act that defined the territory of Israel, whichspecifically included East Jerusalem therein.[109] The position ofthe majority of UN member states is reflected in numerousresolutions declaring that actions taken by Israel to impose its laws,jurisdiction and administration on the whole of Jerusalem are illegaland have no validity.[110]

In 1982, Israel intervened in the Lebanese Civil War to destroy thebases from which the PLO launched attacks and missiles at northern Israel; that move developed into theFirst Lebanon War.[111] Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in 1986, but maintained a borderland bufferzone until 2000. The First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule,[112] broke out in 1987 withwaves of violence occurring in the occupied territories. Over the following six years, more than a thousand

Conflicts and peace treaties

Israeli Paratroopers captureJerusalem's Western Wall, duringthe Six-Day War, 1967

Israeli artillery at the Golan front, duringthe Yom Kippur War, 1973

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people were killed in the ensuing violence, much of which was internal Palestinian violence.[113] During the1991 Gulf War, the PLO and many Palestinians supported Saddam Hussein and Iraqi missile attacks againstIsrael, though Israel did not participate in that war.[114][115]

In 1992, Yitzhak Rabin became Prime Minister following an election in which his party promoted compromisewith Israel's neighbors.[116][117] The following year, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, on behalf of Israeland the PLO, signed the Oslo Accords, which gave the Palestinian National Authority the right to self-governparts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[118] The PLO also recognized Israel's right to exist and pledgedan end to terrorism.[119] In 1994, the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed, making Jordan the secondArab country to normalize relations with Israel.[120] Arab public support for the Accords was damaged by thecontinuation of Israeli settlements[121] and checkpoints, and the deterioration of economic conditions.[122]

Israeli public support for the Accords waned as Israel was struck by Palestinian suicide attacks.[123] Finally,while leaving a peace rally in November 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a far-right-wing Jew whoopposed the Accords.[124]

At the end of the 1990s, Israel, under the leadership of BenjaminNetanyahu, withdrew from Hebron,[125] and signed the Wye RiverMemorandum, giving greater control to the Palestinian NationalAuthority.[126] Ehud Barak, elected Prime Minister in 1999, beganthe new millennium by withdrawing forces from Southern Lebanonand conducting negotiations with Palestinian Authority ChairmanYasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton at the 2000 CampDavid Summit. During the summit, Barak offered a plan for theestablishment of a Palestinian state, but Yasser Arafat rejectedit.[127] After the collapse of the talks and a controversial visit byLikud leader Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount, the SecondIntifada began. Sharon became prime minister in a 2001 specialelection. During his tenure, Sharon carried out his plan tounilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip and also spearheaded the construction of the Israeli West Bankbarrier.[128]

In July 2006, a Hezbollah artillery assault on Israel's northern border communities and a cross-borderabduction of two Israeli soldiers sparked the month-long Second Lebanon War.[129][130] Two years later, inMay 2008, Israel confirmed it had been discussing a peace treaty with Syria for a year, with Turkey as a go-between.[131] However, at the end of the year, Israel entered another conflict as a ceasefire between Hamasand Israel collapsed. The Gaza War lasted three weeks and ended after Israel announced a unilateralceasefire.[132][133] Hamas announced its own ceasefire, with its own conditions of complete withdrawal andopening of border crossings. Despite neither the rocket launchings nor Israeli retaliatory strikes havingcompletely stopped, the fragile ceasefire remained in order.[134]

Main article: Geography of Israel

Israel is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea,bounded by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan tothe east, and Egypt to the southwest. It lies between latitudes 29°and 34° N, and longitudes 34° and 36° E.

The sovereign territory of Israel, excluding all territories capturedby Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, is approximately20,770 square kilometers (8,019 sq mi) in area, of whichtwo percent is water.[1] The total area under Israeli law, whenincluding East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, is 22,072 squarekilometers (8,522 sq mi),[135] and the total area under Israelicontrol, including the military-controlled and partially Palestinian-governed territory of the West Bank, is 27,799 square kilometers

Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shakehands at the signing of the Oslo Accords,with Bill Clinton behind them, 1993

Geography

JNF forest in the Jerusalem hills

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(10,733 sq mi).[136] Despite its small size, Israel is home to a variety of geographic features, from the Negevdesert in the south to the mountain ranges of the Galilee, Carmel and toward the Golan in the north. TheIsraeli Coastal Plain on the shores of the Mediterranean is home to seventy percent of the nation'spopulation. East of the central highlands lies the Jordan Rift Valley, which forms a small part of the 6,500-kilometer (4,039 mi) Great Rift Valley.

The Jordan River runs along the Jordan Rift Valley, from MountHermon through the Hulah Valley and the Sea of Galilee to theDead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the Earth.[137]

Further south is the Arabah, ending with the Gulf of Eilat, part ofthe Red Sea. Unique to Israel and the Sinai Peninsula aremakhteshim, or erosion cirques.[138] The largest makhtesh in theworld is Ramon Crater in the Negev,[139] which measures 40 by 8kilometers (25 by 5 mi).[140] A report on the environmental statusof the Mediterranean basin states that Israel has the largestnumber of plant species per square meter of all the countries inthe basin.[141]

Temperatures in Israel vary widely, especially during the winter.The more mountainous regions can be windy, cold, and sometimessnowy; Jerusalem usually receives at least one snowfall eachyear.[142] Meanwhile, coastal cities, such as Tel Aviv and Haifa,have a typical Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy winters andlong, hot summers. The area of Beersheba and the NorthernNegev has a semi-arid climate with hot summers, and cool winterbut with fewer rainy than the Mediterranean climate. The SouthernNegev and the Arava areas have Desert climate with very hot anddry summers, and mild winters with few days of rain. The highesttemperature in the continent of Asia (53.7 °C/128.7 °F) wasrecorded in 1942 at Tirat Zvi kibbutz in the northern Jordan rivervalley.[143]

From May to September, rain in Israel is rare.[144][145] With scarce water resources, Israel has developedvarious water-saving technologies, including drip irrigation.[146] Israelis also take advantage of theconsiderable sunlight available for solar energy, making Israel the leading nation in solar energy use percapita (practically every house uses solar panels for water heating).[147]

Four different phytogeographic regions exist in Israel, due to thecountry's location between the temperate and the tropical zones,bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the west and the desert in theeast. For this reason the flora and fauna of Israel is extremelydiverse.

There are 2,867 known species of plants found in Israel. Of these,at least 253 species are introduced and non-native.[148] As of May2007, there are 190 Israeli nature reserves.[149]

Main article: Politics of Israel

See also: Criticism of the Israeli Government

Israel operates under a parliamentary system as a democraticrepublic with universal suffrage.[1] The President of Israel is the

The Sea of Galilee, seen from Tiberias,at dusk

Climate

Forest around the Ein Karem village,Jerusalem.

A Blanford's Fox, in Southern Israel

Biodiversity

Politics

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head of state, but his duties are limited and largelyceremonial.[150] A Parliament Member supported by a majority inparliament becomes the Prime Minister, usually the chairman ofthe largest party. The Prime Minister is the head of governmentand head of the Cabinet.[150][151] Israel is governed by a 120-member parliament, known as the Knesset. Membership of theKnesset is based on proportional representation of politicalparties,[152] with a 2% electoral threshold, which always results incoalition governments.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled every four years, but unstable coalitions or a no-confidence vote bythe Knesset can dissolve governments earlier. The Basic Laws of Israel function as an uncodifiedconstitution. In 2003, the Knesset began to draft an official constitution based on these laws.[1][153]

Main article: Israeli judicial system

Israel has a three-tier court system. At the lowest level aremagistrate courts, situated in most cities across the country. Abovethem are district courts, serving both as appellate courts and courtsof first instance; they are situated in five of Israel's six districts. Thethird and highest tier in Israel is the Supreme Court, seated inJerusalem. It serves a dual role as the highest court of appealsand the High Court of Justice. In the latter role, the Supreme Courtrules as a court of first instance, allowing individuals, both citizensand non-citizens, to petition against decisions of stateauthorities.[154][155] Although Israel supports the goals of theInternational Criminal Court, it has not ratified the Rome Statute,citing concerns about the ability of the court to remain free frompolitical impartiality.[156]

Israel's legal system combines three legal traditions: English common law, civil law, and Jewish law.[1] It isbased on the principle of stare decisis (precedent) and is an adversarial system, where the parties in the suitbring evidence before the court. Court cases are decided by professional judges rather than juries.[154]

Marriage and divorce are under the jurisdiction of the religious courts: Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and Christian.A committee of Knesset members, Supreme Court justices, and Israeli Bar members carries out the electionof judges.[157] Administration of Israel's courts (both the "General" courts and the Labor Courts) is carried bythe Administration of Courts, situated in Jerusalem. It is to be noted that both the General and Labor courtsare paperless courts, i.e. storage of court files, as well as court decisions, are carried out electronically.

Israel's Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty seeks to defend human rights and liberties in Israel. Israel isthe only country in the region ranked "Free" by Freedom House based on the level of civil liberties andpolitical rights; the "Israeli Occupied Territories/Palestinian Authority" was ranked "Not Free."[158][159] In2010, Israel was also the only country in the Middle East to be ranked "free" by Freedom House's "Freedomof the Press report, ranking the highest in the region.[160]

Main article: Districts of Israel

The State of Israel is divided into six main administrative districts, known asmehozot (מחוזות; singular: mahoz) – Center, Haifa, Jerusalem, North,Southern, and Tel Aviv Districts. Districts are further divided into fifteensub-districts known as nafot (נפות; singular: nafa), which are themselvespartitioned into fifty natural regions.[161]

The Knesset building, home of theIsraeli parliament.

Legal system

The Israeli Supreme Court, Givat Ram,Jerusalem

Administrative divisions

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NumberDistrict Main City Provinces

Number ofResidents

1 North NazarethKinneret, Safed, Acre,Golan, Jezreel Valley

1,242,100

2 Haifa Haifa Haifa, Hadera 880,000

3 Center RamlaRishon Lezion, Sharon

(Netanya), PetahTikva, Ramla, Rehovot

1,770,200

4 Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv 1,227,000

5 Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem 910,300

6 South Beersheba Ashkelon, Beersheba 1,053,600

BJudea

andSamaria

Modi'in Illit(Largest

"settlement"/city)

"B" is the WestBank,not part of Israel.

304,569[162]

For statistical purposes, the country is divided into three metropolitanareas: Tel Aviv metropolitan area (population 3,206,400), Haifametropolitan area (population 1,021,000), and Beer Sheva metropolitanarea (population 559,700).[163] Israel's largest municipality, both inpopulation and area,[164] is Jerusalem with 773,800 residents in an area of126 square kilometers (49 sq mi) (in 2009).

Israeli government statistics on Jerusalem include the population and area of East Jerusalem, which is widelyrecognized as part of the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation.[165] Tel Aviv, Haifa, and RishonLeZion rank as Israel's next most populous cities, with populations of 393,900, 265,600, and 227,600respectively.[164]

Main article: Israeli-occupied territories

In 1967, as a result of the Six-Day War, Israel gained control of the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria), EastJerusalem, the Gaza strip and the Golan Heights. Israel also took control of the Sinai Peninsula, butreturned it to Egypt as part of the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.

Following Israel's capture of these territories, settlements consistingof Israeli citizens were established within each of them. Israelapplied civilian law to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem,incorporating them into its sovereign territory and granting theirinhabitants permanent residency status and the choice to apply forcitizenship. In contrast, the West Bank has remained under militaryoccupation, and Palestinians in this area cannot become citizens.The Gaza Strip is independent of Israel with no Israeli military orcivilian presence, but Israel continues to maintain control of itsairspace and waters. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are seenby the Palestinians and most of the international community as thesite of a future Palestinian state.[166][167] The UN Security Councilhas declared the annexation of the Golan Heights and East

Districts of Israel:(1) Northern, (2) Haifa,(3) Center, (4) Tel Aviv,(5) Jerusalem, (6) Southern

Occupied territories

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Jerusalem to be "null and void" and continues to view theterritories as occupied.[168][169] The International Court of Justice,principal judicial organ of the United Nations, asserted, in its 2004advisory opinion on the legality of the construction of the IsraeliWest Bank barrier, that the lands captured by Israel in the Six-DayWar, including East Jerusalem, are occupied territory.[170]

The status of East Jerusalem in any future peace settlement has attimes been a difficult hurdle in negotiations between Israeligovernments and representatives of the Palestinians, as Israel

views it as its sovereign territory, as well as part of its capital. Most negotiations relating to the territorieshave been on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which emphasises "theinadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war", and calls on Israel to withdraw from occupied territoriesin return for normalization of relations with Arab states, a principle known as "Land for peace".[171][172][173]

The West Bank was annexed by Jordan in 1948, following the Arab rejection of the UN decision to createtwo states in Palestine. Only Britain recognized this annexation and Jordan has since ceded its claim to theterritory to the PLO. The West Bank was occupied by Israel in 1967. The population are mainly ArabPalestinians, including refugees of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[174] From their occupation in 1967 until 1993,the Palestinians living in these territories were under Israeli military administration. Since the Israel-PLOletters of recognition, most of the Palestinian population and cities have been under the internal jurisdiction ofthe Palestinian Authority, and only partial Israeli military control, although Israel has on several occasionsredeployed its troops and reinstated full military administration during periods of unrest. In response toincreasing attacks as part of the Second Intifada, the Israeli government started to construct the Israeli WestBank barrier.[175] When completed, approximately 13 % of the Barrier will be constructed on the Green Lineor in Israel with 87 % inside the West Bank.[176][177]

The Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt from 1948 to 1967 and then by Israel after 1967. In 2005, as part ofIsrael's unilateral disengagement plan, Israel removed all of its settlers and forces from the territory. Israeldoes not consider the Gaza Strip to be occupied territory and declared it a "foreign territory". That view hasbeen disputed by numerous international humanitarian organizations and various bodies of the UnitedNations.[178][179][180][181][182] Following June 2007, when Hamas assumed power in the Gaza Strip,[183]

Israel tightened its control of the Gaza crossings along its border, as well as by sea and air, and preventedpersons from entering and exiting the area except for isolated cases it deemed humanitarian.[183] Gaza hasa border with Egypt and an agreement between Israel, the EU and the PA governed how border crossingwould take place (it was monitored by European observers),[184], Egypt adhered to this agreement underMubarak and prevented access to Gaza until April 2011 when it announced it was opening its border withGaza. control of Gaza is in the hands of Hamas.

Main article: Foreign relations of Israel

Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 161 countries and has 94 diplomatic missions around the world.[185]

Map of Israel showing the West Bank,the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights

Foreign relations

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Only three members of the Arab League have normalized relations with Israel; Egypt and Jordan signedpeace treaties in 1979 and 1994, respectively, and Mauritania opted for full diplomatic relations with Israel in1999. Despite the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Israel is still widely considered an enemy countryamong Egyptians.[186]

As a result of the 2009 Gaza War, Mauritania, Qatar, Bolivia, and Venezuela suspended political andeconomical ties with Israel.[187][188] Under Israeli law, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen areenemy countries[189] and Israeli citizens may not visit them without permission from the Ministry of theInterior.[190]

The Soviet Union and the United States were the first two countries to recognize the State of Israel, havingdeclared recognition roughly simultaneously. The United States may regard Israel as its primary ally in theMiddle East, based on "common democratic values, religious affinities, and security interests".[191] TheUnited States has provided total economic and military funding to Israel of over $100bn since 1962 under theForeign Assistance Act,[192] more than any other country,[192]. Since 2003, Iraq and Afghanistan havebecome the two largest recipients of US overseas aid[193]. Their bilateral relations are multidimensional andthe United States is the principal proponent of the Arab-Israeli peace process. The United States and Israeliviews differ on some issues, such as the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, and settlements.[194]

India established full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992 and has fostered a strong military, technological andcultural partnership with the country since then.[195] One study revealed that India was the most pro-Israelnation in the world.[196] India is the largest customer of Israeli military equipment and Israel is the second-largest military partner of India after the Russian Federation.[197] India is also the second-largest Asianeconomic partner of Israel[198] and the two countries enjoy extensive space technology ties.[199][200]

Germany's strong ties with Israel include cooperation on scientific and educational endeavors and the twostates remain strong economic and military partners.[201][202] Under the reparations agreement, as of 2007Germany had paid 25 billion euros in reparations to the Israeli state and individual Israeli holocaustsurvivors.[203] The UK has kept full diplomatic relations with Israel since its formation having had two visitsfrom heads of state in 2007. Relations between the two countries were also made stronger by former primeminister Tony Blair's efforts for a two state resolution. The UK is seen as having a "natural" relationship withIsrael on account of the British Mandate for Palestine.[204] Iran had diplomatic relations with Israel under thePahlavi dynasty[205] but withdrew its recognition of Israel during the Iranian Revolution.[206]

Although Turkey and Israel did not establish full diplomatic relations until 1991,[207] Turkey has cooperatedwith the State since its recognition of Israel in 1949. Turkey's ties to the other Muslim-majority nations in theregion have at times resulted in pressure from Arab and Muslim states to temper its relationship withIsrael.[208] Relations between Turkey and Israel took a downturn after the Gaza War and Israel's raid of theGaza flotilla.[209] IHH, which organized the flotilla, is a Turkish charity that some believe has ties to Hamasand Al-Qaeda.[187][210][211][212][213]

In Africa, Ethiopia is Israel's main and closest ally in the continent due to common political, religious andsecurity interests.[214] Israel provides expertise to Ethiopia on irrigation projects and thousands of EthiopianJews (Beta Israel) live in Israel.

Main articles: Israel Defense Forces, Israeli security forces, and military operations conducted by theIsrael Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces consists of the Israeli Army, Israeli AirForce and Israeli Navy. It was founded during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War by consolidating paramilitary organizations—chiefly theHaganah—that preceded the establishment of the state.[215] TheIDF also draws upon the resources of the Military IntelligenceDirectorate (Aman), which works with the Mossad andShabak.[216] The Israel Defense Forces have been involved inseveral major wars and border conflicts in its short history, making

Military

Two Israeli Air Force F-16I Sufa

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it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in theworld.[217][218]

The majority of Israelis are drafted into the military at the age of eighteen. Men serve three years and womenserve two to three years.[219] Following compulsory service, Israeli men join the reserve forces and doseveral weeks of reserve duty every year until their forties. Most women are exempt from reserve duty. Arabcitizens of Israel (except the Druze) and those engaged in full-time religious studies are exempt from militaryservice, although the exemption of yeshiva students has been a source of contention in Israeli society formany years.[220][221] An alternative for those who receive exemptions on various grounds is Sherut Leumi,or national service, which involves a program of service in hospitals, schools and other social welfareframeworks.[222] As a result of its conscription program, the IDF maintains approximately 168,000 activetroops and an additional 408,000 reservists.[223]

The nation's military relies heavily on high-tech weapons systemsdesigned and manufactured in Israel as well as some foreignimports. The United States is a particularly notable foreigncontributor; military aid to Israel is expected to increase by 6 billionover the next decade. US is expected to provide the country with$3.15 billion per year from 2013-2018.[224][225] The Israeli- andU.S.-designed Arrow missile is one of the world's only operationalanti-ballistic missile systems.[226]

Since the Yom Kippur War, Israel has developed a network ofreconnaissance satellites.[227] The success of the Ofeq programhas made Israel one of seven countries capable of launching suchsatellites.[228] Since its establishment, Israel has spent a significant

portion of its gross domestic product on defense. In 1984, for example, the country spent 24%[229] of itsGDP on defense. Today, that figure has dropped to 7.3%.[1]

Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons.[230] Israelhas not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty[citation needed]

and maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity toward its nuclearcapabilities.[231]

Since the Gulf War in 1991, when Israel was attacked by IraqiScud missiles, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforcedsecurity room impermeable to chemical and biologicalsubstances.[232]

The IDF has also been deployed on humanitarian missions.Usually involving rescue workers and medical personnel, alongwith relief workers and body identifiers from ZAKA and the IsraelPolice. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a rescue team wasdispatched to Haiti, which consisted of 40 doctors, 20 nurses andrescue workers, and two rescue planes loaded with medicalequipment and a field hospital with X-rays, intensive care units,and operating rooms. Other recipients of aid include, Japan (amedical team after the 2011 tsunami), Congo 2008, Sri Lanka2005 (tsunami), India and El Salvador 2001 (earthquakes), Ethiopia2000, Turkey 1998 (earthquake), Kosovo 1999 (refugees) andRwanda 1994 (refugees).[233]

Main article: Economy of Israel

Israel is considered one of the most advanced countries inSouthwest Asia in economic and industrial development. In 2010, it

Israeli soldiers training alongside the26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on the USSKearsarge

The IDF Namer (Heavy IFV), introducedfrom 2008

IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer -used for combat engineering and counter-terrorism missions.

Economy

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joined the OECD.[22][234] The country is ranked 3rd in the regionon the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index[235] as well asin the World Economic Forum's Global CompetitivenessReport.[236] It has the second-largest number of startupcompanies in the world (after the United States)[237] and thelargest number of NASDAQ-listed companies outside NorthAmerica.[238]

In 2009, Israel had the 49th-highest gross domestic product and29th-highest gross domestic product per capita (at purchasingpower parity) at $206.4 billion and $28,393, respectively.[4] TheNew Israeli Shekel is one of 17 freely convertible currencies according to the CLS list.[239][240]

In 2010, Israel ranked 17th among of the world's mosteconomically developed nations, according to IMD's WorldCompetitiveness Yearbook. The Israeli economy was ranked firstas the world's most durable economy in the face of crises, andwas also ranked first in the rate of research and developmentcenter investments.[241]

The Bank of Israel was ranked first among central banks for itsefficient functioning, up from the 8th place in 2009. Israel was alsoranked as the worldwide leader in its supply of skilledmanpower.[241]

Despite limited natural resources, intensive development of theagricultural and industrial sectors over the past decades has made Israellargely self-sufficient in food production, apart from grains and beef. Othermajor imports to Israel, totaling $47.8 billion in 2006, include fossil fuels,raw materials, and military equipment.[1] Leading exports include fruits,vegetables, pharmaceuticals, software, chemicals, military technology,and diamonds; in 2006, Israeli exports reached $42.86 billion.[1]

Israel is a global leader in water conservation and geothermalenergy,[242] and its development of cutting-edge technologies in software,communications and the life sciences have evoked comparisons withSilicon Valley.[243][244] According to the OECD, Israel is also ranked 1st in the world in expenditure onResearch and Development (R&D) as a percentage of GDP.[245] Intel[246] and Microsoft[247] built their firstoverseas research and development centers in Israel, and other high-tech multi-national corporations, suchas IBM, Cisco Systems, and Motorola, have opened facilities in the country. In July 2007, U.S. billionaireWarren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought an Israeli company Iscar, its first non-U.S. acquisition, for $4billion.[248] Since the 1970s, Israel has received military aid from the United States, as well as economicassistance in the form of loan guarantees, which now account for roughly half of Israel's external debt. Israelhas one of the lowest external debts in the developed world, and is a net lender in terms of net external debt(the total value of assets vs. liabilities in debt instruments owed abroad), which as of June 2009 stood at asurplus of US$54 billion.[249][250]

Main article: Tourism in Israel

Tourism, especially religious tourism, is an important industry in Israel, with the country's temperate climate,beaches, archaeological and historical sites, and unique geography also drawing tourists. Israel's securityproblems have taken their toll on the industry, but the number of incoming tourists is on the rebound.[251] In2008, over 3 million tourists visited Israel.[252] Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in theworld.[253]

Ramat Gan skyline

Azrieli Center

Dizengof Center.

Tourism

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Main article: Transport in Israel

Israel has 18,096 kilometers(11,244 mi) of paved roads,[254]

and 2.4 million motor vehicles.[255]

The number of motor vehicles per1,000 persons was 324, relativelylow with respect to developedcountries.[255] Israel has 5,715buses on scheduled routes,[256]

operated by several carriers, thelargest of which is Egged, servingmost of the country. Railways

stretch across 949 kilometers (590 mi) and are operated solely by government-owned Israel Railways[257]

(All figures are for 2008). Following major investments beginning in the early-to-mid 1990s, the number oftrain passengers per year has grown from 2.5 million in 1990, to 35 million in 2008; railways are also used totransport 6.8 million tons of cargo, per year.[257]

Israel is served by two international airports, Ben Gurion International Airport, the country's main hub forinternational air travel near Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ovda Airport in the south, as well as several small domesticairports.[258] Ben Gurion, Israel's largest airport, handled over 12.1 million passengers in 2010.[259]

On the Mediterranean coast, Haifa Port is the country's oldest and largest port, while Ashdod Port is one ofthe few deep water ports in the world built on the open sea.[258] In addition to these, the smaller Port of Eilatis situated on the Red Sea, and is used mainly for trading with Far East countries.[258]

Main articles: Science and technology in Israel and List of universities and colleges in Israel

Israel's eight public universities are subsidized by the state.[260][261] TheHebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel's oldest university, houses theJewish National and University Library, the world's largest repository ofbooks on Jewish subjects.[262] The Hebrew University is consistentlyranked among world's 100 top universities[263][264] by the prestigiousARWU academic ranking. Other major universities in the country includethe Technion, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University(TAU), Bar-Ilan University, the University of Haifa, The Open Universityand Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Israel's seven researchuniversities (excluding the Open University) are consistently ranked amongtop 500 in the world.[265] Israel ranks third in the world in the number ofacademic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population).[266][267] Israelhas produced five Nobel Prize-winning scientists since 2002[268] andpublishes among the most scientific papers per capita of any country in theworld.[269][270]

Israel leads world in stem cell researchpapers per capita since 2000.[272] Inaddition, Israeli universities are among 100 top world universities inmathematics (TAU, Hebrew University and Technion), physics (TAU,Hebrew University and Weizmann Institute of Science), chemistry (TAU,Hebrew University and Technion), computer science (TAU, HebrewUniversity, Weizmann Institute of Science, BIU and Technion) andeconomics (TAU and Hebrew University).[273]

In 2009 Israel was ranked 2nd among 20 top countries in space sciences[274]

Transport

Tel Aviv Central Bus Station.Duty Free at Ben GurionInternational Airport

Science and technology

The particle accelerator at theWeizmann Institute of Science,Rehovot

The world's largest solarparabolic dish at the Ben-GurionNational Solar Energy

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by Thomson Reuters agency. Since 1988 Israel Aerospace Industrieshave indigenously designed and built at least 13 commercial, research andspy satellites.[275] Most were launched to orbit from Israeli air force base

"Palmachim" by the Shavit space launch vehicle. Some of Israel's satellites are ranked among the world'smost advanced space systems.[276] In 2003, Ilan Ramon became Israel's first astronaut, serving as payloadspecialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Israel has embraced solar energy, its engineers are on the cutting edge of solar energy technology[277] andits solar companies work on projects around the world.[278][279] Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energyfor hot water, the highest per capita in the world.[280][281] According to government figures, the countrysaves 8% of its electricity consumption per year because of its solar energy use in heating.[282] The highannual incident solar irradiance at its geographic latitude creates ideal conditions for what is aninternationally renowned solar research and development industry in the Negev Desert.[277][278][279]

Main article: Demographics of Israel

In 2010, Israel's population was an estimated 7.6 million,[14] of whom5,776,500 are Jews.[14][15][16][283] As of 2008, Arab citizens of Israelcomprise just under 20% of the country's total population.[284]

Over the last decade, large numbers of migrant workers from Romania,Thailand, China, Africa and South America have settled in Israel. Exactfigures are unknown as many of them are living in the countryillegally,[285] but estimates run in the region of 200,000.[286] Over 16,000African asylum seekers have entered Israel in recent years.[287]

Retention of Israel's population since 1948 is about even or greater, whencompared to other countries with mass immigration.[288] Emigration fromIsrael (yerida) to other countries, primarily the United States and Canada,is described by demographers as modest,[289] but is often cited by Israeligovernment ministries as a major threat to Israel's future.[290][291]

As of 2009 over 300,000 Israeli citizens live in West Bank settlements[292] such as Ma'ale Adumim and Ariel,and communities that predated the establishment of the State but were re-established after the Six-DayWar, in cities such as Hebron and Gush Etzion. 18,000 Israelis live in Golan Heights settlements.[293] In2006, there were 250,000 Jews living in East Jerusalem.[294] The total number of Israeli settlers is over500,000 (6.5% of the Israeli population). Approximately 7,800 Israelis lived in settlements in the Gaza Stripuntil they were evacuated by the government as part of its 2005 disengagement plan.[295]

Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people and is often referred to as a Jewish state. Thecountry's Law of Return grants all Jews and those of Jewish lineage the right to Israeli citizenship.[296] Justover three quarters, or 75.5%, of the population are Jews from a diversity of Jewish backgrounds.Approximately 68% of Israeli Jews are Israeli-born, 22% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and10% are immigrants from Asia and Africa (including the Arab World).[297][298] Jews who left or fled Arab andMuslim lands and their descendants constitute approximately 50% of Jewish Israelis.[299][300][301]

Main article: Languages of Israel

Israel has two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic.[1] Hebrew is the primary language of the state and isspoken by the majority of the population, and Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority. Many Israeliscommunicate reasonably well in English, as many television programs are broadcast in this language andEnglish is taught from the early grades in elementary school. As a country of immigrants, many languagescan be heard on the streets. Due to mass immigration from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia (some120,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel),[302] Russian and Amharic are widely spoken.[303] Between 1990 and1994, the Russian immigration increased Israel's population by twelve percent.[304] Out of more than one

Center.[271]

Demographics

Comparison of the changes inpercentages of the main religiousgroup in Israel between the years1949-2008

Languages

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million Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel,[305] about 300,000 are considered gentile by the Orthodoxrabbinate, because, under the Orthodox interpretation, only children to Jewish mothers are considered Jews,while the Law of Return accepts those with Jewish fathers, grandparents, and spouses.[306][307]

Main article: Religion in Israel

Israel and the Palestinian territoriescomprise the major part of the HolyLand, a region of significantimportances to all Abrahamic religions- Jews, Christians, Muslims andBaha'is.

The religious affiliation of Israeli Jewsvaries widely: A Social Survey forthose over the age of 20 indicates that55% say they are "traditional," while20% consider themselves "secular

Jews," 17% define themselves as "Religious Zionists"; 8% definethemselves as "Haredi Jews."[308] Only 5% of Israel's population in1990,[309] the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, are expected to representmore than one-fifth of Israel's Jewish population in 2028[310]

Making up 16% of the population, Muslims constitute Israel's largestreligious minority. About 2% of the population are Christian and 1.5% areDruze.[311] The Christian population primarily comprises Arab Christians,but also includes post-Soviet immigrants and the Foreign Labourers ofmulti-national origins and followers of Messianic Judaism, considered bymost Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity.[312] Members ofmany other religious groups, including Buddhists and Hindus, maintain apresence in Israel, albeit in small numbers.[313]

The city of Jerusalem is of special importance to Jews, Muslims and Christians as it is the home of sites thatare pivotal to their religious beliefs, such as the Israeli-controlled Old City that incorporates the Western Walland the Temple Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.[314]

Other locations of religious importance in Israel are Nazareth (holy in Christianity as the site of theAnnunciation of Mary), Tiberias and Safed (two of the Four Holy Cities in Judaism), the White Mosque inRamla (holy in Islam as the shrine of the prophet Saleh), and the Church of Saint George in Lod (holy inChristianity and Islam as the tomb of Saint George or Al Khidr).

A number of other religious landmarks are located in the West Bank, among them Joseph's tomb inShechem, the birthplace of Jesus and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, and the Cave of the Patriarchs inHebron.

The administrative center of the Bahá'í Faith and the Shrine of the Báb are located at the Bahá'í WorldCentre in Haifa and the leader of the faith is buried in Acre. Apart from maintenance staff, there is no Bahá'ícommunity in Israel, although it is a destination for pilgrimages. Bahá'í staff in Israel do not teach their faithto Israelis following strict policy.[315][316]

Main article: Education in Israel

Israel has the highest school life expectancy in Southwest Asia, and is tied with Japan for second-highestschool life expectancy on the Asian continent (after South Korea).[317] Israel similarly has the highest literacyrate in Southwest Asia, according to the United Nations.[318] The State Education Law, passed in 1953,established five types of schools: state secular, state religious, ultra orthodox, communal settlement schools,

Religion

Church of Transfiguration,Mount Tabor

The Western Wall and theDome of the Rock, Jerusalem

International Bahá'í Archivesbuilding at Bahá'í World Centre,overlooking the Shrine of the Báband the Port of Haifa.

Education

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and Arab schools. The public secular is the largest school group, and is attended by the majority of Jewishand non-Arab pupils in Israel. Most Arabs send their children to schools where Arabic is the language ofinstruction.[319]

Education is compulsory in Israel for children between the ages of three and eighteen.[320][321] Schooling isdivided into three tiers – primary school (grades 1–6), middle school (grades 7–9), and high school (grades10–12) – culminating with Bagrut matriculation exams. Proficiency in core subjects such as mathematics,Bible, Hebrew language, Hebrew and general literature, English, history, and civics is necessary to receive aBagrut certificate.[260] In Arab, Christian and Druze schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by anexam in Islam, Christianity or Druze heritage.[322] In 2003, over half of all Israeli twelfth graders earned amatriculation certificate.[323]

Main article: Culture of Israel

Israel's diverse culture stems from the diversity of the population: Jews from around the world have broughttheir cultural and religious traditions with them, creating a melting pot of Jewish customs and beliefs.[324]

Israel is the only country in the world where life revolves around the Hebrew calendar. Work and schoolholidays are determined by the Jewish holidays, and the official day of rest is Saturday, the JewishSabbath.[325] Israel's substantial Arab minority has also left its imprint on Israeli culture in such spheres asarchitecture,[326] music,[327] and cuisine.[328]

Main article: Israeli literature

Israeli literature is primarily poetry and prose written in Hebrew, as part ofthe renaissance of Hebrew as a spoken language since the mid-19thcentury, although a small body of literature is published in otherlanguages, such as English. By law, two copies of all printed matterpublished in Israel must be deposited in the Jewish National andUniversity Library at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2001, the lawwas amended to include audio and video recordings, and other non-printmedia.[330] In 2006, 85 percent of the 8,000 books transferred to thelibrary were in Hebrew.[331]

The Hebrew Book Week (He: שבוע הספר) is held each June and featuresbook fairs, public readings, and appearances by Israeli authors around thecountry. During the week, Israel's top literary award, the Sapir Prize, ispresented.

In 1966, Shmuel Yosef Agnon shared the Nobel Prize in Literature withGerman Jewish author Nelly Sachs.[332] Leading Israeli poets have beenYehuda Amichai, Nathan Alterman and Rachel Bluwstein. Internationallyfamous contemporary Israeli novelists include Amos Oz and DavidGrossman.

Israel has also been the home of two leading Palestinian poets and writers: Emile Habibi, whose novel TheSecret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, and other writings, won him the Israel prize for Arabic literature; andMahmoud Darwish, considered by many to be "the Palestinian national poet."[333] Darwish was born andraised in northern Israel, but lived his adult life in exile after joining the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Main article: Music of Israel

Israeli music contains musical influences from all over the world;Sephardic music, Hasidic melodies, Belly dancing music, Greek music,jazz, and pop rock are all part of the music scene.[334][335]

Culture

Literature

Amos Oz's works have beentranslated into 36 languages,more than any other Israeliwriter.[329]

Music and dance

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The nation's canonical folk songs, known as "Songs of the Land ofIsrael," deal with the experiences of the pioneers in building the Jewishhomeland.[336]

Among Israel's world-renowned[337][338] orchestras is the IsraelPhilharmonic Orchestra, which has been in operation for over seventy

years and today performs more than two hundred concerts each year.[339] Israel has also produced manymusicians of note, some achieving international stardom. Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Ofra Hazaare among the internationally acclaimed musicians born in Israel.

Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nearly every yearsince 1973, winning the competition three times and hosting it twice.[340]

Eilat has hosted its own international music festival, the Red Sea JazzFestival, every summer since 1987.[341]

Modern dance in Israel is a flourishing field, and several Israelichoreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Rami Beer, Barak Marshall andmany others, are considered to be among the most versatile and originalinternational creators working today. Famous Israeli companies includethe Batsheva Dance Company and the Kibbutz Contemporary DanceCompany.

Israel is home to many Palestinian musicians, including internationally acclaimed oud and violin virtuosoTaiseer Elias, singer Amal Murkus, and brothers Samir and Wissam Joubran. Israeli Arab musicians haveachieved fame beyond Israel's borders: Elias and Murkus frequently play to audiences in Europe andAmerica, and oud player Darwish Darwish (Prof. Elias's student) was awarded first prize in the all-Arab oudcontest in Egypt in 2003. The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance has an advanced degree program,headed by Taiseer Elias, in Arabic music.

Main article: Cinema of Israel

Nine Israeli films have been final nominees for Best Foreign LanguageFilm at the Academy Awards since the establishment of Israel. The 2009movie Ajami was the third consecutive nomination of an Israeli film.[342]

Continuing the strong theatrical traditions of the Yiddish theater in EasternEurope, Israel maintains a vibrant theatre scene. Founded in 1918,Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv is Israel's oldest repertory theater companyand national theater.[343]

Palestinian Israeli filmmakers have made a number of films, some of themvery controversial, dealing with the Arab-Israel conflict and the status of Palestinians within Israel.Mohammed Bakri's 2002 film Jenin, Jenin, about an Israeli military action in the West Bank town of Jenin,won the Best Film award at the Carthage International film festival, but was widely criticized within Israel fordistorting the story of the battle. Ajami, a 2009 film about violence and discrimination in a mixed Jewish-Arabneighborhood in south Tel Aviv-Jaffa, was written and directed jointly by Palestinain Scandar Copti andJewish Israeli Yaron Shani. It won an honorable mention in the Cannes Film Festival. The Syrian Bride,about a Druze wedding between families on opposite sides of the Israel-Syrian ceasefire line in the GolanHeights, was directed by a Jewish Israeli (Eran Riklis), but had an almost completely Druze cast.

See also: List of museums in Israel

The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is one of Israel's most important culturalinstitutions[344] and houses the Dead Sea scrolls,[345] along with an

Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center.

Israel Philharmonic Orchestraconducted by Zubin Mehta

Cinema and theatre

Diamond Theatre.

Museums

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extensive collection of Judaica and European art.[344]

Israel's national Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, houses the world'slargest archive of Holocaust-related information.[346]

Beth Hatefutsoth (the Diaspora Museum), on the campus of Tel AvivUniversity, is an interactive museum devoted to the history of Jewishcommunities around the world.[347]

Apart from the major museums in large cities, there are high-qualityartspaces in many towns and kibbutzim. Mishkan Le'Omanut on Kibbutz Ein Harod Meuhad is the largest artmuseum in the north of the country.[348]

Several museums are devoted to Islamic culture, including the Rockefeller Museum, which specializes inarchaeological remains from the Ottoman and other periods of Middle East history, and the Museum forIslamic Art , also in Jerusalem.

Main article: Sport in Israel

Sports and physical fitness have not always been paramount in Jewishculture. Athletic prowess, which was prized by the ancient Greeks, waslooked down upon as an unwelcome intrusion of Hellenistic values. Thischanged in the 19th century from the physical culture campaign of MaxNordau, and in the early 20th century when the Chief Rabbi of Palestine,Abraham Isaac Kook, declared that "the body serves the soul, and only ahealthy body can ensure a healthy soul".[349]

The Maccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish athletes andIsraeli athletes, was inaugurated in the 1930s, and has been held everyfour years since then. In 1964 Israel hosted and won the Asian NationsCup; in 1970 the Israel national football team managed to qualify to the

FIFA World Cup, which is still considered the biggest achievement of Israeli football.

Israel was excluded from the 1978 Asian Games due to Arab pressure on the organizers. The exclusion leftIsrael in limbo and it ceased competing in Asian competitions.[350] In 1994, UEFA agreed to admit Israel andall Israeli sporting organizations now compete in Europe.

The most popular spectator sports in Israel are association football andbasketball.[351] The Israeli Premier League is the country's premiersoccer league, and Ligat HaAl is the premier basketball league.[352]

Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalemare the largest sports clubs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and HapoelTel Aviv have competed in the UEFA Champions League and Hapoel TelAviv reached the final quarter in the UEFA Cup. Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.has won the European championship in basketball five times.[353] Israelitennis champion Shahar Pe'er ranked 19th in the world after competing inDubai.[354]

Beersheba has become a national chess center; thanks to Sovietimmigration, it is home to the largest number of chess grandmasters of any city in the world.[355] The cityhosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005, and chess is taught in the city's kindergartens.[356]

The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the 2008 Chess Olympiad[357] and the bronze at the 2010Olympiad. Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand is the current Chess World Cup holder.[358]

To date, Israel has won seven Olympic medals since its first win in 1992, including a gold medal inwindsurfing at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[359] Israel has won over 100 gold medals in the ParalympicGames and is ranked about 15th in the all-time medal count. The 1968 Summer Paralympics were hosted

Shrine of the Book, repositoryof the Dead Sea Scrolls inJerusalem

Sports

Nokia Arena, home of MaccabiTel Aviv

Ramat Gan Stadium, Israel'slargest stadium

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Israel portal

by Israel.[360]

Main article: Israeli cuisine

Israeli cuisine comprises local dishes and dishes brought to the countryby Jewish immigrants from around the world. Since the establishment ofthe State in 1948, and particularly since the late 1970s, an Israeli fusioncuisine has developed.

Israeli cuisine has adopted, and continues to adapt, elements of variousstyles of the Jewish cuisine, particularly the Mizrahi, Sephardic, andAshkenazi styles of cooking, along with Moroccan Jewish, Iraqi Jewish,Ethiopian Jewish, Indian Jewish, Iranian Jewish and Yemeni Jewishinfluences. It incorporates many foods traditionally eaten in the Arab,Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, as falafel, hummus, shakshouka, couscous, and za'atar havebecome essential dishes in Israel.

National symbols of IsraelOutline of Israel

a. ^ The Jerusalem Law states that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel" and thecity serves as the seat of the government, home to the President's residence, government offices,supreme court, and parliament. United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 (Aug. 20, 1980; 14–0,U.S. abstaining) declared the Jerusalem Law "null and void" and called on member states to withdrawtheir diplomatic missions from Jerusalem. The United Nations and all member nations refuse toaccept the Jerusalem Law (see Kellerman 1993, p. 140) and maintain their embassies in other citiessuch as Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya (see the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel ). The U.S.Congress subsequently adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which said that the U.S. embassyshould be relocated to Jerusalem and that it should be recognized as the capital of Israel. However,the US Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the provisions of the act "invadeexclusive presidential authorities in the field of foreign affairs and are unconstitutional". Since passageof the act, all Presidents serving in office have determined that moving forward with the relocationwould be detrimental to U.S. national security concerns and opted to issue waivers suspending anyaction on this front. The Palestinian Authority sees East Jerusalem as the capital of a futurePalestinian state. The city's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the PalestinianAuthority (see "Negotiating Jerusalem", University of Maryland ). See Positions on Jerusalem formore information.

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Israel" , The World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency), 19 June 2007, retrieved 20July 2007

2. ^ a b "63 to Israel: Population of Israel" . Ynet!. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.3. ^ Press release – First data from the 2008 Population Census – Completed in July, 2009 , Israeli Central

Bureau of Statistics (CBS), 30 September 2009, retrieved 18 May 20104. ^ a b c d e Israel , International Monetary Fund, retrieved 21 April 20115. ^ "Human development indices" . United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 4 November 2010.6. ^ "Israel" , CIA Factbook (CIA), retrieved 13 April 20107. ^ Skolnik 2007, pp. 132–2328. ^ "Israel" , Country Report (Freedom House), 2007, retrieved 15 July 20079. ^ a b Gilbert, Martín (2005), The Routledge Atlas of the Arab–Israeli conflict , Routledge, ISBN 978-0415359009

Cuisine

Tilapia.

See also

Notes

References

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History · Peace process · Israeli peace camp · First Intifada · Oslo Accords ·Second Intifada · Israeli West Bank barrier ·Israel's unilateral disengagement plan · Palestinian territories ·Israel and the apartheid analogy

Arab-Israeli

History · 1948 Arab-Israeli War · 1949 Armistice Agreements ·Jewish exodus from Arab lands · Suez Crisis · Six-Day War · War of Attrition ·Yom Kippur War · 1982 Lebanon War · 2006 Lebanon War ·Peace proposals · Treaties with Egypt / Jordan · Israeli-occupied territories

GovernmentBasic Laws of Israel (Law of Return · Jerusalem Law) · Knesset · Prime Minister · President ·Judicial system (Supreme Court)

SecurityIsrael Defense Forces · Israeli Intelligence Community · Israeli National Security Council · Israel Police ·Israel Border Police · Israel Prison Service · Civil defense in Israel

Politics Political parties (right-wing · left-wing · centre) · Elections · Criticism of the Israeli Government

GeographyBorders · Cities (Jerusalem · Tel Aviv · Haifa) · Districts · Regions (Mediterranean Sea · Red Sea ·Judea and Samaria · Sea of Galilee) · Mountains · Rivers (Jordan River) · Nature reserves · Wildlife

Economy

Israeli new sheqel · Companies · Tel Aviv Stock Exchange · Bank of Israel · Banking ·Standard of living (Personal / household income · Homeownership) · Transport · Agriculture (research) ·Tourism · Science and technology · Wine · Diamond industry · Israel Military Industries ·Israel Aerospace Industries

Culture andsociety

Israelis · Jewish citizens · Arab citizens · Archaeology · Architecture · Cinema · Demographics ·Education (universities and colleges) · Health care · Human rights · Jewish holidays · Kibbutz ·LGBT rights · Languages (Hebrew · Arabic) · Israeli Law · Literature · Media · Music · Personalities ·Postage stamps and history · Religion · Social class (middle class · poverty) · Sports

Foreign affairsInternational criticism of Israel · International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict ·Israel, Palestinians, and the United Nations · Israel-United States relations ·Arab League and the Arab-Israeli conflict

Portal

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External links

Israel topics

Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel[5/10/2011 5:09:40 PM]

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