Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. On 24 June 2002, US President BUSH laid out a "road map" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence ongoing since September 2000. The conflict may have reached a turning point with the election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir ARAFAT.
Geography
Israel
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source
People
Israel
Population:
6,276,883
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2005 est.)
total: 29.39 years
male: 28.58 years
female: 30.27 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.2% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
18.21 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.32 years
male: 77.21 years
female: 81.55 years (2005 est.)
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held mid-2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall of 2006)
election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union
Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall of 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%, Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz 5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%, National Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%, United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Shimon PERES]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim "Efie" EITAM]; National Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef "Tommy" LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA (merged with Likud) [Natan SHARANSKY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5578
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5560
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575
FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government
Flag description:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
Anthem
Israel
The National Anthem of Israel
"Hatikvah"
(The Hope)
History
The Hatikvah text was written by the Galician poet Naphtali
Herz Imber in Jassy (Romania) in 1878 as a nine-stanza poem
named Tikavatenu ("Our Hope").
In 1897, at the First Zionist Congress, it was adopted as
the anthem of Zionism; later it was arranged by the composer
Paul Ben-Haim, who based the composition partly on Romanian
Jewish folk tunes.
Later the text was edited by the settlers of Rishon LeZion
and it underwent a number of other changes until 1948, when
the state of Israel was created, and it was proclaimed as
the national anthem of Israel.
In its modern version, the anthem text only has the first
stanza and chorus of the original poem. The most important
addition in those parts is that the hope is no longer to return
to Zion, but to be a free nation in it.
Music
The music for Hatikva is based on a folk song of unknown
origin. The earliest known appearance in print was early 17th
century Italy as "The Dance of Mantua". It has also
been recognized in Spanish religious music as the Catholic
song "Virgen de la Cueva" ("Virgin of the Cave")
and the Jewish song "Prayer for the Dew". It's also
recognizable as the Polish folk song Pod Krakowem.
The folk song was also used by a English-Jewish cantor named
Meier Leon, who used the stage name Michael Leoni to perform
secular and Christian music such as Handel's Messiah. Leon
adapted the song into the Jewish hymn Yaigdal for his synagogue.
This hymn was later adapted by Welselyan minister Thomas Oliver
into the hymn To The God of Abraham Praise.
Bedrich Smetana likely adapted the melody from a Swedish
version of the melody, "Ack, Värmeland" and
used it for his symphonic poem "The Moldau", part
of Má Vlast. This later became a Czech folk song, "Kocka
leze dírou".
The modern adaptation of the music for Hatikvah was probably
composed by Samuel Cohen in 1888. It's possible that he took
the melody from Smetana's work, or that he got the melody
from a Romanian version of the folk song, "Carutza cu
bou" ("Carriage and Oxen").
Hatikvah is written in a minor key, one that may seem depressing
or mournful to some people. However, as the title ("The
Hope") would indicate, the mood of the song is uplifting.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatikvah
Words by: Naftali Herz Imber
Music by: Shmuel Cohen
In use: 1948 -
The
National Anthem of Israel
(Listen)
"Hatikvah" (The Hope)
Kol od balevav P'nimah -
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah
Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah.
Od lo avdah tikvatenu
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim:
Li'hyot am chofshi b'artzenu -
Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim.
(translation in English)
As long as in the heart, within,
A Jewish soul still yearns,
And onward toward the East,
An eye still watches toward Zion.
Our hope has not yet been lost,
The two thousand year old hope,
To be a free nation in our own homeland,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Economy
Israel
Economy - overview:
Israel has a technologically
advanced market economy with substantial government participation.
It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and
military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel
has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors
over the past 20 years. Israel imports substantial quantities
of grain, but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural
products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural
products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel
usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered
by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans.
Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the
US, which is its major source of economic and military aid.
The bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties in the
high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors; and fiscal
austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines
in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The economy grew at 1% in 2003, with
improvements in tourism and foreign direct investment. In 2004,
rising business and consumer confidence - as well as higher
demand for Israeli exports boosted GDP by 3.9%.
GDP:
purchasing power
parity - $129 billion (2004 est.)
new Israeli shekel
(ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International
Organization for Standarization (ISO) code for the NIS
Currency code:
ILS
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels
per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002),
4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Israel
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.006 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.334 million (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital
international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.69 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.il
Internet hosts:
437,516 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)
Internet users:
2 million (2002)
Transportation
Israel
Railways:
total: 640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2003)
Highways:
total: 16,903 km
paved: 16,903 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002)
Pipelines:
gas 140 km; oil 1,509 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT
by type: cargo 1, container 16
registered in other countries: 48 (2005)
Airports:
51 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
3 (2004 est.)
Transnational Issues
Israel
Disputes - international:
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel announced its intention to pull out Israeli settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2004)
Illicit drugs:
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center
