Israel

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Israel,officially theState of Israel,is a country inWest Asia. It is situated in theSouthern Levantof theMiddle East; andshares borderswithLebanonandSyriato the north, theWest BankandJordanto the east, theGaza StripandEgyptto the southwest, and theMediterranean Seato the west.Israel also has a small coastline on theRed Seaat its southernmost point, and part of theDead Sealies along its eastern border. Itsproclaimed capitalis inJerusalem,whileTel Avivis the country'slargest urban areaandeconomic center.
Israel is located in a region known to theJewsas theLand of Israel, synonymous with theCanaanregion and theHoly Land. In antiquity, it was home to theCanaanite civilisationfollowed by thekingdoms of Israel and Judah. Situated at acontinental crossroad, the region experienceddemographic changesunder the rule of empires from theRomansto theOttomans.European antisemitismin the late 19th century galvanisedZionism, which sought aJewish homelandin Palestine and gainedBritish support. AfterWorld War I, Britain occupied the region and establishedMandatory Palestinein 1920. IncreasedJewish immigrationin the leadup tothe HolocaustandBritish colonial policyled tointercommunal conflictbetween Jews andArabs,which escalated intoa civil warin 1947 after aproposed partition by the United Nationswas rejected by the Palestinians.
After theend of the British Mandate for Palestine, Israeldeclared independenceon 14 May 1948. Neighboring Arab states invaded the area the next day, beginning theFirst Arab–Israeli War. Subsequentarmistice agreementsestablished Israeli control over77 percentof the former Mandate territory.The majority ofPalestinian Arabswere eitherexpelled or fledin what is known as theNakba, withthose remainingbecoming the new state's main minority.Over the following decades, Israel's population increased greatly as the country received an influx ofJews who emigrated, fled or were expelled from the Muslim world.Following the 1967Six-Day WarIsrael occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, EgyptianSinai Peninsulaand SyrianGolan Heights. Israel established and continues to expandsettlementsacross theillegally occupied territories,contraryto international law, and has effectively annexedEast Jerusalemand theGolan Heightsin moves largely unrecognised internationally. After the 1973Yom Kippur War, Israel signedpeace treaties with Egypt—returning the Sinai in 1982—andJordan. In 1993, Israel signed theOslo Accordswhich established mutual recognition and limited Palestinian self-governance in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. In the 2020s, itnormalised relationswith more Arab countries. However,efforts to resolvetheIsraeli–Palestinian conflictafter the interim Oslo Accords have not succeeded, and the country has engaged inseveral warsand clashes with Palestinianmilitant groups. Israel's practices in its occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn sustained international criticism—along with accusations that it has committedwar crimesand crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people—from human rights organisations and United Nations officials.
The country'sBasic Lawsestablish aparliamentelected byproportional representation, theKnesset, which determines the makeup of thegovernmentheaded by theprime ministerand elects the figureheadpresident.Israel is the only country to have arevivedofficial language,Hebrew. Israel is the only country where Jews constitute more than 2% of the total population, and in which they are the largest demographic.Its culturecomprisesJewishandJewish diasporaelements alongsideArabinfluences. Israel has one of the largesteconomies in the Middle East, the third highest nominal GDP per capita in Asia,and one of the higheststandards of living in Asia.One of the mosttechnologically advanced and developedcountries, itspends proportionallymore on research and development than any other and is widely believed to possessnuclear weapons.
Under theBritish Mandate(1920–1948), the entire region was known asPalestine.Uponestablishment in 1948, the country formally adopted the nameState of Israel(Hebrew:מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל,Medīnat Yisrā'el[mediˈnatjisʁaˈʔel];Arabic:دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل,Dawlat Isrāʼīl,[dawlatʔisraːˈʔiːl]) after otherproposed namesincludingLand of Israel(Eretz Israel),Ever(from ancestorEber),Zion, andJudea, were considered but rejected.The nameIsraelwas suggested byDavid Ben-Gurionand passed by a vote of 6–3.In the early weeks after establishment, the government chose the termIsraelito denote a citizen of the Israeli state.
The names Land of Israel andChildren of Israelhave historically been used to refer to the biblicalKingdom of Israeland theentire Jewish peoplerespectively. ThenameIsrael(Hebrew:Yīsrāʾēl;SeptuagintAncient Greek:Ἰσραήλ,Israēl, "El (God)persists/rules") refers to the patriarchJacobwho, according to theHebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with theAngel of the Lord.The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the wordIsraelas a collective is theMerneptah Steleofancient Egypt(dated to the late 13th century BCE).
Early hominin presencein theLevant, where Israel is located, dates back at least 1.5 million years based on theUbeidiya prehistoric site.TheSkhul and Qafzeh hominins, dating back 120,000 years, are some of the earliest traces ofanatomically modern humansoutside of Africa.TheNatufian culture, which may have been linked toProto-Afroasiatic language,emerged by the 10th millennium BCE,followed by theGhassulianculture by around 4,500 BCE.
Early references to "Canaanites" and "Canaan" appear inNear Easternand Egyptian texts (c.2000 BCE); these populations were structured as politically independentcity-states.During theLate Bronze Age(1550–1200 BCE), large parts of Canaan formedvassal statesof theNew Kingdom of Egypt.As a result of theLate Bronze Age collapse, Canaan fell into chaos, and Egyptian control over the region collapsed.Ancestors of theIsraelitesare thought to have includedancient Semitic-speaking peoplesnative to this area.Modern archaeological accounts suggest that the Israelites and their culture branched out of the Canaanite peoples through the development of a distinctmonolatristic—and latermonotheistic—religion centered onYahweh.They spoke an archaic form ofHebrew, known asBiblical Hebrew.Around the same time, thePhilistinessettled on the southerncoastal plain.
Most modern scholars agree that theExodusnarrative in theTorahandOld Testamentdid not take place as depicted; however, some elements of these traditions do havehistorical roots.There is debate about the earliest existence of theKingdoms of Israel and Judahand their extent and power. While it is unclear if there was aUnited Kingdom of Israel,historians and archaeologists agree that the northernKingdom of Israelexisted byca.900 BCEand theKingdom of Judahbyca.850 BCE.The Kingdom of Israel was the more prosperous of the two and soon developed into a regional power, with a capital atSamaria;during theOmride dynasty, it controlledSamaria,Galilee, the upperJordan Valley, theplain of Sharonand large parts ofTransjordan.
The Kingdom of Israel was conquered around 720 BCE by theNeo-Assyrian Empire.The Kingdom of Judah, underDavidicrule with its capital inJerusalem, later became aclient stateof first the Neo-Assyrian Empire and then theNeo-Babylonian Empire. It is estimated thatthe region's populationwas around 400,000 in theIron Age II.In 587/6 BCE, following arevolt in Judah, KingNebuchadnezzar IIbesieged and destroyed JerusalemandSolomon's Temple,dissolved the kingdom andexiled much of the Judean elite to Babylon.
Aftercapturing Babylonin 539 BCE,Cyrus the Great, founder of theAchaemenid Empire, issueda proclamationallowing the exiled Judean population to return.The construction of theSecond Templewas completedc.520 BCE.The Achaemenids ruled the region as the province ofYehud Medinata.In 332 BCE,Alexander the Greatconquered the region as part of hiscampaign against the Achaemenid Empire. After his death, the area was controlled by thePtolemaicandSeleucidempires as a part ofCoele-Syria. Over the ensuing centuries, theHellenisationof the region led to cultural tensions that came to a head during the reign ofAntiochus IV, giving rise to theMaccabean Revoltof 167 BCE. The civil unrest weakened Seleucid rule, and in the late 2nd century the semi-autonomousHasmonean Kingdom of Judeaarose, eventually attaining full independence and expanding into neighboring regions.
TheRoman Republicinvaded the region in 63 BCE, firsttaking control of Syria, and then intervening in theHasmonean civil war.The strugglebetween pro-Roman and pro-Parthianfactions in Judea led to the installation ofHerod the Greatas adynastic vassalofRome. In 6 CE, the area was annexed as theRoman province of Judaea; tensions with Roman rule led to a series ofJewish–Roman wars, resulting in widespread destruction. TheFirst Jewish–Roman War(66–73 CE) resulted in thedestruction of Jerusalem and the Second Templeand a sizable portion of the population being killed or displaced.
A second uprising known as theBar 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.Jerusalem was rebuilt as aRoman colony(Aelia Capitolina), and the province of Judea was renamedSyria Palaestina.Jews were expelled from the districts surrounding Jerusalem.Nevertheless, there was a continuous small Jewish presence, and Galilee became its religious center.
Early ChristianitydisplacedRoman paganismin the 4th century CE, withConstantineembracing and promoting the Christian religion andTheodosius Imaking itthe 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.Many Jews had emigrated to flourishingdiasporacommunities,while locally there was both Christian immigration and local conversion. By the middle of the 5th century, there was a Christian majority.Towards the end of the 5th century,Samaritan revoltserupted, continuing until the late 6th century and resulting in a large decrease in the Samaritan population.After theSasanian conquest of Jerusalemand the short-livedJewish revolt against Heracliusin 614 CE, the Byzantine Empirereconsolidated control of the areain 628.
In 634–641 CE, theRashidun Caliphateconquered the Levant.Over the next six centuries, control of the region transferred between theUmayyad,Abbasid,Fatimidcaliphates, and subsequently theSeljukandAyyubiddynasties.The population drastically decreased during the following several centuries, dropping from an estimated 1 million during Roman and Byzantine periods to about 300,000 by the earlyOttoman period, and there was steadyArabisationandIslamisation.The end of the 11th century brought theCrusades,papally-sanctioned incursions of Christian crusaders intent on wresting Jerusalem and theHoly Landfrom Muslim control and establishingcrusader states.The Ayyubids pushed back the crusaders before Muslim rule was fully restored by theMamluk sultans of Egyptin 1291.
In 1516, the Ottoman Empire conquered the region and ruled it as part ofOttoman Syria.Two violent incidents took place against Jews, the1517 Safed attacksand the1517 Hebron attacks, after the Turkish Ottomans ousted theMamluksduring theOttoman–Mamluk War.Under the Ottoman Empire, the Levant was fairly cosmopolitan, with religious freedoms forChristians, Muslims, and Jews. In 1561 theOttoman sultaninvitedSephardi Jewsescaping theSpanish Inquisitionto settle in and rebuild the city ofTiberias.
Under the Ottoman Empire'smillet system, Christians and Jews were considereddhimmi("protected") underOttoman lawin exchange for loyalty to the state and payment of thejizyatax.Non-Muslim Ottoman subjects faced geographic and lifestyle restrictions, though these were not always enforced.The millet system organised non-Muslims into autonomous communities on the basis of religion.
Theconcept 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.Leading Zionist historianShlomo Avineridescribes this connection: "Jews did not relate to the vision of the Return in a more active way than most Christians viewed theSecond Coming." The religious Judaic notion of being a nation was distinct from the modern European notion of nationalism.The Jewish population of Palestine from the Ottoman rule to the beginning of the Zionist movement, known as theOld Yishuv, comprised a minority and fluctuated in size. During the 16th century, Jewish communities struck roots in theFour Holy Cities—Jerusalem, Tiberias,Hebron, andSafed—and in 1697, Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid led 1,500 Jews to Jerusalem.A 1660Druze revoltagainst the Ottomans destroyedSafedandTiberias.In the second half of the 18th century, Eastern European Jews who wereopponentsofHasidism, known as thePerushim, settled in Palestine.
In the late 18th century, local Arab SheikhZahir al-Umarcreated 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, governorJazzar Pasharepelled anassault on AcrebyNapoleon's troops, prompting the French to abandon the Syrian campaign.In 1834, arevolt by Palestinian Arab peasantsagainst Egyptian conscription and taxation policies underMuhammad Aliwas suppressed; Muhammad Ali's army retreated and Ottoman rule was restored with British support in 1840.TheTanzimatreforms were implemented across the Ottoman Empire.
The first wave of modern Jewish migration toOttoman-ruled Palestine, known as theFirst Aliyah, began in 1881, as Jews fledpogromsin Eastern Europe.The 1882May Lawsincreased economic discrimination against Jews, and restricted where they could live.In response, politicalZionismtook form, a movement that sought to establish aJewish statein Palestine, thus offering a solution to theJewish questionof the European states.Antisemitism, pogroms and official policies, in tsarist Russia led to the emigration of three million Jews in the years between 1882 and 1914, only 1% of which went to Palestine. Those who went to Palestine were driven primarily by ideas of self-determination and Jewish identity, rather than as a response to pogroms or economic insecurity.
TheSecond Aliyah(1904–1914) began after theKishinev pogrom; some 40,000 Jews settled in Palestine, although nearly half left eventually. Both the first and second waves of migrants were mainlyOrthodox Jews.The Second Aliyah includedZionist socialistgroups who established thekibbutzmovement based on the idea of establishing a separate Jewish economy based exclusively on Jewish labour.Those of the Second Aliyah who became leaders of theYishuvin 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.Though the immigrants of the Second Aliyah largely sought to create communal Jewish agricultural settlements,Tel Avivwas established as the first planned Jewish town in 1909. Jewish armed militias emerged during this period, the first beingBar-Giorain 1907. Two years later, the largerHashomerorganisation was founded as its replacement.
Chaim Weizmann's efforts to garner British support for the Zionist movement eventually secured theBalfour Declarationof 1917,stating Britain's support for the creation of a Jewish "national home" in Palestine.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 relationsin Palestine deteriorated dramatically in the following years.
In 1918 theJewish Legion, primarily Zionist volunteers, assisted in the Britishconquest of Palestine.In 1920 the territory was divided between Britain and France under themandate system, and the British-administered area (including modern Israel) was namedMandatory Palestine.Arab opposition to British rule and Jewish immigration led to the1920 Palestine riotsand the formation of a Jewish militia known as theHaganahas an outgrowth of Hashomer, from which theIrgunandLehiparamilitaries later split.In 1922, theLeague of Nationsgranted Britain theMandate for Palestineunder terms which included the Balfour Declaration with its promise to the Jews and with similar provisions regarding the Arab Palestinians.Thepopulation of the areawas predominantly Arab and Muslim, with Jews accounting for about 11%and Arab Christians about 9.5% of the population.
TheThird(1919–1923) andFourth Aliyahs(1924–1929) brought an additional 100,000 Jews to Palestine. Therise of Nazism, and the increasing persecution of Jews in 1930s Europe led to theFifth Aliyah, with an influx of a quarter of a million Jews. This was a major cause of theArab revolt of 1936–39, which was suppressed by British security forces and Zionist militias. Several hundred British security personnel and Jews were killed; 5,032 Arabs were killed, 14,760 wounded, and 12,622 detained.An estimated ten percent of the adult malePalestinian Arabpopulation was killed, wounded, imprisoned or exiled.
The British introduced restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine with theWhite Paper of 1939. With countries around the world turning away Jewish refugees fleeingthe Holocaust, a clandestine movement known asAliyah Betwas organised to bring Jews to Palestine. By the end ofWorld War II, 31% of the population of Palestine was Jewish.The UK found itself facing aJewish insurgencyover 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.The Haganah attempted to bring tens of thousands of Jewish refugees andHolocaust survivorsto Palestine by ship. Most of the ships were intercepted by theRoyal Navyand the refugees placed in detention camps inAtlitandCyprus.
On 22 July 1946, Irgunbombed the British administrative headquartersfor Palestine, killing 91.The attack was a response toOperation Agatha(a series of raids, including one on theJewish Agency, by the British) and was the deadliest directed at the British during the Mandate era.The Jewish insurgency continued throughout 1946 and 1947 despite concerted efforts by the British military andPalestine Police Forceto suppress it. British efforts to mediate with Jewish and Arab representatives also failed as the Jews were unwilling to accept any solution that did not involve a Jewish state and suggested a partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, while the Arabs were adamant that a Jewish state in any part of Palestine was unacceptable and that the only solution was a unified Palestine under Arab rule. In February 1947, the British referred the Palestine issue to the newly formedUnited Nations. On 15 May 1947, theUN General Assemblyresolved that aSpecial Committeebe created "to prepare ... a report on the question of Palestine".The Report of the Committeeproposed a planto replace the British Mandate with "an independent Arab State, an independent Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem [...] the last to be under an International Trusteeship System".Meanwhile, the Jewish insurgency continued and peaked in July 1947, with a series of widespread guerrilla raids culminating inthe Sergeants affair, in which the Irgun took two British sergeants hostage as attempted leverage against the planned execution of three Irgun operatives. After the executions were carried out, the Irgun killed the two British soldiers, hanged their bodies from trees, and left a booby trap at the scene which injured a British soldier. The incident caused widespread outrage in the UK.In September 1947, the British cabinet decided to evacuate Palestine as the Mandate was no longer tenable.
On 29 November 1947, the General Assembly adoptedResolution 181 (II).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.TheArab LeagueandArab Higher Committeeof Palestine rejected it on the basis that the partition plan privileged European interests over those of the Palestinians,and indicated that they would reject any other plan of partition.On 1 December 1947, the Arab Higher Committee proclaimed a three-day strike, andriots broke out in Jerusalem.The situation spiraled intoa civil war. Colonial SecretaryArthur Creech Jonesannounced 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.
On 14 May 1948, the day before the expiration of the British Mandate,David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel".The following day, the armies of four Arab countries—Egypt, Syria, Transjordan and Iraq—entered what had been Mandatory Palestine, launching the1948 Arab–Israeli War;contingents fromYemen,Morocco,Saudi Arabia, andSudanjoined the war.The purpose of the invasion was to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state.The Arab League stated the invasion was to restore order and prevent further bloodshed.
After a year of fighting, aceasefire was declaredand temporary borders, known as theGreen Line, were established.Jordan annexedwhat became known as theWest Bank, includingEast Jerusalem, andEgypt occupiedtheGaza Strip. Over 700,000 Palestiniansfled or were expelledbyZionist militiasand theIsraeli military—what would become known in Arabic as thenakba('catastrophe').The events also led to the destruction of most of Palestine's Arabculture,identity, andnational aspirations. Some 156,000 Arabs remained and becameArab citizens of Israel.
ByUnited Nations General Assembly Resolution 273, Israel was admitted as a member of the UN on 11 May 1949.In the early years of the state, theLabour Zionistmovement led by Prime Minister Ben-Gurion dominatedIsraeli politics.Immigration to Israel during the late 1940s and early 1950s was aided by the Israeli Immigration Department and the non-government sponsoredMossad LeAliyah Bet(lit."Institute forImmigration B").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.The immigration was in accordance with theOne 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.
Aninflux of Holocaust survivorsandJews from Arab and Muslim countriesto Israel during the first three years increased the number of Jews from 700,000 to 1,400,000. By 1958, the population had risen to two million.Between 1948 and 1970, approximately 1,150,000 Jewish refugees relocated to Israel.Some immigrants arrived as refugees and were housed in temporary camps known asma'abarot; by 1952, over 200,000 people were living in these tent cities.Jews of European backgroundwere often treated more favourably than Jews fromMiddle EasternandNorth Africancountries—housing units reserved for the latter were often re-designated for the former, so Jews newly arrived from Arab lands generally ended up staying longer in transit camps.During this period, food, clothes and furniture were rationed in what became known as theausterity period. The need to solve the crisis led Ben-Gurion to sign areparations agreement with West Germanythat triggered mass protests by Jews angered at the idea that Israel could accept monetary compensation for the Holocaust.
During the 1950s, Israel wasfrequently attackedbyPalestinian fedayeen, nearly always against civilians,mainly from the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip,leading to several Israelireprisal operations. In 1956, the UK and France aimed at regaining control of theSuez Canal, which Egypt had nationalised. The continued blockade of the Suez Canal andStraits of Tiranto Israeli shipping, together with increasing fedayeen attacks against Israel's southern population and recent Arab threatening statements, prompted Israel to attack Egypt.Israel joineda secret alliancewith the UK and France and overran theSinai Peninsulain theSuez Crisisbut was pressured to withdraw by the UN in return for guarantees of Israeli shipping rights.The war resulted in significant reduction of Israeli border infiltration.
In the early 1960s, Israel captured Nazi war criminalAdolf Eichmannin Argentina and brought him to Israelfor trial.Eichmann remains the only person executed in Israel by conviction in an Israeli civilian court.In 1963, Israel was engaged in a diplomatic standoff with the United States in relation to the Israelinuclear programme.
Since 1964 Arab countries, concerned over Israeli plans to divert waters of theJordan Riverinto thecoastal plain,had been trying to divert the headwaters to deprive Israel of water resources,provoking tensionsbetween Israel on the one hand, and Syria and Lebanon on the other.Arab nationalistsled by Egyptian PresidentGamal Abdel Nasserrefused to recognise Israel and called for its destruction.By 1966 Israeli-Arab relations had deteriorated to the point of battles taking place between Israeli and Arab forces.
In May 1967, Egypt massed its army near the border with Israel, expelledUN peacekeepers stationed in the Sinai Peninsulasince 1957, and blocked Israel's access to the Red Sea.Other Arab states mobilised their forces.Israel reiterated that these actions were acasus belliand launched a pre-emptive strike (Operation Focus) against Egypt in June. Jordan, Syria and Iraq attacked Israel. In theSix-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.Jerusalem's boundaries were enlarged, incorporating East Jerusalem. The 1949 Green Line became the administrative boundary between Israel and theoccupied territories.
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 1967–1970War 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 thePalestine Liberation Organisation(PLO), established in 1964, which initially committed itself to "armed struggle as the only way to liberate the homeland".In the late 1960s and early 1970s,Palestinian groups launched attacksagainst Israeli and Jewish targets around the world,includinga massacre of Israeli athletesat the1972 Summer Olympicsin Munich. The Israeli government responded with anassassination campaignagainst the organisers of the massacre,a bombingand araid on the PLO headquarters in Lebanon.
On 6 October 1973, the Egyptian and Syrian armies launcheda surprise attackagainst Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, opening theYom Kippur War. The war ended on 25 October with Israel repelling Egyptian and Syrian forces but suffering great losses.Aninternal inquiryexoneratedthe governmentof responsibility for failures before and during the war, but public anger forced Prime MinisterGolda Meirto resign.In July 1976, an airliner was hijacked in flight from Israel to France by Palestinian guerrillas; Israeli commandosrescued 102 of 106 Israeli hostages.
The1977 Knesset electionsmarked a major turning point in Israeli political history asMenachem Begin'sLikudparty took control from theLabour Party.Later that year, Egyptian PresidentAnwar El Sadatmade a trip to Israel and spoke before theKnessetin what was the first recognition of Israel by an Arab head of state.Sadat and Begin signed theCamp David Accords(1978) and theEgypt–Israel peace treaty(1979).In return, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula and agreed to enter negotiations over autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On 11 March 1978, a PLO guerilla raid from Lebanon led to theCoastal Road massacre. Israel responded by launching aninvasion of southern Lebanonto destroy PLO bases. Begin's government meanwhile provided incentives forIsraelis to settlein theoccupied West Bank, increasing friction with the Palestinians there.
The 1980Jerusalem Lawwas believed by some to reaffirm Israel's 1967 annexation of Jerusalem by government decree andreignited international controversyover thestatus of the city. No Israeli legislation has defined the territory of Israel, and no act specifically included East Jerusalem therein.In 1981 Israeleffectively annexedthe Golan Heights.The international community largely rejected these moves, with the UN Security Council declaring both the Jerusalem Law and the Golan Heights Law null and void.Several waves ofEthiopian Jewsimmigrated to Israelsince the 1980s, while between 1990 and 1994,immigration from the post-Soviet statesincreased Israel's population by twelve percent.
On 7 June 1981, during theIran–Iraq War, theIsraeli air force destroyedIraq's sole nuclear reactor, then under construction, in order to impede the Iraqi nuclear weapons programme.Following a series of PLO attacks in 1982, Israelinvaded Lebanonto destroy the PLO bases.In the first six days, Israel destroyed the military forces of the PLO in Lebanon and decisively defeated the Syrians. An Israeli government inquiry (theKahan Commission) held Begin and several Israeli generals indirectly responsible for theSabra and Shatila massacreand helddefence ministerAriel Sharonas bearing "personal responsibility".Sharon was forced to resign.In 1985, Israel responded to a Palestinianterrorist attack in Cyprusbybombing the PLO headquartersin Tunisia. Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in 1986 but maintained aborderland buffer zonein southern Lebanon until 2000, from where Israeli forcesengaged in conflictwithHezbollah. TheFirst Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule,broke out in 1987, with waves of uncoordinated demonstrations and violence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Over the following six years, the intifada became more organised and included economic and cultural measures aimed at disrupting the Israeli occupation. Over 1,000 people were killed.During the 1991Gulf War, the PLO supportedSaddam Husseinand Iraqi missileattacks against Israel. Despite public outrage, Israel heeded American calls to refrain from hitting back.
In 1992,Yitzhak Rabinbecame prime minister followingan electionin which his party called for compromise with Israel's neighbours.The following year,Shimon Pereson behalf of Israel andYasser Arafatfor the PLO signed theOslo Accords, which gave thePalestinian National Authority(PNA) the right to governparts of the West Bankand the Gaza Strip.The PLO alsorecognised Israel's right to existand pledged an end to terrorism.In 1994, theIsrael–Jordan peace treatywas signed, making Jordan the second Arab country to normalise relations with Israel.Arab public support for the Accords was damaged by the continuation of Israeli settlementsandcheckpoints, and the deterioration of economic conditions.Israeli public support for the Accords waned afterPalestinian suicide attacks.In November 1995, Rabinwas assassinatedbyYigal Amir, a far-right Jew who opposed the Accords.
DuringBenjamin Netanyahu's premiership at the end of the 1990s, Israelagreed to withdrawfromHebron,though this was never ratified or implemented,and he signed theWye 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.Ehud Barak,electedprime minister in 1999, withdrew forces from southern Lebanon and conducted negotiations with PNA Chairman Yasser Arafat and U.S. PresidentBill Clintonat the2000 Camp David Summit. Barak offered a plan for the establishment of aPalestinian state, including the entirety of the Gaza Strip and over 90% of the West Bank with Jerusalem as a shared capital.Each side blamed the other for the failure of the talks.
In late 2000, after a controversial visit by Sharon to theTemple Mount, theSecond Intifadabegan. The popular uprising faced disproportionate repression from the Israeli state.Palestinian suicide bombingseventually developed into a recurrent feature of the intifada.Some commentators contend that the intifada was pre-planned by Arafat after the collapse of peace talks.Sharon became prime minister in a2001 election; he carried out his plan tounilaterally withdrawfrom the Gaza Strip and spearheaded the construction of theWest Bank barrier,ending the intifada.Between 2000 and 2008, 1,063 Israelis, 5,517 Palestinians and 64 foreign citizens were killed.
In 2006, a Hezbollah artillery assault on Israel's northern border communities and across-border abductionof two Israeli soldiers precipitated the month-longSecond Lebanon War.In 2007 the Israeli Air Forcedestroyed a nuclear reactorin Syria. In 2008,a ceasefirebetweenHamasand Israel collapsed, resulting in the three-weekGaza War.In what Israel described as a response toover a hundred Palestinian rocket attackson southern Israeli cities,Israel beganan operation in the Gaza Stripin 2012, lasting eight days.Israel started anotheroperation in Gazafollowing an escalation of rocket attacks by Hamas in July 2014.In May 2021 anotherround of fightingtook place in Gaza and Israel, lasting eleven days.
By the 2010s,increasing regional cooperationbetween Israel andArab Leaguecountries have been established, culminating in the signing of theAbraham Accords. The Israeli security situation shifted from the traditionalArab–Israeli conflicttowards theIran–Israel proxy conflictanddirect confrontation with Iran during the Syrian civil war. On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups from Gaza, led by Hamas, launcheda series of coordinated attackson Israel, leading to the start of theGaza war.On that day, approximately 1,300 Israelis, predominantly civilians, were killed in communities near the Gaza Strip border andduring a music festival.Over 200 hostageswere kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip.
After clearing militants from its territory, Israel launchedone of the most destructive bombing campaigns in modern historyandinvaded Gazaon 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.The fifth war of theGaza–Israel conflictsince 2008, it has been the deadliest for Palestinians in the entireIsraeli–Palestinian conflictand the most significant military engagement in the region since theYom Kippur Warin 1973.On 1 October 2024, Israel invadedSouthern Lebanon, marking the fifthIsraeli invasion of Lebanonsince 1978. The invasion took place after nearly 12 months ofIsrael–Hezbollah conflict.
Israel is accused of carrying out agenocideagainst thePalestinian peopleby aUnited Nationsagency, experts, governments, andnon-governmental organisationsduringits invasionof theGaza Stripin the ongoingGaza war.
Israel is located in theLevantarea of theFertile Crescent. At theeastern endof theMediterranean 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 latitudes29°and34° N, and longitudes34°and36° E.
The sovereign territory of Israel (according to the demarcation lines of the1949 Armistice Agreementsand 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.However Israel is so narrow (100 km at its widest, compared to 400 km from north to south) that theexclusive economic zonein the Mediterranean is double the land area of the country.The total area under Israeli law, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, is 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 sq mi),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).
Despite its small size, Israel is home to a variety of geographic features, from theNegevdesert in the south to the inland fertileJezreel Valley, with mountain ranges of theGalilee,Carmeland towards theGolanin the north. TheIsraeli coastal plainon the shores of the Mediterranean is home to most of the population.East of the central highlands lies theJordan Rift Valley, a small part of the 6,500-kilometer (4,039 mi)Great Rift Valley. TheJordan Riverruns along the Jordan Rift Valley, fromMount Hermonthrough theHulah Valleyand theSea of Galileeto theDead Sea, thelowest pointon the surface of the Earth.Further south is theArabah, ending with theGulf of Eilat, part of theRed Sea.Makhtesh, or "erosion cirques" are unique to the Negev and theSinai Peninsula, the largest being theMakhtesh Ramonat 38 km in length.Israel has the largest number of plant species per square meter of the countries in the Mediterranean Basinand contains four terrestrial ecoregions:Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests,Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests,Arabian Desert, andMesopotamian shrub desert.Forests accounted for 8.5% of the area in 2016, up from 2% in 1948, as the result of a large-scale forest planting programme by theJewish National Fund.
The Jordan Rift Valley is the result of tectonic movements within theDead Sea Transform(DST) fault system. The DST forms thetransform boundarybetween theAfrican Plateto the west and theArabian Plateto the east. The Golan Heights and all of Jordan are part of the Arabian Plate, while the Galilee, West Bank, Coastal Plain, and Negev along with the Sinai Peninsula are on the African Plate. This tectonic disposition leads to a relatively high seismic activity. The entire Jordan Valley segment is thought to have ruptured repeatedly, for instance during the last two major earthquakes along this structure in749and1033. The deficit inslipthat has built up since 1033 is sufficient to cause an earthquake of Mw~7.4.
The most catastrophic known earthquakes occurred in 31 BCE,363, 749, and 1033 CE, that is everyca.400 years on average.Destructive earthquakes strike about every 80 years, leading to serious loss of life .While stringent construction regulations are in place and recently built structures are earthquake resistant, as of 2007many 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.
Temperatures vary widely, especially during the winter. Coastal areas, such as those of Tel Aviv and Haifa, have a typicalMediterranean climatewith cool, rainy winters and long, hot summers. The area of Beersheba and the northern Negev have asemi-arid climatewith hot summers, cool winters, and fewer rainy days. The southern Negev and the Arabah areas have adesert climatewith 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 theTirat Zvikibbutz.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 onesnowfalleach year.From May to September, rain is rare.
There are four differentphytogeographicregions, due to its location between the temperate and tropical zones. For this reason, the flora and fauna are extremely diverse. There are 2,867 knownspecies of plants in Israel. Of these, at least 253 species areintroduced and non-native.There are 380Israeli nature reserves.
With scarce water resources, Israel has developed various water-saving technologies, includingdrip irrigation.The considerable sunlight available forsolar energymakesIsrael the leading nation in solar energyuse per capita—practically every house uses solar panels for water heating.TheMinistry of Environmental Protectionhas reported thatclimate change"will have a decisive impact on all areas of life", particularly for vulnerable populations.
Israel has aparliamentary system,proportional representationanduniversal suffrage. A member of parliament supported by a parliamentary majority becomes theprime minister—usually this is the chair of the largest party. The prime minister is thehead of governmentand ofcabinet.Thepresidentishead of state, with largely ceremonial duties.
Israel is governed by a 120-member parliament, known as theKnesset. Membership of the Knesset is based on proportional representation ofpolitical parties,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,and after the2015 election10 of the 120 members of the Knesset (8%) were settlers.Parliamentaryelectionsare scheduled every four years, but unstable coalitions or ano-confidence votecan dissolve a government earlier.The first Arab-led party was established in 1988,and as of 2022 Arab-led parties hold about 10% of seats.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".
TheBasic Laws of Israelfunction as anuncodified constitution. In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as aJewish and democratic stateand the nation-state of exclusively the Jewish people.In 2003, the Knesset began to draft an officialconstitutionbased on these laws.
Israel has no official religion,but the definition of the state as "Jewish and democratic" creates a strong connection withJudaism. 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.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".
The State of Israel is divided into six main administrative districts, known asmehozot(Hebrew:מחוזות;sg.:mahoz)—Center,Haifa,Jerusalem,North,South, andTel Aviv, as well as theJudea and Samaria Areain 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 asnafot(Hebrew:נפות;sg.:nafa), which are partitioned into 50 natural regions.
The two primary pieces of legislation relating to Israeli citizenship are the 1950Law of Returnand 1952 Citizenship Law. The law of return grants Jews the unrestrictedright to immigrateto Israel and obtain Israeli citizenship. Individuals born within the country receivebirthright citizenshipif at least one parent is a citizen.Israeli law defines Jewish nationality as distinct from Israeli nationality, and theSupreme Court of Israelhas ruled that an Israeli nationality does not exist.A Jewish national is defined as any person practicing Judaism and their descendants.Legislation passed in 2018 defined Israel as exclusively thenation stateof the Jewish people.
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.Between 1982 and 2000, Israel occupiedpart of southern Lebanon, in what was known as theSecurity 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.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 alarge part of Israel's civil and criminal laws, and their output is considered part of Israel's economy.The land is not considered part of Israel under Israeli law, as Israel has consciously refrained from annexing the territory, without ever relinquishing its legal claim to the land or defining a border.Israeli political opposition to annexation primarily stems from the perceived "demographic threat" of incorporating the West Bank's Palestinian population into Israel.Outside of the Israeli settlements, the West Bank remains under direct Israeli military rule, and Palestinians in the area cannot become Israeli citizens.
The international community maintains that Israel does not have sovereignty in the West Bank and considers Israel's control of the area to be the longest military occupation in modern history.The West Bank was occupied and annexed by Jordan in 1950, following the 1949 Armistice Agreements. Only Britain recognised this annexation, and Jordan has sinceceded its claimto the territory to the PLO. The population is mainly Palestinians, including refugees of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.From their occupation in 1967 until 1993, the Palestinians living in these territories were underIsraeli military administration. Since theIsrael–PLO letters of recognition, most of the Palestinian population andcitieshave been under the internal jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, and only partial Israeli military control, although Israel has redeployed its troops and reinstated full military administration during periods of unrest. Israel's claim of universal suffrage has been questioned due to its blurred territorial boundaries and its simultaneous extension of voting rights to Israeli settlers in the occupied territories and denial of voting rights to their Palestinian neighbours, as well as the allegedethnocraticnature of the state.
The Gaza Strip is considered to be a "foreign territory" under Israeli law. Israel and Egypt operate a land, air, and seablockade of the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip was occupied by Israel after 1967. In 2005, as part of aunilateral disengagement plan, Israel removed its settlers and forces from the territory but continues to maintain control of its airspace and waters. The international community, including numerous international humanitarian organisations and UN bodies, consider Gaza to remain occupied.Following the 2007 Battle of Gaza, whenHamas assumed power in the Gaza Strip,Israel tightened control of the Gaza crossings alongits border, as well as by sea and air, and prevented persons from entering and exiting except for isolated cases it deemed humanitarian.Gaza has aborder with Egypt, and an agreement between Israel, the EU, and the PA governs how border crossings take place.The application of democracy to its Palestinian citizens and the selective application of Israeli democracy in the Israeli-controlled Palestinian territories have been criticised.
TheInternational Court of Justicesaid, in its2004 advisory opinionon the legality of the construction of the West Bank barrier, that the lands captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, including East Jerusalem, are occupied territory and found that the construction of the wall within the occupied Palestinian territory violates international law.Most negotiations relating to the territories have been on the basis ofUN Security Council Resolution 242, which emphasises "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war", and calls on Israel to withdraw from occupied territories in return for normalisation of relations with Arab states ("Land for peace").Israel has been criticised for engaging in systematic and widespread violations ofhuman rights in the occupied territories, including occupationand war crimes against civilians.The allegations include violations of international humanitarian lawby theUN Human Rights Council.TheU.S. State Departmenthas called reports ofabuses of significant human rights of Palestinians"credible" both within Israeland the occupied territories.Amnesty Internationaland other NGOs have documented mass arbitrary arrests, torture, unlawful killings, systemic abuses and impunityin tandem with a denial of the right toPalestinian self-determination.Prime Minister Netanyahu has defended the country's security forces for protecting the innocent from terroristsand expressed contempt for what he describes as a lack of concern about the human rights violations committed by "criminal killers".
Theinternational communitywidely regards Israeli settlements in the occupied territoriesillegal under international law.United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334(passed 2016) states that Israel's settlement activity constitutes a "flagrant violation" ofinternational lawand demands that Israel stop such activity and fulfill its obligations as anoccupying powerunder theFourth Geneva Convention.AUnited Nations special rapporteurconcluded that the settlement programme was a war crime under theRome Statute,andAmnesty Internationalfound that the settlement programme constitutes an illegal transfer of civilians into occupied territory and "pillage", which is prohibited by theHague ConventionsandGeneva Conventionsas well as being a war crime under the Rome Statute.
In a2024 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 theInternational 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.
Treatment of Palestinians within the occupied territories and to a lesser extent in Israel itself have drawn widespread accusations that it is guilty ofapartheid, acrime against humanityunder the Rome Statute and theInternational Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.The Washington Post's 2021 survey of scholars and academic experts on the Middle East found an increase from 59% to 65% of these scholars describing Israel as a "one-state reality akin to apartheid".The claim that Israel's policies forPalestinians within Israelamount to apartheid has been affirmed by Israeli human rights organisationB'tselemand international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International andHuman Rights Watch.Israeli human rights organisationYesh Dinhas also accused Israel of apartheid.Amnesty's claim was criticised by politicians and representatives from Israel and its closest allies such as, the US,the UK,theEuropean Commission,Australia,Netherlandsand Germany,while said accusations were welcomed by Palestiniansand theArab League.In 2022, Michael Lynk, a Canadian law professorappointed by the U.N. Human Rights Councilsaid that the situation met the legal definition of apartheid, and concluded: "Israel has imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world".Subsequent reports from his successor,Francesca Albaneseand fromPermanent United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Israel Palestine conflictchair Navi Pillay echoed the opinion.
In February 2024, TheICJ held public hearingsin 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.TheInternational Court of Justicein its2024 advisory opinionfound that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories constitutes systemic discrimination and is in breach of Article 3 of theInternational 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.
Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 165UN member states, as well as with theHoly See,Kosovo, theCook IslandsandNiue. It has 107diplomatic missions;countries with which it has no diplomatic relations include most Muslim countries.Six out of 22 nations in theArab Leaguehave normalised relations with Israel. Israel remains formally in astate of war with Syria, a status that dates back uninterrupted to 1948. It has been in a similarlyformal state of war with Lebanonsince the end of theLebanese Civil Warin 2000, with the Israel–Lebanon border remaining unagreed by treaty.
Despite the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Israel is still widely considered an enemy country among Egyptians.Iran withdrew its recognition of Israel during theIslamic Revolution.Israeli citizens may not visit Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen without permission from theMinistry of the Interior.As a result of the 2008–09 Gaza War, Mauritania, Qatar, Bolivia, and Venezuela suspended political and economic ties with Israel,though Bolivia renewed ties in 2019.
TheUnited Statesand theSoviet Unionwere the first two countries to recognise the State of Israel, having declared recognition roughly simultaneously.Diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union were broken in 1967 following the Six-Day War and renewed in 1991.The United States regards Israel as its "most reliable partner in the Middle East",based on "common democratic values, religious affinities, and security interests".The US has provided $68 billionin military assistanceand $32 billion in grants to Israel since 1967, under theForeign Assistance Act(period beginning 1962),more than any other country for that period until 2003.Most surveyed Americans have held consistently favourable views of Israel.The United Kingdom is seen as having a "natural"relationshipwith Israel because of the Mandate for Palestine.By 2007,Germanyhad paid 25 billion euros inreparations to Israeland individual Israeli Holocaust survivors.Israelis includedin the European Union'sEuropean Neighbourhood Policy.
AlthoughTurkey and Israeldid not establish full diplomatic relations until 1991,Turkey has cooperated with the Jewish state since its recognition of Israel in 1949. Turkey's ties to other Muslim-majority nations in the region have at times resulted in pressure from Arab and Muslim states to temper its relationship with Israel.Relations took a downturn after the 2008–09 Gaza War and Israel'sraid of the Gaza flotilla.Relations betweenGreece and Israelhave improved since 1995 after decline of Israeli–Turkish relations.The two countries have a defence cooperation agreement and in 2010, theIsraeli Air Forcehosted Greece'sHellenic Air Forcein a joint exercise. The joint Cyprus-Israel oil and gas explorations centered on theLeviathan gas fieldare an important factor for Greece, given itsstrong linkswith Cyprus.Cooperation in the world's longestsubmarine power cable, theEuroAsia Interconnector, has strengthenedCyprus–Israel relations.
Azerbaijan is one of the few majority Muslim countries to develop strategic and economicrelations with Israel.Kazakhstan also has an economic and strategic partnership with Israel.India established fulldiplomatic tieswith Israel in 1992 and has fostered a strong military, technological and cultural partnership with the country since then.India is the largest customer of theIsraeli military equipment, and Israel is the second-largest military partner of India after Russia.Ethiopiais Israel's main ally in Africa due to common political, religious and security interests.
Israel has a history of providing emergency foreign aid and humanitarian response to disasters across the world.In 1955 Israel began itsforeign aid programmein Burma and then shifted to Africa.Israel's humanitarian efforts officially began in 1957 with the establishment ofMashav, the Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation.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.Israel's foreign aid programme subsequently shifted its focus to Latin America.
Since the late 1970s Israel's foreign aid has gradually decreased, although in recent years Israel has tried to reestablish aid to Africa.There are additional Israeli humanitarian and emergency response groups that work with the government, includingIsraAid, a joint programme run by Israeli organisations and North American Jewish groups,ZAKA,The Fast Israeli Rescue and Search Team,Israeli Flying Aid,Save a Child's HeartandLatet.Between 1985 and 2015, Israel sent 24 delegations of their search and rescue unit theHome Front Commandto 22 countries.Currently Israeli foreign aidrankslow amongOECDnations, spending less than 0.1% of itsGNIon development assistance.The country ranked 38th in the 2018World Giving Index.
TheIsrael Defence Forces(IDF) is the sole military wing of theIsraeli security forcesand is headed by itsChief of the General Staff, theRamatkal, subordinate to the Cabinet. The IDF consists of thearmy,air forceandnavy. It was founded during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War by consolidating paramilitary organisations—chiefly the Haganah.The IDF also draws upon the resources of theMilitary Intelligence Directorate(Aman).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.
MostIsraelis are conscriptedat age 18. Men serve two years and eight months, andwomen servetwo years.Following mandatory service, Israeli men join the reserve forces and usually do up to several weeks ofreserve dutyevery year until their forties. Most women are exempt from reserve duty.Arab citizens of Israel(except theDruze) and those engaged in full-time religious studiesare exempt, although theexemption of yeshiva studentshas been a source of contention.An alternative for those who receive exemptions on various grounds isSherut Leumi, or national service, which involves a programme of service in social welfare frameworks.A small minority of Israeli Arabs also volunteer in the army.As a result of its conscription programme, the IDF maintains approximately 176,500 active troops and 465,000 reservists, giving Israel one of the world's highestpercentage of citizens with military training.
The military relies heavily on high-techweaponssystemsdesigned and manufactured in Israelas well as some foreign imports. TheArrowmissile is one of the world's few operationalanti-ballistic missilesystems.ThePythonair-to-air missile series is often considered one of the most crucial weapons in its military history.Israel'sSpikemissile is one of the most widely exportedanti-tank guided missilesin the world.Israel'sIron Domeanti-missile air defence system gained worldwide acclaim after intercepting hundreds ofrockets fired by Palestinian militantsfrom the Gaza Strip.Since theYom Kippur War, Israel has developed a network ofreconnaissance satellites.TheOfeqprogramme has made Israelone of seven countriescapable of launching such satellites.
Israel is widely believed topossess nuclear weaponsand per a 1993 report, chemical and biologicalweapons of mass destruction.Israel has not signed theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weaponsand maintains apolicy of deliberate ambiguitytowards its nuclear capabilities.The Israeli Navy'sDolphin submarinesare believed to be armed with nuclear missiles offeringsecond-strikecapability.Since theGulf Warin 1991, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforced security room,Merkhav Mugan, impermeable to chemical and biological substances.
Since Israel's establishment, military expenditure constituted a significant portion of the country'sgross domestic product, with peak of 30.3% of GDP in 1975.In 2021, Israel ranked 15th in the worldby total military expenditure, with $24.3 billion, and 6th by defence spending as a percentage of GDP, with 5.2%.Since 1974, the United States has been a particularly notable contributor ofmilitary aid.Under amemorandum of understandingsigned in 2016, the U.S. is expected to provide the country with $3.8 billion per year, or around 20% of Israel's defence budget, from 2018 to 2028.Israel ranked 9th globally forarms exportsin 2022.The majority of Israel's arms exports are unreported for security reasons.Israel is consistently rated low in theGlobal Peace Index, ranking 134th out of 163 nations in 2022.
Israel has athree-tier court system. At the lowest level aremagistratecourts, situated in most cities across the country. Above them aredistrict courts, serving as bothappellatecourts andcourts of first instance; they are situated in five of Israel's sixdistricts. The third and highest tier is theSupreme Court, located in Jerusalem; it serves a dual role as the highest court of appeals and theHigh Court of Justice. In the latter role, the Supreme Court rules as a court of first instance, allowing both citizens and non-citizens to petition against the decisions of state authorities.
The legal system combines three legal traditions:English common law,civil law, andJewish law.It is based on the principle ofstare decisis(precedent) and is anadversarial system. Court cases are decided by professional judges.Marriageand divorce are under the jurisdiction of the religious courts:Jewish,Muslim, Druze, and Christian. The election of judges is carried out by aselection committeechaired by thejustice minister(currentlyYariv Levin).Israel'sBasic Law: Human Dignity and Libertyseeks to defendhuman rights and liberties in Israel. TheUnited Nations Human Rights Counciland Israeli human rights organisationAdalahhave highlighted that this law does not in fact contain a general provision for equality and non-discrimination.As a result of "Enclave law", large portions of Israeli civil law are applied to Israeli settlements and Israeli residents in the occupied territories.
Israel is considered the most advanced country inWest Asiaand the Middle East in economic and industrial development.As of October 2023, the IMF estimated its GDP at 521.7 billion dollars and GDP per capita at 53.2 thousand (ranking 13th worldwide).It is the third richest country in Asiaby nominal per capitaincomeand has the highest averagewealth per adultin the Middle East.The Economistranked Israel as the 4th most successful economy among the developed countries for 2022.It has themost billionairesin the Middle East and the 18th most in the world.In recent years Israel had one of the highest growth rates in the developed world.In 2010, it joined theOECD.The country is ranked 20th in theWorld Economic Forum'sGlobal Competitiveness Reportand 35th on theWorld Bank'sEase of Doing Businessindex.Economic data covers the economic territory of Israel, including the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Despite limited natural resources, intensive development of theagriculturaland 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.Leading exports include machinery, equipment, software,cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, and apparel; in 2020, exports reached $114 billion.TheBank of Israelholds $201 billion of foreign-exchange reserves, the 17th highest in the world.Since the 1970s, Israel has receivedmilitary aidfrom the United States, as well as loan guarantees, which account for roughly half of Israel's external debt. Israel hasone of the lowestexternal debts in the developed world, and is a lender in terms of net external debt (assets vs. liabilities abroad), which in 2015stood at a surplus of $69 billion.
Israel has the second-largest number of startup companies after the United Statesand the third-largest number ofNASDAQ-listed companies.It is the world leader for number of start-ups per capitaand has been dubbed the "Start-Up Nation".IntelandMicrosoftbuilt their first overseasresearch and developmentfacilities in Israel, and other high-tech multinational corporations have openedresearch and development centres in the country.
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 ofShabbat, 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.
Israel's development of cutting-edge technologies in software, communications and the life sciences haveevoked comparisonswithSilicon Valley.Israel is first in the world inexpenditure on research and developmentas a percentage of GDP.It is ranked 15th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024,and 5th in the 2019Bloomberg Innovation Index.Israel has 140 scientists, technicians, and engineers per 10,000 employees, the highest number in the worldand has produced sixNobel Prize-winningscientists, mostly in chemistry, since 2004and has been frequently ranked as one of the countries with the highest ratios ofscientific papersper capita.Israeli universitiesare ranked among the top 50 world universities in computer science (TechnionandTel Aviv University), mathematics (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and chemistry (Weizmann Institute of Science).
In 2012, Israel was ranked ninth in the world by the Futron'sSpace Competitiveness Index.TheIsrael Space Agencycoordinates all space research programmes with scientific and commercial goals, and have designed and built at least 13 commercial, research and spy satellites.Some satellites are ranked among the world's most advanced space systems.Shavitis a spacelaunch vehicleproduced by Israel to launch small satellites intolow Earth orbit.It was first launched in 1988, making Israel theeighth nationto have a space launch capability. In 2003,Ilan Ramonbecame Israel's first astronaut, serving on thefatal missionofSpace ShuttleColumbia.
Theongoing water shortagehas spurred innovation in water conservation techniques, and a substantialagricultural 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 seawaterreverse osmosisdesalination facility in the world.By 2014, desalination programmes provided roughly 35% of the drinking water, and it is expected to supply 70% by 2050.As of 2015, over 50 percent of the water for households, agriculture and industry is artificially produced.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 netexporter of water.
Israel has embracedsolar energy; its engineers are on the cutting edge of solar energy technology,and its solar companies work on projects around the world.Over 90% of homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest per capita.According to government figures, the country saves 8% of its electricity consumption per year because of its solar energy use in heating.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.Israel had a modern electric car infrastructure involving a countrywide network of charging stations;however, its electric car companyBetter Placeshut down in 2013.
Israelbegan producing natural gasfrom its own offshore gas fields in 2004. In 2009Tamar gas fieldwas discovered near the coast, andLeviathan gas fieldwas discovered in 2010.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.Israel had 199 billion bcm of proven reserves of natural gas as of 2016.The Leviathan gas field started production in 2019.
Ketura Sunis Israel's first commercial solar field. Built in 2011 by theArava Power Company, the field will produce about 9 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year,sparing the production of some 125,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 20 years.
Israel has 19,224 kilometres (11,945 mi) of pavedroadsand 3 million motor vehicles.Thenumber of motor vehicles per 1,000 personsis 365, relatively low among developed countries.The country aims to have 30% of vehicles on its roads powered by electricity by 2030.
Israel has 5,715 buses on scheduled routes,operated by several carriers, the largest and oldest of which isEgged, serving most of the country.Railwaysstretch across 1,277 kilometres (793 mi) and are operated by government-ownedIsrael Railways.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.
Israel is served by three internationalairports:Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main hub for international air travel;Ramon Airport; andHaifa Airport. Ben Gurion handled over 21.1 million passengers in 2023.There are three main ports: thePort of Haifa, the oldest and largest;Ashdod Port; and thePort of Eilaton theRed Sea.
Tourism, especiallyreligious tourism, is an important industry, withbeaches,archaeological, otherhistoricalandbiblicalsites, 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.
Housing prices are listed in the top third of all countries,with an average of 150 salaries required to buy an apartment.As of 2022, there are about 2.7 million properties in Israel, with an annual increase of over 50,000.However, demand for housing exceeds supply, with a shortage of about 200,000 apartments as of 2021.As a result, by 2021 housing prices rose by 5.6%.In 2021, Israelis took a record of NIS 116.1 billion in mortgages, an increase of 50% from 2020.
Israel has the largest Jewish population in the world and is the only country where Jews are the majority,and in-fact the only country in which Jews make up more than 2% of the total national population.As of 31 May 2024, the population was an estimated 9,907,100. In 2022, the government recorded 73.6% of the population asJews, 21.1% asArabs, and 5.3% as "Others" (non-Arab Christians and people who have no religion listed).Over the last decade, large numbers of migrant workers from Romania, Thailand, China, Africa, and South America have settled in Israel. Exact figures are unknown, as many of them are living in the country illegally,but estimates run from 166,000 to 203,000.By June 2012, approximately 60,000African migrantshad entered Israel.
About 93% of Israelis live in urban areas.90% of Palestinian Israelis reside in 139 densely populated towns and villages concentrated in the Galilee,Triangleand Negev regions, with the remaining 10% inmixed citiesand neighbourhoods.The OECD in 2016 estimated the average life expectancy at 82.5 years, the6th-highest in the world.Israeli Arab life expectancy lags by 3 to 4 yearsand is higher than in most Arab and Muslim countries.The country has the highestfertility ratein the OECD and the only one which is above the replacement figure of 2.1.Retention of Israel's population since 1948 is about even or greater, when compared to other countries with mass immigration.Jewish emigration from Israel (calledyerida), primarily to the United States and Canada, is described by demographers as modest,but is often cited by Israeli government ministries as a major threat to Israel's future.
Approximately 80% ofIsraeli Jewsareborn in Israel, 14% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and 6% are immigrants from Asia and Africa.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,form most of the rest of the Jewish population.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.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.
Israeli settlers beyond the Green Line number over 600,000 (≈10% of the Jewish Israeli population).In 2016,399,300 Israelis livedin West Bank settlements,including those that predated the establishment of the State of Israel and which were re-established after the Six-Day War, in cities such as Hebron and Gush Etzion bloc. Additionally there were more than 200,000 Jews living in East Jerusalemand 22,000 in the Golan Heights.Approximately 7,800 Israelislived in settlementsin the Gaza Strip, known asGush Katif, until they were evacuated by the government as part of its 2005disengagement plan.
Israeli Arabs (including the Arab population of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights) comprise 21.1% of the population or 1,995,000 people.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.
Israel has four major metropolitan areas:Gush Dan(Tel Aviv metropolitan area; population 3,854,000),Jerusalem(population 1,253,900),Haifa(924,400), andBeersheba(377,100).The largest municipality, in population and area, is Jerusalem with 981,711 residents in an area of 125 square kilometres (48 sq mi).Statistics on Jerusalem include the population and area of East Jerusalem, the status of which is in international dispute.Tel Aviv and Haifa rank as Israel's next most populous cities, with populations of 474,530 and 290,306, respectively.The (mainlyHaredi) city ofBnei Brakis the most densely populated city in Israel and one of the10 most densely populated citiesin the world.
Israel has 16 cities with populations over 100,000. As of 2018there are 77 localities granted"municipalities" (or "city") statusby the Ministry of the Interior,four of which are in the West Bank.
^aThis number includesEast JerusalemandWest Bankareas, which had a total population of 573,330 inhabitants in 2019.Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem isinternationally unrecognized.
The official language isHebrew. Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken daily by the majority of the population. Prior to 1948,oppositiontoYiddish, the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews, was common among supporters of the Zionist movement, including the Yishuv, who sought to promoteHebrew's revivalas a unifying national language.These sentiments were reflected in the early policies of the Israeli government, which largely bannedYiddish theatre performancesand publications.Until 2018,Arabicwas also an official language;in 2018 it was downgraded to having a "special status in the state".Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Arabic and Hebrew taught in Arab schools.
Due to mass immigration from the former Soviet Union andEthiopia(some 130,000Ethiopian Jews live in Israel),RussianandAmharicare widely spoken.Over one million Russian-speaking immigrants arrived in Israel between 1990 and 2004.French is spoken by around 700,000 Israelis,mostly originatingfrom Franceand North Africa (seeMaghrebi Jews). English was an official language during the Mandate period;it lost this status after the establishment of Israel, but retains a role comparable to that of an official language.Many Israelis communicate reasonably well in English, as many television programmes are broadcast in English with subtitles and the language is taught from the early grades in elementary school. Israeli universities offer courses in English.
The estimated religious affiliation as of 2022 was 73.5% Jewish, 18.1%Muslim, 1.9%Christian, 1.6%Druze, and 4.9% other.Thereligious affiliationofIsraeli Jewsvaries widely: a 2016 survey byPew Researchindicates that 49% self-identify asHiloni(secular), 29% asMasorti(traditional), 13% asDati(religious) and 9% asHaredi(ultra-Orthodox).Haredi Jews are expected to represent over 20% of the Jewish population by 2028.Muslimsconstitute the largest religious minority, making up about 18.1% of the population. About 1.9% of the population isChristian, and 1.6% isDruze.The Christian population comprises primarilyArab ChristiansandAramean Christiansbut also includes post-Soviet immigrants, foreign labourers, and followers ofMessianic Judaism, considered by most Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity.Members of many other religious groups, includingBuddhistsandHindus, maintain a presence in Israel, albeit in small numbers.Out of over one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union, about 300,000 are considered not Jewish by theChief Rabbinate of Israel.
Israel comprises a major part of theHoly Land, a region of significant importance to allAbrahamic religions. Jerusalem is ofspecial importanceto Jews, Muslims, and Christians, as it is the home ofsitesthat are pivotal to their religious beliefs, such as theOld Citythat incorporates theWestern Walland theTemple Mount(Al-Aqsa Mosque compound) and theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.Other locations of religious importance areNazareth(site of theAnnunciationofMary),TiberiasandSafed(two of theFour Holy Citiesin Judaism), theWhite MosqueinRamla(shrine of the prophetSaleh), and theChurch of Saint George and Mosque of Al-Khadr, Lod(tomb ofSaint GeorgeorAl Khidr). A number of other religious landmarks are located in theWest Bank, includingJoseph's Tomb, thebirthplace of Jesus,Rachel's Tomb, and theCave of the Patriarchs. Theadministrative centerof theBaháʼí Faithand theShrine of the Bábare located at theBaháʼí World CentreinHaifa; the leader of the faith isburiedinAcre.TheMahmood Mosqueis affiliated with the reformistAhmadiyyamovement.Kababir, Haifa's mixed neighbourhood of Jews and Ahmadi Arabs, is one of a few of its kind in the country.
Education is highly valued and was viewed as afundamental block of ancient Israelites.In 2015, the countryrankedthird 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%.In 2012, the country ranked third in the number of academic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population).
Israel has aschool life expectancyof 16 years and aliteracy rateof 97.8%.The State Education Law (1953) established five types of schools: state secular, state religious, ultra orthodox, communal settlement schools, and Arab schools. The public secular is the largest school group and is attended by the majority of Jewish and non-Arab pupils. Most Arabs send their children to schools where Arabic is the language of instruction.Education is compulsory for children between the ages of three and eighteen.Schooling is divided into three tiers—primary school (grades 1–6), middle school (grades 7–9), and high school (grades 10–12)—culminating withBagrutmatriculation exams. Proficiency in core subjects such as mathematics, the Hebrew language, Hebrew and general literature, the English language, history, Biblical scripture and civics is necessary to receive a Bagrut certificate.
The Jewish population maintains a relatively high level of educational attainment where just under half of all Israeli Jews (46%) hold post-secondary degrees.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.In Arab, Christian and Druze schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by an exam on Muslim, Christian or Druze heritage, respectively.In 2020, 68.7% of 12th graders earned a matriculation certificate.
Israel has a tradition of higher education where its quality university education has been largely responsible in spurring modern economic development.Israel hasnine public universities subsidised by the state and 49 private colleges.TheHebrew University of Jerusalemhouses theNational Library of Israel, the world's largest repository of Judaica and Hebraica.TheTechnionand the Hebrew University consistently ranked among world's 100 top universities byARWUranking.Other major universities include theWeizmann Institute of Science,Tel Aviv University,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Bar-Ilan University, theUniversity of Haifa, and theOpen University of Israel.
Cultural diversity stems from its diverse population: Jews from various diaspora communities brought their cultural and religious traditions with them.Arab influencesare present in many cultural spheres,being found inarchitecture,music,andcuisine.Israel is the only country where life revolves around theHebrew calendar.Holidaysare determined by theJewish holidays. The official day of rest is Saturday, theJewish Sabbath.
Israeli literatureis primarilypoetryand prose written in Hebrew, as part of therenaissanceof 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 theNational Library of Israel. In 2001, the law was amended to include non-print media.In 2016, 89 percent of the 7,300 books transferred to the library were in Hebrew.
In 1966,Shmuel Yosef Agnonshared theNobel Prize in Literaturewith German Jewish authorNelly Sachs.Leading poets includeYehuda Amichai,Nathan Alterman,Leah Goldberg, andRachel Bluwstein.Internationally famous contemporary novelists includeAmos Oz,Etgar KeretandDavid Grossman.
Israeli musicincludesMizrahiandSephardic music,Hasidicmelodies,Greek music,jazz, andpop rock.TheIsrael Philharmonic Orchestrahas been in operation for over seventy years and performs more than two hundred concerts each year.Itzhak Perlman,Pinchas ZukermanandOfra Hazaare among the internationally acclaimed musicians born in Israel.Israel has participatedin theEurovision Song Contestnearly every year since 1973, winning the competition four times and hosting it twice.Eilathas hosted its own international music festival, theRed Sea Jazz Festival, every summer since 1987.The nation's canonicalfolk songsare known as "Songs of the Land of Israel".
Ten Israeli filmshave been final nomineesforBest Foreign Language Filmat theAcademy Awards. Palestinian Israeli filmmakers have made films dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict and status of Palestinians within Israel, such asMohammed Bakri's 2002 filmJenin, JeninandThe Syrian Bride.
Continuing the strong theatrical traditions of theYiddish theatrein Eastern Europe, Israel maintains a vibrant theatre scene. Founded in 1918,Habima Theatrein Tel Aviv is Israel's oldestrepertory theatercompany and national theater.Other theatres includeOhel,the CameriandGesher.
Israeli Jewish art has been particularly influenced by theKabbalah, theTalmudand theZohar. Another art movement that held a prominent role in the 20th century was theSchool of Paris. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the Yishuv's art was dominated by art trends emanatingBezalel. Beginning in the 1920s, the local art scene was heavily influenced by modern French art, first introduced byIsaac Frenkel Frenel.Jewish masters of theschool of Paris, such asSoutine,Kikoine,Frenkel,Chagallheavily influenced the subsequent development of Israeli art.Israeli sculpture took inspiration from modernEuropean sculptureas wellMesopotamian,Assyrianand local art.Avraham Melnikov's roaring lion, David Polus' Alexander Zaid andZe'ev Ben Zvi's cubist sculpture exemplify some of the different streams in sculpture.
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 intooptical art,AI art,digital artand the use of salt in sculpture.
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.Theeclecticstyle gave way to the modernistBauhausstyle with the influx of German Jewish architects (among themErich Mendelsohn) fleeingNazi persecution.TheWhite City of Tel Avivis aUNESCO heritage site.Following independence, multiple government projects were commissioned, a grand part built in a brutalist style with heavy emphasis on the use of concrete and acclimatisation to the desert climate.
Several novel ideas such as theGarden Citywere implemented in Israeli cities; theGeddes planof Tel Aviv became renowned internationally for its revolutionary design and adaptation to the local climate.The design of kibbutzim also came to reflect ideology, such as the planning of the circular kibbutzNahalalbyRichard Kauffmann.
Media is diverse, reflecting the spectrum of audiences. Notable newspapers include the leftwingHaaretz,centristYedioth Ahronoth,and center-rightIsrael Hayom.There are several major TV channels which cater to different audiences, from Russian languageChannel 9to Arabic languageKan 33.The 2024 Freedom House report found Israeli media is "vibrant and free to criticise government policy".In the 2024Press Freedom IndexbyReporters Without Borders, Israel was placed 101st of 180 countries, second in the Middle East and North Africa.Reporters Without Borders noted that the Israel Defence Forces had killed more than 100 journalists in Gaza. Since the Gaza war, Israel had been "been trying to suppress the reporting coming out of the besieged enclave while disinformation infiltrates its own media ecosystem".On 5 May 2024, Israel shut down the local offices of Qatari channelAl Jazeera.Israel later briefly seized equipment belonging to theAssociated Press, saying that its video stream of Gaza was being provided to Al Jazeera; after an intervention by the U.S. government the equipment was returned.
TheIsrael Museumin Jerusalem is one of Israel's most important cultural institutionsand houses theDead Sea Scrolls,along with an extensive collection ofJudaicaandEuropean art.TheYad Vashemis the world central archive of Holocaust-related information.ANU - Museum of the Jewish Peopleis an interactive museum devoted to the history of Jewish communities around the world.
Israel has the highest number of museums per capita.Several museums are devoted to Islamic culture, including theRockefeller Museumand theL. A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art, both in Jerusalem. The Rockefeller specialises in archaeological remains from Middle East history. It is also the home of the first hominid fossil skull found in West Asia, calledGalilee Man.
Israeli cuisineincludes local dishes as well asJewish cuisinebrought to the country by immigrants. Particularly since the late 1970s, afusion cuisinehas developed.The cuisine has adopted, and continues to adapt, elements of theMizrahi,Sephardi, andAshkenazistyles of cooking. It incorporates many foods traditionally eaten in theLevantine,Arab,Middle EasternandMediterraneancuisines, such asfalafel,hummus,shakshouka,couscous, andza'atar.Schnitzel,pizza,hamburgers,French fries,riceandsaladare common.
Roughly half of the Jewish population attests to keepingkosherat home.Kosher restaurantsmake up around a quarter of the total as of 2015.Together with non-kosher fish, rabbits and ostriches, pork—often called "white meat" in Israel—is produced and consumed, thoughit is forbiddenby both Judaism and Islam.
The most popular spectator sports in Israel are association football and basketball.TheIsraeli Premier Leagueis the country's premier football league, and theIsraeli Basketball Premier Leagueis the premier basketball league.Maccabi Haifa,Maccabi Tel Aviv,Hapoel Tel AvivandBeitar Jerusalemare the largestfootball clubs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv have competed in theUEFA Champions Leagueand Hapoel Tel Aviv reached theUEFA Cupquarter-finals. Israel hosted and won the1964 AFC Asian Cup; in 1970 theIsrael national football teamqualified for theFIFA World Cup, the only time it participated. The1974 Asian Games, held in Tehran, were the last Asian Games in which Israelparticipated, plagued by Arab countries thatrefused to competewith Israel. Israel was excluded from the1978 Asian Gamesand since then has not competed in Asian sport events.In 1994,UEFAagreed to admit Israel, and its football teams now compete in Europe.Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.has won theEuropean championshipin basketball six times.
Israel has wonnine Olympic medalssince its first winin 1992, including a gold medal inwindsurfingat the2004 Summer Olympics.Israel has wonover 100gold medals in theParalympic Gamesand is ranked 20th in theall-time medal count. The1968 Summer Paralympicswere hosted by Israel.TheMaccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event forJewishand 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.
Chess is a leading sport. There are many Israeli grandmasters andIsraeli chess playershave won a number of youth world championships.Israel stages an annual internationalchampionshipand hosted theWorld Team Chess Championshipin 2005.
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