Tel Aviv is the focal point for industries such as diamond polishing, food processing, and printing and publishing, as well as the manufacture of clothing, transportation and electronic equipment. The tourist industry is one of the country's economic mainstays and sources of foreign exchange. More than a million tourists visit the country each year, but when the country experiences turmoil to the extent that it affects tourism, the whole economy is affected. Only 3 percent of Israel's population work in agriculture, but yields are very high. Fields near Hebron and Bethlehem Traditional methods and terracing are making way for scientific experimentation, modern methods of irrigation, modern equipment, water recycling, hothouses, crop management, and marketing.
Citrus is the leading export.
Fruits, vegetables, and wines are also exported. Israel is self-sufficient in cotton, the most extensively grown crop, and poultry, dairy products, potatoes, and olives. The country is nearly self-sufficient in meat and fish. Yet, in spite of all the positive factors, Israel's economy has often been troubled because of heavy foreign debt, defense and war expenditures, and an annual trade imbalance. For years Israel had nearly full employment, but the recent arrival of thousands of Soviet Jewish immigrants flooded the labor force and caused widespread unemployment.