Israel

State of Israel מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל ( Arabic ) Dawlat Isrā'īl
Flag Emblem
Anthem: הַתִּקְוָה ( Knesset Speaker		Amir Ohana
• Chief Justice	Yitzhak Amit (acting)
Legislature	Knesset
Establishment
• Declaration of independence	14 May 1948
Area
• Total	22,072 or 20,770[13][14] km2 (8,522 or 8,019 sq mi)[a] (149th)
• Water (%)	2.71[15]
Population
• 2025 estimate	10,009,800[16] (93rd)
• 2022 census	9,601,720[17][fn 4]
• Density	454/km2 (1,175.9/sq mi) (29th)
GDP (PPP)	2025 estimate
• Total	$565.878 billion[18] (47th)
• Per capita	$55,847[18] (29th)
GDP (nominal)	2025 estimate
• Total	$550.905 billion[18] (29th)
• Per capita	$54,370[18] (18th)
Gini (2021)	37.9[19] medium inequality
HDI (2022)	0.915[20] very high (25th)
Currency	New shekel (₪) (ILS)
Time zone	UTC+2:00 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3:00 (IDT)
Drives on	Right
Calling code	+972
ISO 3166 code	IL
Internet TLD	.il
^ 20,770 km2 is Israel within the Green Line. 22,072 km2 includes the occupied Golan Heights (c. 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi)) and East Jerusalem (c. 64 km2 (25 sq mi)).

Israel,^[a] officially the State of Israel,^[b] is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon and Syria to the north, the West Bank and Jordan to the east, the Gaza Strip and Egypt to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.^[21] The country also has a small coastline on the Red Sea at its southernmost point, and part of the Dead Sea lies along its eastern border. Israel's proclaimed capital is in Jerusalem,^[22] while Tel Aviv is the country's largest urban area and economic center.

Israel is located in a region known to Jews as the Land of Israel, synonymous with the Palestine region and the Holy Land. In antiquity, it was home to the Canaanite civilisation followed by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Situated at a continental crossroad, the region experienced demographic changes under the rule of empires from the Romans to the Ottomans.^[23] European antisemitism in the late 19th century galvanised Zionism, which sought a Jewish homeland in Palestine and gained British support. After World War I, Britain occupied the region and established Mandatory Palestine in 1920. Increased Jewish immigration in the leadup to the Holocaust and British colonial policy led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs,^[24][25] which escalated into a civil war in 1947 after the United Nations (UN) proposed partitioning the land between them.

After the failure of the

Under the

Early hominin presence in the Levant, where Israel is located, dates back at least 1.5 million years based on the Ubeidiya prehistoric site.^[50] The Skhul and Qafzeh hominins, dating back 120,000 years, are some of the earliest traces of anatomically modern humans outside of Africa.^[51] The Natufian culture, which may have been linked to Proto-Afroasiatic language,^[52][53] emerged by the 10th millennium BCE,^[54] followed by the Ghassulian culture by around 4,500 BCE.^[55]

Early references to "Canaanites" and "

Most modern scholars agree that the Exodus narrative in the Torah and Old Testament did not take place as depicted; however, some elements of these traditions do have historical roots.^[67][68] There is debate about the earliest existence of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah and their extent and power. While it is unclear if there was a United Kingdom of Israel,^[69][70] historians and archaeologists agree that the northern Kingdom of Israel existed by ca. 900 BCE^{[71]: 169–195} and the Kingdom of Judah by ca. 850 BCE.^[72][73] The Kingdom of Israel was the more prosperous of the two and soon developed into a regional power, with a capital at Samaria;^[74][75][76] during the Omride dynasty, it controlled Samaria, Galilee, the upper Jordan Valley, the plain of Sharon and large parts of Transjordan.^[75]

The Kingdom of Israel was conquered around 720 BCE by the

After capturing Babylon in 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, issued a proclamation allowing the exiled Judean population to return.^[82][83] The construction of the Second Temple was completed c. 520 BCE.^[82] The Achaemenids ruled the region as the province of Yehud Medinata.^[84] In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered the region as part of his campaign against the Achaemenid Empire. After his death, the area was controlled by the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires as a part of Coele-Syria. Over the ensuing centuries, the Hellenisation of the region led to cultural tensions that came to a head during the reign of Antiochus IV, giving rise to the Maccabean Revolt of 167 BCE. The civil unrest weakened Seleucid rule, and in the late 2nd century the semi-autonomous Hasmonean Kingdom of Judea arose, eventually attaining full independence and expanding into neighboring regions.^[85][86][87]

The Roman Republic invaded the region in 63 BCE, first taking control of Syria, and then intervening in the Hasmonean civil war. The struggle between pro-Roman and pro-Parthian factions in Judea led to the installation of Herod the Great as a dynastic vassal of Rome. In 6 CE, the area was annexed as the Roman province of Judaea; tensions with Roman rule led to a series of Jewish–Roman wars, resulting in widespread destruction. The First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE) resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple and a sizable portion of the population being killed or displaced.^[88]

A second uprising known as the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE) initially allowed the Jews to form an independent state, but the Romans brutally crushed the rebellion, devastating and depopulating Judea's countryside.^{[88][89][90][91][92]} Jerusalem was rebuilt as a Roman colony (Aelia Capitolina), and the province of Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina.^[93][94] Jews were expelled from the districts surrounding Jerusalem.^[91][95] Nevertheless, there was a continuous small Jewish presence, and Galilee became its religious center.^[96][97]

Early Christianity displaced Roman paganism in the 4th century CE, with Constantine embracing and promoting the Christian religion and Theodosius I making it the state religion. A series of laws were passed that discriminated against Jews and Judaism, and Jews were persecuted by both the church and the authorities.^[99] Many Jews had emigrated to flourishing diaspora communities,^[100] while locally there was both Christian immigration and local conversion. By the middle of the 5th century, there was a Christian majority.^[101][102] Towards the end of the 5th century, Samaritan revolts erupted, continuing until the late 6th century and resulting in a large decrease in the Samaritan population.^[103] After the Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem and the short-lived Jewish revolt against Heraclius in 614 CE, the Byzantine Empire reconsolidated control of the area in 628.^[104]

In 634–641 CE, the

In 1516, the Ottoman Empire conquered the region and ruled it as part of

The concept of the "return" remained a symbol within religious Jewish belief which emphasised that their return should be determined by Divine Providence rather than human action.^[122] Leading Zionist historian Shlomo Avineri describes this connection: "Jews did not relate to the vision of the Return in a more active way than most Christians viewed the Second Coming." The religious Judaic notion of being a nation was distinct from the modern European notion of nationalism.^[123] The Jewish population of Palestine from the Ottoman rule to the beginning of the Zionist movement, known as the Old Yishuv, comprised a minority and fluctuated in size. During the 16th century, Jewish communities struck roots in the Four Holy Cities—Jerusalem, Tiberias, Hebron, and Safed—and in 1697, Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid led 1,500 Jews to Jerusalem.^[124] A 1660 Druze revolt against the Ottomans destroyed Safed and Tiberias.^[111] In the second half of the 18th century, Eastern European Jews who were opponents of Hasidism, known as the Perushim, settled in Palestine.^[125][126]

In the late 18th century, local Arab Sheikh Zahir al-Umar created a de facto independent emirate in the Galilee. Ottoman attempts to subdue the sheikh failed. After Zahir's death the Ottomans regained control of the area. In 1799, governor Jazzar Pasha repelled an assault on Acre by Napoleon's troops, prompting the French to abandon the Syrian campaign.^[127] In 1834, a revolt by Palestinian Arab peasants against Egyptian conscription and taxation policies under Muhammad Ali was suppressed; Muhammad Ali's army retreated and Ottoman rule was restored with British support in 1840.^[128] The Tanzimat reforms were implemented across the Ottoman Empire.

The first wave of modern Jewish migration to

The Second Aliyah (1904–1914) began after the Kishinev pogrom; some 40,000 Jews settled in Palestine, although nearly half left eventually. Both the first and second waves of migrants were mainly Orthodox Jews.^[133] The Second Aliyah included Zionist socialist groups who established the kibbutz movement based on the idea of establishing a separate Jewish economy based exclusively on Jewish labour.^[134][135] Those of the Second Aliyah who became leaders of the Yishuv in the coming decades believed that the Jewish settler economy should not depend on Arab labour. This would be a dominant source of antagonism with the Arab population, with the new Yishuv's nationalist ideology overpowering its socialist one.^[136] Though the immigrants of the Second Aliyah largely sought to create communal Jewish agricultural settlements, Tel Aviv was established as the first planned Jewish town in 1909. Jewish armed militias emerged during this period, the first being Bar-Giora in 1907. Two years later, the larger Hashomer organisation was founded as its replacement.

Chaim Weizmann's efforts to garner British support for the Zionist movement eventually secured the Balfour Declaration of 1917,^[137] stating Britain's support for the creation of a Jewish "national home" in Palestine.^[138][139] Weizmann's interpretation of the declaration was that negotiations on the future of the country were to happen directly between Britain and the Jews, excluding Arabs. Jewish-Arab relations in Palestine deteriorated dramatically in the following years.^[140]

In 1918 the

The

The British introduced restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine with the White Paper of 1939. With countries around the world turning away Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust, a clandestine movement known as Aliyah Bet was organised to bring Jews to Palestine. By the end of World War II, 31% of the population of Palestine was Jewish.^[152] The UK found itself facing a Jewish insurgency over immigration restrictions and continued conflict with the Arab community over limit levels. The Haganah joined Irgun and Lehi in an armed struggle against British rule.^[153] The Haganah attempted to bring tens of thousands of Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors to Palestine by ship. Most of the ships were intercepted by the Royal Navy and the refugees placed in detention camps in Atlit and Cyprus.^[154][155]

On 22 July 1946, Irgun

On 29 November 1947, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 (II).^[165] The plan attached to the resolution was essentially that proposed in the report of 3 September. The Jewish Agency, the recognised representative of the Jewish community, accepted the plan, which assigned 55–56% of Mandatory Palestine to the Jews. At the time, the Jews were about a third of the population and owned around 6–7% of the land. Arabs constituted the majority and owned about 20% of the land, with the remainder held by the Mandate authorities or foreign landowners.^{[166][167][168]} The Arab League and Arab Higher Committee of Palestine rejected it on the basis that the partition plan privileged European interests over those of the Palestinians,^[169] and indicated that they would reject any other plan of partition.^[170][171] On 1 December 1947, the Arab Higher Committee proclaimed a three-day strike, and riots broke out in Jerusalem.^[172] The situation spiraled into a civil war. Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones announced that the British Mandate would end on 15 May 1948, at which point the British would evacuate. As Arab militias and gangs attacked Jewish areas, they were faced mainly by the Haganah as well as the smaller Irgun and Lehi. In April 1948, the Haganah moved onto the offensive.^[173][174]

On 14 May 1948, the day before the expiration of the British Mandate,

After a year of fighting, a ceasefire was declared and temporary borders, known as the Green Line, were established.^[182] Jordan annexed what became known as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip. Over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled by Zionist militias and the Israeli military—what would become known in Arabic as the nakba ('catastrophe').^[183] The events also led to the destruction of most of Palestine's Arab culture, identity, and national aspirations. Some 156,000 Arabs remained and became Arab citizens of Israel.^[184]

By United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273, Israel was admitted as a member of the UN on 11 May 1949.^[185] In the early years of the state, the Labour Zionist movement led by Prime Minister Ben-Gurion dominated Israeli politics.^[186][187] Immigration to Israel during the late 1940s and early 1950s was aided by the Israeli Immigration Department and the non-government sponsored Mossad LeAliyah Bet (lit. "Institute for Immigration B").^[188] The latter engaged in clandestine operations in countries, particularly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where the lives of Jews were in danger and exit was difficult. Mossad LeAliyah Bet was disbanded in 1953.^[189] The immigration was in accordance with the One Million Plan. Some immigrants held Zionist beliefs or came for the promise of a better life, while others moved to escape persecution or were expelled from their homes.^[190][191]

An

During the 1950s, Israel was frequently attacked by Palestinian fedayeen, nearly always against civilians,^[198] mainly from the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip,^[199] leading to several Israeli reprisal operations. In 1956, the UK and France aimed at regaining control of the Suez Canal, which Egypt had nationalised. The continued blockade of the Suez Canal and Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, together with increasing fedayeen attacks against Israel's southern population and recent Arab threatening statements, prompted Israel to attack Egypt.^{[200][201][202]} Israel joined a secret alliance with the UK and France and overran the Sinai Peninsula in the Suez Crisis but was pressured to withdraw by the UN in return for guarantees of Israeli shipping rights.^{[203][204][205]} The war resulted in significant reduction of Israeli border infiltration.^[206]

In the early 1960s, Israel captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and brought him to Israel for trial.^[207] Eichmann remains the only person executed in Israel by conviction in an Israeli civilian court.^[208] In 1963, Israel was engaged in a diplomatic standoff with the United States in relation to the Israeli nuclear programme.^[209][210]

Since 1964 Arab countries, concerned over Israeli plans to divert waters of the

In May 1967, Egypt massed its army near the border with Israel, expelled UN peacekeepers stationed in the Sinai Peninsula since 1957, and blocked Israel's access to the Red Sea.^{[216][217][218]} Other Arab states mobilised their forces.^[219] Israel reiterated that these actions were a casus belli and launched a pre-emptive strike (Operation Focus) against Egypt in June. Jordan, Syria and Iraq attacked Israel. In the Six-Day War, Israel captured and occupied the West Bank from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria.^[220] Jerusalem's boundaries were enlarged, incorporating East Jerusalem. The 1949 Green Line became the administrative boundary between Israel and the occupied territories.^[221]

Following the 1967 war and the "Three Nos" resolution of the Arab League, Israel faced attacks from the Egyptians in the Sinai Peninsula during the 1967–1970 War of Attrition, and from Palestinian groups targeting Israelis in the occupied territories, globally, and in Israel. Most important among the Palestinian and Arab groups was the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), established in 1964, which initially committed itself to "armed struggle as the only way to liberate the homeland".^[222] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Palestinian groups launched attacks^[223][224] against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world,^[225] including a massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The Israeli government responded with an assassination campaign against the organisers of the massacre, a bombing and a raid on the PLO headquarters in Lebanon.

On 6 October 1973, the Egyptian and Syrian armies launched

The

In 1992, Yitzhak Rabin became prime minister following an election in which his party called for compromise with Israel's neighbours.^[245][246] The following year, Shimon Peres on behalf of Israel and Yasser Arafat for the PLO signed the Oslo Accords, which gave the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) the right to govern parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.^[247] The PLO also recognised Israel's right to exist and pledged an end to terrorism.^[248] In 1994, the Israel–Jordan peace treaty was signed, making Jordan the second Arab country to normalise relations with Israel.^[249] Arab public support for the Accords was damaged by the continuation of Israeli settlements^[250] and checkpoints, and the deterioration of economic conditions.^[251] Israeli public support for the Accords waned after Palestinian suicide attacks.^[252] In November 1995, Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir, a far-right Jew who opposed the Accords.^[253]

During Benjamin Netanyahu's premiership at the end of the 1990s, Israel agreed to withdraw from Hebron,^[254] though this was never ratified or implemented,^[255] and he signed the Wye River Memorandum. The agreement dealt with further redeployments in the West Bank and security issues. The memorandum was criticised by major international human rights organisations for its "encouragement" of human rights abuses.^[256][257]

In late 2000, after a controversial visit by Sharon to the Temple Mount, the Second Intifada began. The popular uprising faced disproportionate repression from the Israeli state.^[259] Palestinian suicide bombings eventually developed into a recurrent feature of the intifada.^[260] Some commentators contend that the intifada was pre-planned by Arafat after the collapse of peace talks.^{[261][262][263][264]} Sharon became prime minister in a 2001 election; he carried out his plan to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza Strip and spearheaded the construction of the West Bank barrier,^[265] ending the intifada.^[266] Between 2000 and 2008, 1,063 Israelis, 5,517 Palestinians and 64 foreign citizens were killed.^[267]

In 2006, a Hezbollah artillery assault on Israel's northern border communities and a cross-border abduction of two Israeli soldiers precipitated the month-long Second Lebanon War.^[268][269] In 2007 the Israeli Air Force destroyed a nuclear reactor in Syria. In 2008, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel collapsed, resulting in the three-week Gaza War.^[270][271] In what Israel described as a response to over a hundred Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities,^[272] Israel began an operation in the Gaza Strip in 2012, lasting eight days.^[273] Israel started another operation in Gaza following an escalation of rocket attacks by Hamas in July 2014.^[274] In May 2021 another round of fighting took place in Gaza and Israel, lasting eleven days.^[275]

By the 2010s,

After clearing militants from its territory, Israel launched one of the most destructive bombing campaigns in modern history^[280][281] and invaded Gaza on 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.^[282][283] The fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008, it has been the deadliest for Palestinians in the entire Israeli–Palestinian conflict^[284] and the most significant military engagement in the region since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.^[285] On 1 October 2024, Israel invaded Southern Lebanon, marking the fifth Israeli invasion of Lebanon since 1978. The invasion took place after nearly 12 months of Israel–Hezbollah conflict.

Israel is accused of carrying out a

Geography of Israel

• v
• t
• e

Galilee

Coastal
plain

Judaean
Mountains

Jordan
Valley

Negev

Levantine Sea
(Mediterranean)

Kinneret

Dead
Sea

Gulf
of Eilat

West
Bank

Gaza
Strip

Lebanon

Syria

Jordan

Egypt

Satellite images of Israel and neighbouring territories during the day and night

Israel is located in the Levant area of the Fertile Crescent. At the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, it is bounded by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank to the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip to the southwest. It lies between latitudes 29° and 34° N, and longitudes 34° and 36° E.

The sovereign territory of Israel (according to the demarcation lines of the 1949 Armistice Agreements and excluding all territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War) is approximately 20,770 square kilometers (8,019 sq mi), of which two percent is water.^[288] However Israel is so narrow (100 km at its widest, compared to 400 km from north to south) that the exclusive economic zone in the Mediterranean is double the land area of the country.^[289] The total area under Israeli law, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, is 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 sq mi),^[290] and the total area under Israeli control, including the military-controlled and partially Palestinian-governed territory of the West Bank, is 27,799 square kilometers (10,733 sq mi).^[291]

Despite its small size, Israel is home to a variety of geographic features, from the

The Jordan Rift Valley is the result of tectonic movements within the

The most catastrophic known earthquakes occurred in 31 BCE, 363, 749, and 1033 CE, that is every ca. 400 years on average.^[300] Destructive earthquakes strike about every 80 years, leading to serious loss of life .^[301] While stringent construction regulations are in place and recently built structures are earthquake resistant, as of 2007^[update] many public buildings as well as 50,000 residential buildings did not meet the new standards and were "expected to collapse" if exposed to a strong earthquake.^[301]

Temperatures vary widely, especially during the winter. Coastal areas, such as those of Tel Aviv and Haifa, have a typical Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy winters and long, hot summers. The area of Beersheba and the northern Negev have a semi-arid climate with hot summers, cool winters, and fewer rainy days. The southern Negev and the Arabah areas have a desert climate with very hot, dry summers, and mild winters with few days of rain. The highest temperature of 54 °C (129 °F) was recorded in 1942 in the Tirat Zvi kibbutz.^[302][303] Mountainous regions can be windy and cold, and areas at elevation of 750 metres (2,460 ft) or more (same elevation as Jerusalem) usually receive at least one snowfall each year.^[304] From May to September, rain is rare.^[305][306]

There are four different phytogeographic regions, due to its location between the temperate and tropical zones. For this reason, the flora and fauna are extremely diverse. There are 2,867 known species of plants in Israel. Of these, at least 253 species are introduced and non-native.^[307] There are 380 Israeli nature reserves.^[308]

With scarce water resources, Israel has developed various water-saving technologies, including drip irrigation.^[309][310] The considerable sunlight available for solar energy makes Israel the leading nation in solar energy use per capita—practically every house uses solar panels for water heating.^[311] The Ministry of Environmental Protection has reported that climate change "will have a decisive impact on all areas of life", particularly for vulnerable populations.^[312]

President
Isaac Herzog

Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel has a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. A member of parliament supported by a parliamentary majority becomes the prime minister—usually this is the chair of the largest party. The prime minister is the head of government and of cabinet.^[313][314] The president is head of state, with largely ceremonial duties.^[313]

Israel is governed by a 120-member parliament, known as the Knesset. Membership of the Knesset is based on proportional representation of political parties,^[315][316] with a 3.25% electoral threshold, which in practice has resulted in coalition governments. Residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank are eligible to vote,^[317] and after the 2015 election 10 of the 120 members of the Knesset (8%) were settlers.^[318] Parliamentary elections are scheduled every four years, but unstable coalitions or a no-confidence vote can dissolve a government earlier.^[34] The first Arab-led party was established in 1988,^[319] and as of 2022 Arab-led parties hold about 10% of seats.^[320] The Basic Law: The Knesset (1958) and its amendments prevent a party list from running for election to the Knesset if its objectives or actions include the "negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people".

The

Israel has no official religion,[323]^[324][325] but the definition of the state as "Jewish and democratic" creates a strong connection with Judaism. On 19 July 2018, the Knesset passed a Basic Law that characterizes the State of Israel as principally a "Nation State of the Jewish People" and Hebrew as its official language. The bill ascribes an undefined "special status" to the Arabic language.^[326] The same bill gives Jews a unique right to national self-determination and views the developing of Jewish settlement in the country as "a national interest", empowering the government to "take steps to encourage, advance and implement this interest".^[327]

Districts of Israel

Central

Haifa

Jerusalem

Northern

Southern

Tel Aviv

Judea
and
Samaria
Area

• v
• t
• e

The State of Israel is divided into six main administrative districts, known as mehozot (Hebrew: מחוזות; sg.: mahoz)—Center, Haifa, Jerusalem, North, South, and Tel Aviv, as well as the Judea and Samaria Area in the West Bank. All of the Judea and Samaria Area and parts of the Jerusalem and Northern districts are not recognised internationally as part of Israel. Districts are divided into 15 sub-districts known as nafot (Hebrew: נפות; sg.: nafa), which are partitioned into 50 natural regions.^[328]

^a Including 361,700 Arabs and 233,900 Jews in East Jerusalem, as of 2020^[update].^[330]

^b Israeli citizens only.

The two primary pieces of legislation relating to Israeli citizenship are the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law. The law of return grants Jews the unrestricted right to immigrate to Israel and obtain Israeli citizenship. Individuals born within the country receive birthright citizenship if at least one parent is a citizen.^[331] Israeli law defines Jewish nationality as distinct from Israeli nationality, and the Supreme Court of Israel has ruled that an Israeli nationality does not exist.^[332][333] A Jewish national is defined as any person practicing Judaism and their descendants.^[332] Legislation passed in 2018 defined Israel as exclusively the nation state of the Jewish people.^[334]

In 1967, as a result of the Six-Day War, Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Israel also captured the Sinai Peninsula but returned it to Egypt as part of the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.^[230] Between 1982 and 2000, Israel occupied part of southern Lebanon, in what was known as the Security Belt. Since capture of these territories, Israeli settlements and military installations have been built within each of them, except Lebanon.

The Golan Heights and East Jerusalem have been fully incorporated under Israeli law but not under international law. Israel has applied civilian law to both areas and granted their inhabitants permanent residency status and the ability to apply for citizenship. The UN Security Council has declared the annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem to be "null and void" and continues to view the territories as occupied.^[335][336] The status of East Jerusalem in any future peace settlement has at times been a difficult issue in negotiations between Israeli governments and representatives of the Palestinians.

The West Bank excluding East Jerusalem is known as the Judea and Samaria Area. The almost 400,000 Israeli settlers residing in the area are considered part of Israel's population, have Knesset representation, are subject to a

The

In a 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice stated that occupation of the Palestinian territories violated international law; Israel should end its occupation as quickly as possible and pay reparations. In addition, the court found that Israel was in breach of article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which requires states to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of racial segregation and apartheid.^{[381][382][383]}

Treatment of Palestinians within the occupied territories and to a lesser extent in Israel itself have drawn widespread accusations that it is guilty of

In February 2024, The ICJ held public hearings in regards to the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem. During the hearings, 24 states and three international organisations said that Israeli practices amount to a breach of the prohibition of apartheid and/or amount to prohibited acts of racial discrimination.^[401] The International Court of Justice in its 2024 advisory opinion found that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories constitutes systemic discrimination and is in breach of Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. The opinion is silent as to whether the discrimination amounts to apartheid; individual judges were split on the question.^{[402][403][404][405][406][407]}

Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 165 

The

Israel has a history of providing emergency foreign aid and humanitarian response to disasters across the world.[438] In 1955 Israel began its foreign aid programme in Burma and then shifted to Africa.^[439] Israel's humanitarian efforts officially began in 1957 with the establishment of Mashav, the Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation.^[440] In this early period, whilst Israel's aid represented only a small percentage of total aid to Africa, its programme was effective in creating goodwill; however, following the 1967 war relations soured.^[441] Israel's foreign aid programme subsequently shifted its focus to Latin America.^[439]

Since the late 1970s Israel's foreign aid has gradually decreased, although in recent years Israel has tried to reestablish aid to Africa.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces and is headed by its Chief of the General Staff, the Ramatkal, subordinate to the Cabinet. The IDF consists of the army, air force and navy. It was founded during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War by consolidating paramilitary organisations—chiefly the Haganah.^[452] The IDF also draws upon the resources of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman).^[453] The IDF have been involved in several major wars and border conflicts, making it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in the world.^[454]

Most

The military relies heavily on high-tech

Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons^[468] and per a 1993 report, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.^{[469][needs update]} Israel has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons^[470] and maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity towards its nuclear capabilities.^[471] The Israeli Navy's Dolphin submarines are believed to be armed with nuclear missiles offering second-strike capability.^[472] Since the Gulf War in 1991, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforced security room, Merkhav Mugan, impermeable to chemical and biological substances.^[473]

Since Israel's establishment, military expenditure constituted a significant portion of the country's

Israel has a

Israel is considered the most advanced country in West Asia and the Middle East in economic and industrial development.^[486][487] As of October 2023^[update], the IMF estimated its GDP at 521.7 billion dollars and GDP per capita at 53.2 thousand (ranking 13th worldwide).^[488] It is the third richest country in Asia by nominal per capita income ^[489] and has the highest average wealth per adult in the Middle East.^[490]The Economist ranked Israel as the 4th most successful economy among the developed countries for 2022.^[491] It has the most billionaires in the Middle East and the 18th most in the world.^[492] In recent years Israel had one of the highest growth rates in the developed world.^[493] In 2010, it joined the OECD.^[494][495] The country is ranked 20th in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report^[496] and 35th on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index.^[497] Economic data covers the economic territory of Israel, including the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.^[338]

Despite limited natural resources, intensive development of the agricultural and industrial sectors over the past decades has made Israel largely self-sufficient in food production, apart from grains and beef. Imports, totaling $96.5 billion in 2020, include raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, and consumer goods.^[288] Leading exports include machinery, equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, and apparel; in 2020, exports reached $114 billion.^[288] The Bank of Israel holds $201 billion of foreign-exchange reserves, the 17th highest in the world.^[288] Since the 1970s, Israel has received military aid from the United States, as well as loan guarantees, which account for roughly half of Israel's external debt. Israel has one of the lowest external debts in the developed world, and is a lender in terms of net external debt (assets vs. liabilities abroad), which in 2015^[update] stood at a surplus of $69 billion.^[498]

Israel has the second-largest number of startup companies after the United States

The days which are allocated to working times are Sunday through Thursday (for a five-day workweek), or Friday (for a six-day workweek). In observance of Shabbat, in places where Friday is a work day and the majority of population is Jewish, Friday is a "short day". Several proposals have been raised to adjust the work week with the majority of the world.^[508]

Israel's development of cutting-edge technologies in software, communications and the life sciences have

In 2012, Israel was ranked ninth in the world by the Futron's Space Competitiveness Index.^[521] The Israel Space Agency coordinates all space research programmes with scientific and commercial goals, and have designed and built at least 13 commercial, research and spy satellites.^[522] Some satellites are ranked among the world's most advanced space systems.^[523] Shavit is a space launch vehicle produced by Israel to launch small satellites into low Earth orbit.^[524] It was first launched in 1988, making Israel the eighth nation to have a space launch capability. In 2003, Ilan Ramon became Israel's first astronaut, serving on the fatal mission of Space Shuttle Columbia.^[525]

The ongoing water shortage has spurred innovation in water conservation techniques, and a substantial agricultural modernisation, drip irrigation, was invented in Israel. Israel is also at the technological forefront of desalination and water recycling. The Sorek desalination plant is the largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination facility in the world.^[526] By 2014, desalination programmes provided roughly 35% of the drinking water, and it is expected to supply 70% by 2050.^[527] As of 2015^[update], over 50 percent of the water for households, agriculture and industry is artificially produced.^[528] In 2011, Israel's water technology industry was worth around $2 billion per year with annual exports of products and services in the tens of millions of dollars. As a result of innovations in reverse osmosis technology, Israel is set to become a net exporter of water.^[529]

Israel has embraced solar energy; its engineers are on the cutting edge of solar energy technology,^[531] and its solar companies work on projects around the world.^[532][533] Over 90% of homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest per capita.^[311][534] According to government figures, the country saves 8% of its electricity consumption per year because of its solar energy use in heating.^[535] The high annual incident solar irradiance at its geographic latitude creates ideal conditions for what is an internationally renowned solar research and development industry in the Negev.^{[531][532][533]} Israel had a modern electric car infrastructure involving a countrywide network of charging stations;^{[536][537][538]} however, its electric car company Better Place shut down in 2013.^[539]

Israel began producing natural gas from its own offshore gas fields in 2004. In 2009 Tamar gas field was discovered near the coast, and Leviathan gas field was discovered in 2010.^[540] The natural gas reserves in these two fields could make Israel energy-secure for more than 50 years. Commercial production of natural gas from the Tamar field began in 2013, with over 7.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) produced annually.^[541] Israel had 199 billion bcm of proven reserves of natural gas as of 2016.^[542] The Leviathan gas field started production in 2019.^[543]

Ketura Sun is Israel's first commercial solar field. Built in 2011 by the Arava Power Company, the field will produce about 9 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year,^[544] sparing the production of some 125,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 20 years.^[545]

Israel has 19,224 kilometres (11,945 mi) of paved

Israel has 5,715 buses on scheduled routes,[549] operated by several carriers, the largest and oldest of which is Egged, serving most of the country.^[550] Railways stretch across 1,277 kilometres (793 mi) and are operated by government-owned Israel Railways.^[551] Following major investments beginning in the early to mid-1990s, the number of train passengers per year has grown from 2.5 million in 1990, to 53 million in 2015; railways transport 7.5 million tons of cargo per year.^[551]

Israel is served by three international

Tourism, especially religious tourism, is an important industry, with beaches, archaeological, other historical and biblical sites, and unique geography also drawing tourists. In 2017, a record 3.6 million tourists visited Israel, yielding a 25 percent growth since 2016 and contributed NIS 20 billion to the economy.^[553][554]

Housing prices are listed in the top third of all countries,^[555] with an average of 150 salaries required to buy an apartment.^[556] As of 2022, there are about 2.7 million properties in Israel, with an annual increase of over 50,000.^[557] However, demand for housing exceeds supply, with a shortage of about 200,000 apartments as of 2021.^[558] As a result, by 2021 housing prices rose by 5.6%.^[559] In 2021, Israelis took a record of NIS 116.1 billion in mortgages, an increase of 50% from 2020.^[560]

Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world and is the only country where Jews are the majority,

About 93% of Israelis live in urban areas.[567] 90% of Palestinian Israelis reside in 139 densely populated towns and villages concentrated in the Galilee, Triangle and Negev regions, with the remaining 10% in mixed cities and neighbourhoods.^[568] The OECD in 2016 estimated the average life expectancy at 82.5 years, the 6th-highest in the world.^[569] Israeli Arab life expectancy lags by 3 to 4 years^[570][571] and is higher than in most Arab and Muslim countries.^[572][573] The country has the highest fertility rate in the OECD and the only one which is above the replacement figure of 2.1.^[574] Retention of Israel's population since 1948 is about even or greater, when compared to other countries with mass immigration.^[575] Jewish emigration from Israel (called yerida), primarily to the United States and Canada, is described by demographers as modest,^[576] but is often cited by Israeli government ministries as a major threat to Israel's future.^[577][578]

Approximately 80% of Israeli Jews are born in Israel, 14% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and 6% are immigrants from Asia and Africa.^[579] Jews from Europe and the former Soviet Union and their descendants born in Israel, including Ashkenazi Jews, constitute approximately 44% of Jewish Israelis. Jews from Arab and Muslim countries and their descendants, including both Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews,^[580] form most of the rest of the Jewish population.^[581] Jewish intermarriage rates run at over 35% and recent studies suggest that the percentage of Israelis descended from both Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews increases by 0.5 percent yearly, with over 25% of schoolchildren now originating from both.^[582] Around 4% of Israelis (300,000), ethnically defined as "others", are Russian descendants of Jewish origin or family who are not Jewish according to rabbinical law, but were eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return.^{[583][584][585]}

Israeli settlers beyond the Green Line number over 600,000 (≈10% of the Jewish Israeli population).

Israeli Arabs (including the Arab population of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights) comprise 21.1% of the population or 1,995,000 people.[588] In a 2017 poll, 40% of Arab citizens of Israel identified as "Arab in Israel" or "Arab citizen of Israel", 15% identified as "Palestinian", 8.9% as "Palestinian in Israel" or "Palestinian citizen of Israel", and 8.7% as "Arab"; a poll found that 60% of Israeli Arabs have a positive view of the state.^[589][590]

Israel has four major metropolitan areas:

Israel has 16 cities with populations over 100,000. As of 2018[update] there are 77 localities granted

v t e Largest cities in Israel Israel Central Bureau of Statistics[592]
	Rank	Name	District	Pop.	Rank	Name	District	Pop.
Jerusalem Tel Aviv	1	Jerusalem	Jerusalem	981,711a	11	Ramat Gan	Tel Aviv	172,486	Haifa Rishon LeZion
	2	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv	474,530	12	Beit Shemesh	Jerusalem	154,694
	3	Haifa	Haifa	290,306	13	Ashkelon	Southern	153,138
	4	Rishon LeZion	Central	260,453	14	Rehovot	Central	150,748
	5	Petah Tikva	Central	255,387	15	Bat Yam	Tel Aviv	128,465
	6	Netanya	Central	233,104	16	Herzliya	Tel Aviv	106,741
	7	Ashdod	Southern	226,827	17	Hadera	Haifa	103,041
	8	Bnei Brak	Tel Aviv	218,357	18	Kfar Saba	Central	101,556
	9	Beersheba	Southern	214,162	19	Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut	Central	99,171
	10	Holon	Tel Aviv	197,957	20	Lod	Central	85,351

^a This number includes East Jerusalem and West Bank areas, which had a total population of 573,330 inhabitants in 2019.^[597] Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized.

The official language is Hebrew. Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken daily by the majority of the population. Prior to 1948, opposition to Yiddish, the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews, was common among supporters of the Zionist movement, including the Yishuv, who sought to promote Hebrew's revival as a unifying national language.^[598] These sentiments were reflected in the early policies of the Israeli government, which largely banned Yiddish theatre performances and publications.^[599] Until 2018, Arabic was also an official language;^[11] in 2018 it was downgraded to having a "special status in the state".^[9][10] Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Arabic and Hebrew taught in Arab schools.^[600]

Due to mass immigration from the former Soviet Union and

The estimated religious affiliation as of 2022 was 73.5% Jewish, 18.1%

Education is highly valued and was viewed as a fundamental block of ancient Israelites.^[621] In 2015, the country ranked third among OECD members for the percentage of 25–64 year-olds that have attained tertiary education with 49% compared with the OECD average of 35%.^[622] In 2012, the country ranked third in the number of academic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population).^[623]

Israel has a

The Jewish population maintains a relatively high level of educational attainment where just under half of all Israeli Jews (46%) hold post-secondary degrees.[626]^[627] Israeli Jews 25 and older have an average 11.6 years of schooling, making them one of the most highly educated of all major religious groups in the world.^[628][629] In Arab, Christian and Druze schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by an exam on Muslim, Christian or Druze heritage, respectively.^[630] In 2020, 68.7% of 12th graders earned a matriculation certificate.^[631]

Israel has a tradition of higher education where its quality university education has been largely responsible in spurring modern economic development.

Cultural diversity stems from its diverse population: Jews from various diaspora communities brought their cultural and religious traditions with them.^[636] Arab influences are present in many cultural spheres,^[637] being found in architecture,^[638] music,^[639] and cuisine.^[640] Israel is the only country where life revolves around the Hebrew calendar. Holidays are determined by the Jewish holidays. The official day of rest is Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.^[641]

Israeli literature is primarily poetry and prose written in Hebrew, as part of the renaissance of Hebrew as a spoken language since the mid-19th century, although a small body of literature is published in other languages. By law, two copies of all printed matter published in Israel must be deposited in the National Library of Israel. In 2001, the law was amended to include non-print media.^[642] In 2016, 89 percent of the 7,300 books transferred to the library were in Hebrew.^[643]

In 1966, Shmuel Yosef Agnon shared the Nobel Prize in Literature with German Jewish author Nelly Sachs.^[644] Leading poets include Yehuda Amichai, Nathan Alterman, Leah Goldberg, and Rachel Bluwstein.^[645] Internationally famous contemporary novelists include Amos Oz, Etgar Keret and David Grossman.^[646][647]

Israeli music includes Mizrahi and Sephardic music, Hasidic melodies, Greek music, jazz, and pop rock.^[648][649] The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra^[650][651] has been in operation for over seventy years and performs more than two hundred concerts each year.^[652] Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Ofra Haza are among the internationally acclaimed musicians born in Israel. Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest nearly every year since 1973, winning the competition four times and hosting it twice.^[653][654] Eilat has hosted its own international music festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, every summer since 1987.^[655] The nation's canonical folk songs are known as "Songs of the Land of Israel".^[656]

Ten Israeli films

Israeli Jewish art has been particularly influenced by the Kabbalah, the Talmud and the Zohar. Another art movement that held a prominent role in the 20th century was the School of Paris. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the Yishuv's art was dominated by art trends emanating Bezalel. Beginning in the 1920s, the local art scene was heavily influenced by modern French art, first introduced by Isaac Frenkel Frenel.^[660][661] Jewish masters of the school of Paris, such as Soutine, Kikoine, Frenkel, Chagall heavily influenced the subsequent development of Israeli art.^[662][663] Israeli sculpture took inspiration from modern European sculpture as well Mesopotamian, Assyrian and local art.^[664][665] Avraham Melnikov's roaring lion, David Polus' Alexander Zaid and Ze'ev Ben Zvi's cubist sculpture exemplify some of the different streams in sculpture.^{[664][666][667]}

Common themes in art are the mystical cities of Safed and Jerusalem, the bohemian café culture of Tel Aviv, agricultural landscapes, biblical stories and war. Today Israeli art has delved into

Due to the immigration of Jewish architects, architecture has come to reflect different styles. In the early 20th century Jewish architects sought to combine Occidental and Oriental architecture producing buildings that showcase a myriad of infused styles.

Several novel ideas such as the Garden City were implemented in Israeli cities; the Geddes plan of Tel Aviv became renowned internationally for its revolutionary design and adaptation to the local climate.^[674] The design of kibbutzim also came to reflect ideology, such as the planning of the circular kibbutz Nahalal by Richard Kauffmann.^[675]

Media is diverse, reflecting the spectrum of audiences. Notable newspapers include the leftwing

Museums

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Israeli museums.

The

ANU - Museum of the Jewish People is an interactive museum devoted to the history of Jewish communities around the world.^[691]

Israel has the highest number of museums per capita.

Galilee Man.^[693]

Cuisine

Ashkenazi styles of cooking. It incorporates many foods traditionally eaten in the Levantine, Arab, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, such as falafel, hummus, shakshouka, couscous, and za'atar. Schnitzel, pizza, hamburgers, French fries, rice and salad

are common.

Roughly half of the Jewish population attests to keeping

kosher at home.^[695][696] Kosher restaurants make up around a quarter of the total as of 2015^[update].^[694] Together with non-kosher fish, rabbits and ostriches, pork—often called "white meat" in Israel^[697]—is produced and consumed, though it is forbidden by both Judaism and Islam.^[698]

Sports

Main article: Sport in Israel

The most popular spectator sports in Israel are association football and basketball.

UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Israel hosted and won the 1964 AFC Asian Cup; in 1970 the Israel national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup, the only time it participated. The 1974 Asian Games, held in Tehran, were the last Asian Games in which Israel participated, plagued by Arab countries that refused to compete with Israel. Israel was excluded from the 1978 Asian Games and since then has not competed in Asian sport events.^[701] In 1994, UEFA agreed to admit Israel, and its football teams now compete in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. has won the European championship in basketball six times.^[702]

Israel has won nine Olympic medals since its first win in 1992, including a gold medal in windsurfing at the 2004 Summer Olympics.^[703] Israel has won over 100 gold medals in the Paralympic Games and is ranked 20th in the all-time medal count. The 1968 Summer Paralympics were hosted by Israel.^[704] The Maccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish and Israeli athletes, was inaugurated in the 1930s, and has been held every four years since. Krav Maga, a martial art developed by Jewish ghetto defenders, is used by the Israeli security forces and police.^[705]

Chess is a leading sport. There are many Israeli grandmasters and Israeli chess players have won a number of youth world championships.^[706] Israel stages an annual international championship and hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005.

See also

• Index of Israel-related articles
• Outline of Israel

References

Notes

1. ^ Recognition by other UN member states: Russia (West Jerusalem),^[1] the Czech Republic (West Jerusalem),^[2] Honduras,^[3] Guatemala,^[4] Nauru,^[5] and the United States.^[6]
2. ^ Jerusalem is Israel's largest city if including East Jerusalem, which is widely recognized as occupied territory.^[7] If East Jerusalem is not counted, the largest city would be Tel Aviv.
3. ^ Arabic has a "special status" as set by the Basic Law of 2018, which allows it to be used by official institutions.^[9][10] Prior to that law's passage, Arabic had been an official language alongside Hebrew.^[11]
4. ^ ^{a b} Israeli population and economic data covers the economic territory of Israel, including the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.^[338][339]
5. ^ The personal name "Israel" appears much earlier, in material from Ebla.^[48]

1. Arabic
   : إِسْرَائِيل, romanized: ʾIsrāʾīl
2. Arabic
   : دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, romanised: Dawlat Isrāʾīl

Citations