About Israel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State of Israel
Flag - Centered blue star within a horizontal triband
Emblem - Centered menorah surrounded by two olive branches
Anthem: "Hatikvah" (Hebrew for "The Hope")
Capital - and largest city Jerusalem (internationally unrecognized)
Official languages Hebrew Arabic
Ethnic groups
74.8% Jewish
20.8% Arab
4.4% other
Religion
74.8% Jewish
17.6% Muslim
2% Christian
1.6% Druze
4% other
Demonym Israeli Government Unitary parliamentary republic
• Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip[8] to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's economy and technology center is Tel Aviv,[10] while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not recognised internationally.

The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah emerged during the Iron Age. The Neo-Assyrian Empire destroyed Israel around 720 BCE. The Jewish–Babylonian war resulted in the Babylonian conquest of Judah in 586 BCE and the formation of the province of Yehud. During the Persian rule, the Jewish autonomous province, Yehud Medinata, had existed for two centuries until the conquest of Alexander the Great. The successful Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire led to an independent Jewish kingdom in 110 BCE, which came to an end in 63 BCE when Judea became a client state of the Roman Republic under the Herodian dynasty. Judea lasted as a Roman province until the subsequent failed Jewish revolts resulted in widespread destruction, the sack of Jerusalem, expulsion of Jewish population and the renaming of the region from Iudaea to Syria Palaestina. Jewish presence in the Land of Israel has persisted over the centuries. During the 19th century, national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the Zionist movement followed by waves of immigration to Ottoman and later British Palestine.

In 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and rejected by Arab leaders. Next year, the Jewish Agency declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel." Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied territories including the West Bank, Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip (still considered occupied after 2005 disengagement). It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank. Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world's longest military occupation in modern times. Efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace. However, peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been implemented.

The population of Israel, as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was estimated in 2017 to be 8,745,240 people. It is the world's only Jewish-majority state, with 74.8% being designated as Jewish. The country's second largest population group are Arabs, at 20.8% (including most East Jerusalem Arabs).[1] The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims, including significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins; the rest are Christians and Druze. Other minorities include Arameans, Armenians, Assyrians, Black Hebrew Israelites, Circassians, Maronites and Samaritans. Israel also hosts a significant population of non-citizen foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia, including illegal migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and other Sub-Saharan Africans.

In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic state. Israel is a representative democracy[35] with a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature. Israel is a developed country and an OECD member, with the 34th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product as of 2016. The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. Israel has the highest standard of living in the Middle East, and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world.