This article is about the modern state of Israel; for
the ancient kingdom of Israel see
Kingdom of Israel. For the Biblical person named Israel,
see
Jacob.
The State of Israel is a state in the
Middle East with a predominantly
Jewish population, located to the north-west of
Saudi Arabia and bordering the
Mediterranean Sea. It is a geographically small country,
but has a population of over six million.
Israel's
1948 founding and continued existence has been a source
of many conflicts with its neighbouring countries,
Syria,
Lebanon,
Jordan, and
Egypt. Israel is also currently experiencing an on-going
dispute with
Palestinian territorial claims.
Israel is a country whose exact territorial boundaries
and borders are widely disputed and contested.
The territories occupied by Israel since the
1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile,
unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework
established at the
Madrid Conference[?] in October
1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between
Israeli and Palestinian representatives (from the
Israeli-occupied
West Bank and
Gaza Strip) and Israel and
Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement. On
April 25,
1982, Israel withdrew from the
Sinai Peninsula pursuant to the
1979
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and
other disputes with
Jordan were resolved in the
1994
Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.
Main Article
History of Israel
Israel's history is both long and controversial.
Israel is considered the spiritual home of many Jews, and
for many years there had been a strong desire to see the
creation of a "Jewish State" in the reigon. The Modern day
nation of Israel was established in
1948 after the British government agreed to withdraw
from their
mandate of Palestine. On
May 14 the State of Israel was proclaimed (see:
Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, May
14, 1948).
Though a relatively young nation, Israeli history has
been dominated by numerous wars. These include:
Main Article
Politics of Israel
Israel is a constitutional, parliamentary
republic. The nation's
Head of State is the
President, who is a largely powerless
figurehead. The nation's
head of government is the
Prime Minister, who is the leader of the majority party
or ruling coilition in the legislature. Israel's legislative
branch is a 120-member
parliament known as the
Knesset. Elections to the
Knesset are normally held every four years, but the
Knesset can decide to dissolve itself ahead of time by a
simple majority.
Israel has no written
constitution and its government functions based on the
laws of the Knesset and
constitutional conventions[?].
Main article:
Economy of Israel
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 is largely self-sufficient in food
production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology
equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables)
are 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 influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR
topped 750,000 during the period
1989-1999,
bringing the population of Israel from the former
Soviet Union to 1 million, one-sixth of the total
population, and adding scientific and professional expertise
of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx,
coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the
Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly
in the early
1990s. But growth began slowing in
1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and
monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.
Those policies brought inflation down to record low levels
in
1999.
See also:
Land of Israel,
Palestine,
Ancient kingdom of Israel,
Judaism,
Holy Land
