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This article contains and text. Without proper, you may see. Israel (;: יִשְׂרָאֵל‬;: إِسْرَائِيل‎), officially the State of Israel, is a country in the, on the of the and the northern shore of the. It has land with to the north, to the northeast, on the east, the of the and to the east and west, respectively, and to the southwest. The country contains within its relatively small area. Israel's and center is, while its and proclaimed is, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem is.

The was estimated in 2017 to be 8,789,160 people, of whom 74.7% were, 20.8% and 4.5% others. The emerged during the. The destroyed around 720 BCE. Was later conquered by the, and empires and had existed as Jewish autonomous provinces.

The successful led to an in 110 BCE, which came to an end in 63 BCE when the Hasmonean kingdom became a client state of the that subsequently installed the in 37 BCE, and in 6 CE created the. Judea lasted as a Roman province until the failed resulted in widespread destruction, expulsion of Jewish population and the renaming of the region from to.

In the region has persisted to a certain extent over the centuries. In the 7th century from the by the Arabs and remained until the of 1099, followed by the conquest of 1187. The extended its control over the in the 13th century until its in 1517. During the 19th century, national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the movement in the followed by to and later Palestine.

In 1947, the adopted a recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an. The plan was accepted by the, and rejected by Arab leaders. The following year, the Jewish Agency the independence of the State of Israel, and the subsequent saw Israel's establishment over most of the former Mandate territory, while the and were held by neighboring Arab states. Israel has since fought with Arab countries, and it has since territories including the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip (still considered occupied after ). It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and, but not the West Bank.

Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world's in modern times. To resolve the have not resulted in peace. However, peace treaties between Israel and both and have been signed. In its, Israel defines itself as a. Israel is a with a, and.

Logistics Branch of the Canadian Forces (CF) of the Department of National Defence. We formalized an agreement with DND in 1997, pledging mutual support in the development of logistics professionalism among Canadian Forces personnel. This important partnership hinges on “mutual support”: we collectively. Dec 22, 2005. As you use this handbook you will see the terms Joint Staff Officer. (JSO), Action Officer (AO), and Staff Officer. And other federal agencies have. 6 Defense Logistics Agency web site The NG has two branches, the Army National. Guard and the Air National Guard.

The is head of and the is the. Israel is a and an member, with the in the world by nominal gross domestic product as of 2016.

The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with of its citizens holding a degree. Israel has in the Middle East, and has in the world. The (13th century BCE). The majority of translate a set of hieroglyphs as 'Israel,' the first instance of the name in the record. Upon independence in 1948, the country formally adopted the name 'State of Israel' (: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‬;: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل‎ Dawlat Isrāʼīl ) after other proposed historical and religious names including Eretz Israel ('the '),, and, were considered but rejected.

In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term ' to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made. The names and have historically been used to refer to the biblical and the respectively. The ( Yisraʾel, Isrāʾīl;: Ἰσραήλ Israēl; 'El(God) persists/rules', though after Hosea 12:4 often interpreted as 'struggle with God') in these phrases refers to the patriarch who, according to the, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the angel of the Lord. Jacob's twelve sons became the ancestors of the, also known as the or Children of Israel.

Jacob and his sons had lived in but were forced by famine to go into for four generations, lasting 430 years, until, a great-great grandson of Jacob, led the Israelites back into Canaan during the '. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word 'Israel' as a collective is the of (dated to the late 13th century BCE). The area is also known as the, being holy for all including,, and the. From 1920, the whole region was known as until the of 1948. Through the centuries, the territory was known by a variety of other names, including,,,,,,, and. The, archaeological site of ancient The early history of the territory is unclear.: 104 Modern has largely discarded of the narrative in the concerning the,, and described in the, and instead views the narrative as constituting the ' inspiring.

Ancestors of the Israelites may have included native to.: 78–9 The Israelites and their culture, according to the modern archaeological account, did not overtake the region by force, but instead branched out of the and culture through the development of a distinct —and later —religion centered on. The archaeological evidence indicates a society of village-like centres, but with more limited resources and a small population. Villages had populations of up to 300 or 400, which lived by farming and herding, and were largely self-sufficient; economic interchange was prevalent. Writing was known and available for recording, even in small sites.

Map of and in the 9th century BCE While it is unclear if there was ever a, there is well accepted archeological evidence referring to 'Israel' in the which dates to about 1200 BCE; and the Canaanites are archeologically attested in the. There is debate about the earliest existence of the and their extent and power, but historians agree that a existed by ca. 900 BCE: 169–195 and that a existed by ca. The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed around 720 BCE, when it was conquered by the. In 586 BCE, King of Judah. According to the Hebrew Bible, he and the Jews to Babylon.

The defeat was also recorded in the. The ended around 538 BCE under the rule of the Persian after he captured Babylon. The was constructed around 520 BCE. As part of the, the former Kingdom of Judah became the province of Judah ( ) with different borders, covering a smaller territory. The population of the province was greatly reduced from that of the kingdom, archaeological surveys showing a population of around 30,000 people in the 5th to 4th centuries BCE.: 308 Classical period. Portion of the, one of the written during the Second Temple period With successive, the autonomous province was gradually developing back into urban society, largely dominated by Judeans.

The conquests largely skipped the region without any resistance or interest. Incorporated into and finally empires, the southern Levant was heavily, building the tensions between Judeans and Greeks.

The conflict erupted in 167 BCE with the, which succeeded in establishing an independent in Judah, which later expanded over much of modern Israel, as the Seleucids gradually lost control in the region. Fortress, location of the in the The invaded the region in 63 BCE, first taking control of, and then intervening in the.

The between pro-Roman and pro-Parthian factions in Judea eventually led to the installation of and consolidation of the as a vassal Judean state of Rome. With the decline of the, Judea, transformed into a, became the site of a violent struggle of against Greco-Romans, culminating in the, ending in wide-scale destruction, expulsions, and genocide. Jewish presence in the region significantly dwindled after the failure of the against the Roman Empire in 132 CE. Nevertheless, there was a continuous small Jewish presence and became its religious center.

The and part of the, central Jewish texts, were composed during the 2nd to 4th centuries CE in and. The region came to be populated predominantly by Greco-Romans on the coast and in the hill-country.

Was gradually evolving over Roman paganism, when the area stood under. Through the 5th and 6th centuries, the dramatic events of the repeated reshaped the land, with massive destruction to Byzantine Christian and Samaritan societies and a resulting decrease of the population. After the and the installation of a short-lived in 614 CE, the Byzantine Empire the country in 628.

Middle Ages and modern history. An ancient Jewish village, abandoned some time between the 7th–13th centuries AD. In 634–641 CE, the region, including Jerusalem, was by the who had just recently adopted.

Control of the region transferred between the,,, Fatimids, Seljuks,, and Ayyubids throughout the next three centuries. During the by the in 1099, the Jewish inhabitants of the city fought side by side with the Fatimid garrison and the Muslim population who tried in vain to defend the city against the.

When the city fell, about 60,000 people were massacred, including 6,000 Jews seeking refuge in a synagogue. At this time, a full thousand years after the fall of the Jewish state, there were Jewish communities all over the country. Fifty of them are known and include Jerusalem,,,,, and.

According to, the Jewish residents of were the main fighting force of the city, and 'mixed with Saracen [Fatimid] troops', they fought bravely for close to a month until forced into retreat by the Crusader fleet and land army. However, expressed doubt over the story, noting that Albert did not attend the Crusades and that such a prominent role for the Jews is not mentioned by any other source. [ – ] In 1165, visited Jerusalem and prayed on the, in the 'great, holy house.' In 1141 the Spanish-Jewish poet issued a call for Jews to migrate to the Land of Israel, a journey he undertook himself. In 1187 Sultan, founder of the, defeated the Crusaders in the and subsequently captured Jerusalem and almost all of Palestine. In time, Saladin issued a proclamation inviting Jews to return and settle in Jerusalem, and according to, they did: 'From the day the Arabs took Jerusalem, the Israelites inhabited it.'

Al-Harizi compared Saladin's decree allowing Jews to re-establish themselves in Jerusalem to the one issued by the Persian king over 1,600 years earlier. The 13th-century in Jerusalem In 1211, the Jewish community in the country was strengthened by the arrival of a group headed by over 300 rabbis from France and England, among them Rabbi. (Ramban), the 13th-century Spanish rabbi and recognised leader of Jewry greatly praised the land of Israel and viewed its settlement as a positive commandment incumbent on all Jews. He wrote 'If the gentiles wish to make peace, we shall make peace and leave them on clear terms; but as for the land, we shall not leave it in their hands, nor in the hands of any nation, not in any generation.' In 1260, control passed to the.

The country was located between the two centres of Mamluk power, and, and only saw some development along the postal road connecting the two cities. Jerusalem, although left without the protection of any since 1219, also saw a flurry of new construction projects centred around the compound on the Temple Mount.

In 1266 the Mamluk Sultan converted the in into an exclusive Islamic sanctuary and banned Christians and Jews from entering, which previously would be able to enter it for a fee. The ban remained in place until Israel took control of the building in 1967. Jews at the, 1870s In 1470, Isaac b. Meir Latif arrived from Italy and counted 150 Jewish families in Jerusalem.

Thanks to who had arrived in the closing years of the 15th century, and its environs had developed into the largest concentration of Jews in Palestine. With the help of the immigration from Spain, the Jewish population had increased to 10,000 by the early 16th century. In 1516, the region was conquered by the; it remained under until the end of the, when Britain defeated the Ottoman forces and set up a across the former Ottoman Syria.

In 1920 the territory was divided between Britain and France under the, and the British-administered area which included modern day Israel was named. Zionism and British mandate. Visionary of the Jewish state Since the existence of the earliest, many Jews have aspired to return to 'Zion' and the 'Land of Israel', though the amount of effort that should be spent towards such an aim was a matter of dispute. The hopes and yearnings of Jews living in exile are an important theme of the Jewish belief system. After the Jews were in 1492, some communities settled in Palestine. During the 16th century, Jewish communities struck roots in the —,,, and —and in 1697, Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid led a group of 1,500 Jews to Jerusalem. In the second half of the 18th century, Eastern European of, known as the, settled in Palestine.

'Therefore I believe that a wonderous generation of Jews will spring into existence. The Maccabaeans will rise again. Let me repeat once more my opening words: The Jews wish to have a State, and they shall have one. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and die peacefully in our own home.

The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare will react with beneficent force for the good of humanity.' Theodor Herzl (1896)... The first wave of modern Jewish migration to, known as the, began in 1881, as Jews fled in Eastern Europe. Although the Zionist movement already existed in practice, journalist is credited with founding political, a movement which sought to establish a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, thus offering a solution to the so-called of the European states, in conformity with the goals and achievements of other national projects of the time. In 1896, Herzl published ( The Jewish State), offering his vision of a future Jewish state; the following year he presided over the. The (1904–14), began after the; some 40,000 Jews settled in Palestine, although nearly half of them left eventually.

Both the first and second waves of migrants were mainly, although the Second Aliyah included groups who established the movement. During World War I, British Foreign Secretary sent the to (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, that stated that Britain intended for the creation of a Jewish ' within the Palestinian Mandate. In 1918, the, a group primarily of Zionist volunteers, assisted in the British. Arab opposition to British rule and Jewish immigration led to the and the formation of a Jewish militia known as the (meaning 'The Defense' in Hebrew), from which the and, or the Stern Gang, paramilitary groups later split off. In 1922, the granted Britain a under terms which included the Balfour Declaration with its promise to the Jews, and with similar provisions regarding the Arab Palestinians.

The at this time was predominantly Arab and Muslim, with Jews accounting for about 11%, and Arab Christians at about 9.5% of the population. The (1919–23) and (1924–29) brought an additional 100,000 Jews to Palestine.

The and the increasing persecution of Jews in 1930s Europe led to the, with an influx of a quarter of a million Jews. This was a major cause of the during which the British Mandate authorities alongside the Zionist militias of Haganah and Irgun killed 5,032 Arabs and wounded 14,760, resulting in over ten percent of the adult male population killed, wounded, imprisoned or exiled. The British introduced restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine with the.

With countries around the world turning away fleeing, a clandestine movement known as was organized to bring Jews to Palestine. By the end of, the Jewish population of Palestine had increased to 33% of the total population. After World War II. Further information:,, and After World War II, Britain found itself in intense with the Jewish community over Jewish immigration limits, as well as continued conflict with the Arab community over limit levels. The joined and in an armed struggle against British rule.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Jewish and refugees sought a new life far from their destroyed communities in Europe. The attempted to bring these refugees to Palestine but many were turned away or rounded up and placed in detention camps in and by the British.

Map, 'Palestine plan of partition with economic union' On 22 July 1946, Irgun the British administrative headquarters for Palestine, which was housed in the southern wing of the in. A total of 91 people of various nationalities were killed and 46 were injured. The hotel was the site of the Secretariat of the Government of Palestine and the Headquarters of the British Armed Forces in and. The attack initially had the approval of the Haganah. It was conceived as a response to (a series of widespread raids, including one on the, conducted by the British authorities) and was the deadliest directed at the British during the Mandate era. It was characterized as one of the 'most lethal terrorist incidents of the twentieth century.' In 1947, the British government announced it would withdraw from Palestine, stating it was unable to arrive at a solution acceptable to both Arabs and Jews.

On 15 May 1947, the of the newly formed resolved that the be created 'to prepare for consideration at the next regular session of the Assembly a report on the question of Palestine.' In the Report of the Committee dated 3 September 1947 to the General Assembly, the majority of the Committee in Chapter VI proposed a plan to 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.' On 29 November 1947, the General Assembly adopted recommending the adoption and implementation of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union. The plan attached to the resolution was essentially that proposed by the majority of the Committee in the report of 3 September. The, which was the recognized representative of the Jewish community, accepted the plan. The and of Palestine rejected it, and indicated that they would reject any other plan of partition.

On the following day, 1 December 1947, the Arab Higher Committee proclaimed a three-day strike, and Arab gangs began attacking Jewish targets. The Jews were initially on the defensive as broke out, but in early April 1948 moved onto the offensive. The Arab Palestinian economy collapsed and 250,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled. Proclaiming the on 14 May 1948 On 14 May 1948, the day before the expiration of the British Mandate,, the head of the Jewish Agency, 'the establishment of a Jewish state in, to be known as the State of Israel.' The only reference in the text of the Declaration to the borders of the new state is the use of the term Eretz-Israel ('). The following day, the armies of four Arab countries—,, and —entered what had been British Mandatory Palestine, launching the; contingents from Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Sudan joined the war. The apparent purpose of the invasion was to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state at inception, and some Arab leaders talked about driving the Jews into the sea.

According to, Jews felt that the invading Arab armies aimed to slaughter the Jews. The Arab league stated that the invasion was to restore law and order and to prevent further bloodshed. Further information: Israel as a member of the United Nations by majority vote on 11 May 1949. Both Israel and Jordan were genuinely interested in a peace agreement but the British acted as a brake on the Jordanian effort in order to avoid damaging British interests in Egypt. In the early years of the state, the movement led by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion dominated. The, or collective farming communities, played a pivotal role in establishing the new state. Immigration to Israel during the late 1940s and early 1950s was aided by the Israeli Immigration Department and the non-government sponsored ('Institution for Illegal Immigration' ).

Both groups facilitated regular immigration logistics like arranging transportation, but the latter also engaged in clandestine operations in countries, particularly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, where the lives of Jews were believed to be in danger and exit from those places was difficult. Mossad LeAliyah Bet was disbanded in 1953. The immigration was in accordance with the. The immigrants came for differing reasons. Some held Zionist beliefs or came for the promise of a better life in Israel, while others moved to escape persecution or were expelled.

An and to Israel during the first three years increased the number of Jews from 700,000 to 1,400,000. By 1958, the population of Israel rose to two million. Between 1948 and 1970, approximately 1,150,000 Jewish refugees relocated to Israel.

Some new immigrants arrived as refugees with no possessions and were housed in temporary camps known as; by 1952, over 200,000 people were living in these tent cities. Were often treated more favorably than Jews from and countries—housing units reserved for the latter were often re-designated for the former, with the result that Jews newly arrived from Arab lands generally ended up staying in transit camps for longer. Tensions that developed between the two groups over such discrimination persist to the present day. During this period, food, clothes and furniture had to be rationed in what became known as the. The need to solve the crisis led Ben-Gurion to sign a that triggered mass protests by Jews angered at the idea that Israel could accept monetary compensation for the Holocaust.

Newsreel on the trial of During the 1950s, Israel was frequently by, nearly always against civilians, mainly from the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip, leading to several Israeli. In 1956, Great Britain and France aimed at regaining control of the, which the Egyptians had nationalized. The continued blockade of the Suez Canal and to Israeli shipping, together with the growing amount of Fedayeen attacks against Israel's southern population, and recent Arab grave and threatening statements, prompted Israel to attack Egypt. Israel joined with Great Britain and France and overran the but was pressured to withdraw by the United Nations in return for guarantees of Israeli shipping rights in the via the Straits of Tiran and the Canal [ ]. The war, known as the, resulted in significant reduction of Israeli border infiltration. In the early 1960s, Israel captured Nazi war criminal in Argentina and brought him to Israel for trial. The trial had a major impact on public awareness of the Holocaust.

Eichmann remains the only person executed in Israel by conviction in an. After the war The was returned to Egypt in 1982. Since 1964, Arab countries, concerned over Israeli plans to divert waters of the into the, had been trying to divert the headwaters to deprive Israel of water resources, provoking between Israel on the one hand, and Syria and Lebanon on the other. Led by Egyptian President refused to recognize Israel, and called for its destruction. By 1966, Israeli-Arab relations had deteriorated to the point of actual battles taking place between Israeli and Arab forces.

In May 1967, Egypt massed its army near the border with Israel, expelled, stationed in the Sinai Peninsula since 1957, and blocked Israel's access to the Red Sea. Other Arab states mobilized their forces. Скачать Freemake Video Converter Torrent.

Israel reiterated that these actions were a and, on 5 June, launched a against Egypt. Jordan, Syria and Iraq responded and attacked Israel. In a, Israel defeated Jordan and captured the West Bank, defeated Egypt and captured the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, and defeated Syria and captured the. Jerusalem's boundaries were enlarged, incorporating, and the 1949 became the administrative boundary between Israel and the. Following the 1967 war and the resolution of the Arab League, during the 1967–1970 Israel faced attacks from the Egyptians in the Sinai, and from Palestinian groups targeting Israelis in the occupied territories, in Israel proper, and around the world.

Most important among the various Palestinian and Arab groups was the (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 a against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, including at the in Munich. The Israeli government responded with an against the organizers of the massacre, a and a. On 6 October 1973, as Jews were observing, the Egyptian and Syrian armies launched against Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, that opened the. The war ended on 25 October with Israel successfully repelling Egyptian and Syrian forces but having suffered over 2,500 soldiers killed in a war which collectively took 10–35,000 lives in about 20 days.

An exonerated of responsibility for failures before and during the war, but public anger forced Prime Minister to resign. In July 1976 an airliner was hijacked during its flight from Israel to France by Palestinian guerrillas and landed at, Uganda. Israeli commandos carried out in which 102 out of 106 Israeli hostages were successfully rescued. Further conflict and peace process. See also:,,, and The marked a major turning point in Israeli political history as 's party took control from the.

Later that year, Egyptian President made a trip to Israel and spoke before the in what was the first recognition of Israel by an Arab head of state. In the two years that followed, Sadat and Begin signed the (1978) and the (1979).

In return, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula and agreed to enter negotiations over an autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. On 11 March 1978, a PLO guerilla raid from Lebanon led to the. Israel responded by launching an to destroy the PLO bases south of the. Most PLO fighters withdrew, but Israel was able to secure southern Lebanon until a and the Lebanese army could take over. The PLO soon resumed its against Israel.

In the next few years, the PLO infiltrated the south and kept up a sporadic shelling across the border. Israel carried out numerous retaliatory attacks by air and on the ground. Israel's 1980 declared that ', complete and united, is the capital of Israel.' Meanwhile, Begin's government provided incentives for Israelis to in the occupied West Bank, increasing friction with the Palestinians in that area. The, passed in 1980, was believed by some to reaffirm Israel's 1967 annexation of Jerusalem by government decree, and over the.

No Israeli legislation has defined the territory of Israel and no act specifically included East Jerusalem therein. The position of the majority of UN member states is reflected in numerous resolutions declaring that actions taken by Israel to settle its citizens in the West Bank, and impose its laws and administration on East Jerusalem, are illegal and have no validity. In 1981 Israel the, although annexation was not recognized internationally. Israel's population diversity expanded in the 1980s and 1990s. Several waves of to Israel since the 1980s, while between 1990 and 1994, increased Israel's population by twelve percent. On 7 June 1981, the Israeli air force Iraq's sole under construction just outside, in order to impede Iraq's nuclear weapons program.

Following a series of PLO attacks in 1982, Israel Lebanon that year to destroy the bases from which the PLO launched attacks and missiles into northern Israel. In the first six days of fighting, the Israelis destroyed the military forces of the PLO in Lebanon and decisively defeated the Syrians. An Israeli government inquiry—the —would later hold Begin, Sharon and several Israeli generals as indirectly responsible for the. In 1985, Israel responded to a Palestinian terrorist attack in by the PLO headquarters in Tunisia. Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in 1986, but maintained a in southern Lebanon until 2000, from where Israeli forces with. The, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule, broke out in 1987, with waves of uncoordinated demonstrations and violence occurring 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. More than a thousand people were killed in the violence.

During the 1991, the PLO supported and Iraqi Scud missile. Despite public outrage, Israel heeded calls to refrain from hitting back and did not participate in that war. (left) with (center) and King (right), prior to signing the in 1994. In 1992, became Prime Minister following in which his party called for compromise with Israel's neighbors. The following year, on behalf of Israel, and for the PLO, signed the, which gave the the right to govern and the Gaza Strip. The PLO also Israel's right to exist and pledged an end to terrorism. In 1994, the was signed, making Jordan the second Arab country to normalize relations with Israel.

Arab public support for the Accords was damaged by the continuation of Israeli settlements and, and the deterioration of economic conditions. Israeli public support for the Accords waned as Israel was struck. In November 1995, while leaving a peace rally, Yitzhak Rabin by, a far-right-wing Jew who opposed the Accords. The site of the 2001 Tel Aviv, in which 21 Israelis were killed. Under the leadership of at the end of the 1990s, Israel from, and signed the, giving greater control to the Palestinian National Authority., Prime Minister in 1999, began the new millennium by withdrawing forces from Southern Lebanon and conducting negotiations with Palestinian Authority Chairman and U.S.

President at the. During the summit, Barak offered a plan for the establishment of a. The proposed state included 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. After a controversial visit by Likud leader to the, the began.

Some commentators contend that the uprising was pre-planned by Arafat due to the collapse of peace talks. Sharon became prime minister in a. During his tenure, Sharon carried out his plan to from the Gaza Strip and also spearheaded the construction of the, ending the Intifada. By this time 1,100 Israelis had been killed, mostly in suicide bombings. The Palestinian fatalities, from 2000 to 2008, reached 4,791 killed by Israeli security forces, 44 killed by Israeli civilians, and 609 killed by Palestinians.

In July 2006, a Hezbollah artillery assault on Israel's northern border communities and a of two Israeli soldiers precipitated the month-long. On 6 September 2007, the Israeli Air Force a nuclear reactor in Syria. At the end of 2008, Israel entered another conflict as between and Israel collapsed.

The lasted three weeks and ended after Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire. Hamas announced its own ceasefire, with its own conditions of complete withdrawal and opening of.

Despite neither the nor Israeli having completely stopped, the fragile ceasefire remained in order. In what Israel described as a response to on southern Israeli cities, Israel began an in Gaza on 14 November 2012, lasting eight days. Israel started another in Gaza following an by Hamas in July 2014.

Geography and environment. Of Israel and neighboring territories during the day (left) and night (right) Israel is located in the area of the region.

The country is at the of the, bounded by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank to the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip to the southwest. It lies between latitudes and, and longitudes and.

The sovereign territory of Israel (according to the demarcation lines of the and excluding all territories captured by Israel during the 1967 ) is approximately 20,770 square kilometers (8,019 sq mi) in area, of which two percent is water. However Israel is so narrow that the in the Mediterranean is double the land area of the country. The total area under Israeli law, including and the, is 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 sq mi), and the total area under Israeli control, including the military-controlled and partially territory of the, is 27,799 square kilometers (10,733 sq mi). Despite its small size, Israel is home to a variety of geographic features, from the desert in the south to the inland fertile, mountain ranges of the, and toward the in the north. The on the shores of the Mediterranean is home to most of the nation's population.

East of the central highlands lies the, which forms a small part of the 6,500-kilometer (4,039 mi). The runs along the Jordan Rift Valley, from through the and the to the, the on the surface of the Earth. Further south is the, ending with the, part of the.

Unique to Israel and the are, or erosion cirques. The largest makhtesh in the world is in the Negev, which measures 40 by 8 kilometers (25 by 5 mi). A report on the environmental status of the states that Israel has the largest number of plant species per square meter of all the countries in the basin. Tectonics and seismicity.

Further information: The is the result of tectonic movements within the (DSF) fault system. The DSF forms the between the to the west and the to 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. The entire Jordan Valley segment is thought to have ruptured repeatedly, for instance during the last two major along this structure in and 1033.

The deficit in that has built up since the 1033 event is sufficient to cause an earthquake of M w~7.4. The most catastrophic known earthquakes occurred in 31 BCE,, 749, and 1033 CE, that is every ca.

400 years on average. Destructive earthquakes leading to serious loss of life strike about every 80 years. While stringent construction regulations are currently in place and recently built structures are earthquake-safe, as of 2007 the majority of the buildings in Israel were older than these regulations and many public buildings as well as 50,000 residential buildings did not meet the new standards and were 'expected to collapse' if exposed to a strong quake. Given the fragile political situation of the Middle East region and the presence there of major holy sites, a quake reaching magnitude 7 on the Richter scale could have dire consequences for world peace. Map of Israel Temperatures in Israel vary widely, especially during the winter. Coastal areas, such as those of and, have a typical with cool, rainy winters and long, hot summers. The area of and the Northern Negev have a with hot summers, cool winters, and fewer rainy days than the Mediterranean climate.

The Southern Negev and the Arava areas have a with very hot, dry summers, and mild winters with few days of rain. The highest temperature in the continent of Asia (54.0 °C or 129.2 °F) was recorded in 1942 at kibbutz in the northern Jordan River valley. At the other extreme, mountainous regions can be windy and cold, and areas at elevation of 750 meters or more (same elevation as Jerusalem) will usually receive at least one snowfall each year.

From May to September, rain in Israel is rare. With scarce water resources, Israel has developed various water-saving technologies, including. Israelis also take advantage of the considerable sunlight available for, making use per capita (practically every house uses solar panels for water heating).

Four different regions exist in Israel, due to the country's location between the temperate and tropical zones, bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the west and the desert in the east. For this reason, the flora and fauna of Israel are extremely diverse. There are 2,867 known. Of these, at least 253 species are and nonnative. There are 380.

Main articles: and In 2017, Israel's population was an estimated 8,680,600 people, of whom 6,484,000 (74.7%) were recorded by the civil government as. 1,808,000 comprised 20.8% of the population, while non-Arab Christians and people who have no religion listed in the civil registry made up 4.5%. 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 in the region of 203,000.

By June 2012, approximately 60,000 had entered Israel. About 92% of Israelis live in urban areas. Immigration to Israel in the years 1948–2015. The two peaks were in 1949 and 1990.

Israel was established as a and is often referred to as a. The country's grants all Jews and those of Jewish ancestry the right to. Retention of Israel's population since 1948 is about even or greater, when compared to other countries with mass immigration. Jewish emigration from Israel (called in Hebrew), 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. Three quarters of the population are Jews from a.

Approximately 77% of are, 16% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and 7% are immigrants from Asia and Africa (including the ). Jews from Europe and the former Soviet Union and their descendants born in Israel, including, constitute approximately 50% of Jewish Israelis. And their descendants, including both and 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 every year, with over 25% of school children now originating from both communities. Around 4% of Israelis (300,000), ethnically defined as 'others', are of Jewish origin or family who are not Jewish according to rabbinical law, but were eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. The total number of beyond the is over 600,000 (≈10% of the Jewish Israeli population). In 2016, 399,300 Israelis in settlements, including those that predated the establishment of the State of Israel and which were re-established after the, in cities such as and bloc.

In addition to the West Bank settlements, there were more than 200,000 Jews living in, and 20,000 in the. Approximately 7,800 Israelis in the Gaza Strip, known as, until they were evacuated by the government as part of its 2005.

Major urban areas. Residential neighborhood in Tel Aviv. There are four major metropolitan areas: (Tel Aviv metropolitan area; population 3,854,000), (population 1,253,900), (population 924,400), and (population 377,100). Israel's largest municipality, in population and area, is with 882,652 residents in an area of 125 square kilometres (48 sq mi). Israeli government statistics on Jerusalem include the population and area of, which is widely recognized as part of the under.

And rank as Israel's next most populous cities, with populations of 438,818 and 279,591, respectively. Israel has 15 with populations over 100,000. In all, there are 77 municipalities granted by the Ministry of Interior. Two more cities are planned:, a to be built in the, and, originally a small town currently being built into a large city. In,, and Israel has two official languages, and.

Hebrew is the primary language of the state and is spoken every day by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Hebrew taught in Arab schools. As a country of, many languages can be heard on the streets. Due to mass immigration from the former and (some 130,000 ), and are widely spoken.

More than one million Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel from the post-Soviet states between 1990 and 2004. Is spoken by around 700,000 Israelis, mostly originating and North Africa (see ). 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, as may be seen in and official documents. Many Israelis communicate reasonably well in English, as many television programs are broadcast in English with and the language is taught from the early grades in elementary school. In addition, Israeli universities offer courses in the English language on various subjects. Until 1995, figures for Christians also included Others.

Israel comprises a major part of the, a region of significant importance to all –,,, and. The of varies widely: a social survey indicates that 49% self-identify as (secular), 29% as (traditional), 13% as (religious) and 9% as (ultra-Orthodox). Haredi Jews are expected to represent more than 20% of Israel's Jewish population by 2028. Making up 17.6% of the population, constitute Israel's largest religious minority.

About 2% of the population is and 1.6% is. The Christian population primarily comprises, but also includes post-Soviet immigrants, the foreign laborers of multinational origins, and followers of, considered by most Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity. Members of many other religious groups, including and, maintain a presence in Israel, albeit in small numbers. Out of more than one million from the former Soviet Union, about 300,000 are considered not Jewish by the. At Education is highly valued in the Israeli culture and was viewed as a. Jewish communities in the Levant were the first to introduce for which the organized community, not less than the parents was responsible.

Many international business leaders such as Microsoft founder have praised Israel for its high quality of education in helping spur Israel's economic development and technological boom. In 2015, the country third among members (after Canada and Japan) for the percentage of 25–64 year-olds that have attained with 49% compared with the OECD average of 35%. In 2012, the country ranked third in the world in the number of academic degrees per capita (20 percent of the population). Israel has a of 16 years and a of 97.8%. The State Education Law, passed in 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 in Israel.

Most Arabs send their children to schools where Arabic is the language of instruction. Education is compulsory in Israel for children between the ages of three and eighteen. Schooling is divided into three tiers – primary school (grades 1–6), (grades 7–9), and high school (grades 10–12) – culminating with matriculation exams. Proficiency in core subjects such as mathematics, the, Hebrew and general literature, the, history, Biblical scripture and civics is necessary to receive a Bagrut certificate. Israel's Jewish population maintains a relatively high level of educational attainment where just under half of all Israeli Jews (46%) hold post-secondary degrees. This figure has remained stable in their already high levels of educational attainment over recent generations. Israeli Jews (among those ages 25 and older) have average of 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 schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by an exam on Muslim, Christian or Druze heritage. Described the sectors as 'the most successful in education system', since Christians fared the best in terms of education in comparison to any other religion in Israel. Israeli children from Russian-speaking families have a higher bagrut pass rate at high-school level. Although amongst immigrant children born in the, the bagrut pass rate is highest amongst those families from European FSU states at 62.6%, and lower amongst those from Central Asian and Caucasian FSU states. In 2014, 61.5% of all Israeli twelfth graders earned a matriculation certificate.

Israel has a tradition of higher education where its quality university education has been largely responsible in spurring the nations modern economic development. The, Israel's second-oldest university after the, houses the, the world's largest repository of Judaica and Hebraica. The Technion and the Hebrew University consistently ranked among world's 100 top universities by the prestigious academic ranking. Other major universities in the country include the,,,, the and the., in the, is the newest university institution, upgraded from college status, and the first in over thirty years. Government and politics.

The chamber, home to the Israeli parliament Israel is a with. A member of parliament supported by a parliamentary majority becomes the —usually this is the chair of the largest party. The prime minister is the and head of the. Israel is governed by a 120-member parliament, known as the. Membership of the Knesset is based on of, with a 3.25% electoral threshold, which in practice has resulted in coalition governments. Parliamentary are scheduled every four years, but unstable coalitions or a by the Knesset can dissolve a government earlier.

The function as an. In 2003, the Knesset began to draft an official based on these laws. The is, with limited and largely ceremonial duties. Israel has no official religion, but the definition of the state as ' creates a strong connection with Judaism, as well as a conflict between state law and religious law. Interaction between the political parties keeps between state and religion largely as it existed during the British Mandate. Legal system. Givat Ram, Jerusalem Israel has a.

At the lowest level are courts, situated in most cities across the country. Above them are, serving as both courts and; they are situated in five of Israel's six. The third and highest tier is the, located in Jerusalem; it serves a dual role as the highest court of appeals and the. In the latter role, the Supreme Court rules as a court of first instance, allowing individuals, both citizens and non-citizens, to petition against the decisions of state authorities. Although Israel supports the goals of the, it has not ratified the, citing concerns about the ability of the court to remain free from political impartiality. Israel's legal system combines three legal traditions:,, and. It is based on the principle of (precedent) and is an, where the parties in the suit bring evidence before the court.

Court cases are decided by professional judges rather than juries. And divorce are under the jurisdiction of the religious courts:,, Druze, and Christian. The election of judges is carried out by a of two Knesset members, three Supreme Court justices, two members and two ministers (one of which, Israel's, is the committee's chairman). The committee's members of the Knesset are by the Knesset, and one of them is traditionally a member of the opposition, the committee's Supreme Court justices are chosen by tradition from all Supreme Court justices by seniority, the Israeli Bar members are elected by the bar, and the second minister is appointed by the Israeli cabinet.

The current justice minister and committee's chairwoman is. Administration of Israel's courts (both the 'General' courts and the ) is carried by the Administration of Courts, situated in Jerusalem. Both General and Labor courts are paperless courts: the storage of court files, as well as court decisions, are conducted electronically. Israel's seeks to defend. Administrative divisions. • • • The State of Israel is divided into six main administrative, known as mehozot (מחוזות; singular: mahoz) –,,,,, and districts, as well as the in the. All of the Judea and Samaria Area and parts of the Jerusalem and Northern districts are not recognized internationally as part of Israel.

Districts are further divided into fifteen sub-districts known as nafot (נפות; singular: nafa), which are themselves partitioned into fifty natural regions. District Capital Largest city Population Jews Arabs Total note 000000000♠67% 000000000♠32% 1083300! 1,083,300♠43% 000000000♠54% 1401300! 1,401,300♠68% 000000000♠26% 0996300!

996,300♠88% 000000000♠8% 2115800! 2,115,800♠93% 000000000♠2% 1388400! 1,388,400♠73% 000000000♠20% 1244200! 1,244,200♠98% 000000000♠0% 0399300! 399,300 Including over 200,000 Jews and 300,000 Arabs in.

Israeli citizens only. Israeli-occupied territories. Map of Israel showing the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights In 1967, as a result of the, Israel captured and the, including, the and the. Israel also captured the, but returned it to Egypt as part of the 1979.

Between 1982 and 2000, Israel occupied part of, in what was known as the. Since Israel's capture of these territories, and military installations have been built within each of them, except Lebanon. Israel has applied civilian law to the and and granted their inhabitants permanent residency status and the ability to. The West Bank, outside of the Israeli settlements within the territory, has remained under direct military rule, and Palestinians in this area cannot become Israeli citizens. Israel withdrew its military forces and dismantled the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip as part of its though it continues to maintain of its airspace and waters. 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, principal judicial organ of the United Nations, asserted, in its on the legality of the construction of the, that the lands captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, including East Jerusalem, are occupied territory.

The of East Jerusalem in any future peace settlement has at times been a difficult issue in between Israeli governments and representatives of the Palestinians, as Israel views it as its sovereign territory, as well as part of its capital. Most negotiations relating to the territories have been on the basis of, which emphasises 'the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war', and calls on Israel to withdraw from occupied territories in return for normalization of relations with Arab states, a principle known as '. According to some observers, [ ] Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread violations of, including the occupation itself and against civilians. The allegations include violations of international humanitarian law by the, with local residents having 'limited ability to hold governing authorities accountable for such abuses' by the, mass arbitrary arrests, torture, unlawful killings, systemic abuses and impunity by and others and a denial of the right to. In response to such allegations, Prime Minister Netanyahu has defended the country's security forces for protecting the innocent from terrorists and expressed contempt for what he describes as a lack of concern about the human rights violations committed by 'criminal killers'.

Some observers, such as Israeli officials, scholars, United States Ambassador to the UN and UN secretary-generals and, also assert that the UN is disproportionately concerned with Israeli misconduct. Separating Israel and the West Bank The West Bank by Jordan in 1950, following the Arab rejection of the to create two states in Palestine. Only Britain recognized this annexation and Jordan has since its claim to the territory to the. The are mainly, including of the. From their occupation in 1967 until 1993, the Palestinians living in these territories were under. Since the, most of the Palestinian population and have been under the internal jurisdiction of the, and only partial Israeli military control, although Israel has on several occasions redeployed its and reinstated full military administration during periods of unrest.

In response to increasing attacks during the, the Israeli government started to construct the Israeli West Bank barrier. When completed, approximately 13% of the barrier will be constructed on the or in Israel with 87% inside the West Bank.

The Gaza Strip was from 1948 to 1967 and then by Israel after 1967. In 2005, as part of, Israel removed all of its settlers and forces from the territory. Israel does not consider the Gaza Strip to be occupied territory and declared it a 'foreign territory'. That view has been disputed by numerous international humanitarian organizations and various bodies of the United Nations. Following the, when, Israel tightened its control of the Gaza crossings along, as well as by sea and air, and prevented persons from entering and exiting the area except for isolated cases it deemed humanitarian. Gaza has a and an agreement between Israel, the European Union and the PA governed how border crossing would take place (it was monitored by European observers).

Foreign relations. No diplomatic relations Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 158 countries and has 107 around the world; countries with whom they have no diplomatic relations include most Muslim countries. Only three members of the have normalized relations with Israel: and signed peace treaties in and, respectively, and Mauritania opted for full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999.

Despite the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Israel is still widely considered an enemy country among Egyptians. Under Israeli law, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, and Yemen are enemy countries, and Israeli citizens may not visit them without permission from the.

Iran with Israel under the but withdrew its recognition of Israel during the. As a result of the, Mauritania, Qatar, Bolivia, and Venezuela suspended political and economic ties with Israel. The and the were the first two countries to recognize the State of Israel, having declared recognition roughly simultaneously. Diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union were broken in 1967, following the, and renewed in October 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 United States has provided $68 billion in and $32 billion in grants to Israel since 1967, under the (period beginning 1962), more than any other country for that period until 2003. The United Kingdom is seen as having a 'natural' with Israel on account of the. Relations between the two countries were also made stronger by former prime minister 's efforts for a two state resolution.

By 2007, had paid 25 billion euros in to the Israeli state and individual Israeli Holocaust survivors. Israel is included in the European Union's (ENP), which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer. Although Turkey and Israel did not establish full diplomatic relations until 1991, Turkey has with the Jewish state since its recognition of Israel in 1949.

Turkey's ties to the 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 between Turkey and Israel took a downturn after the 2008–09 Gaza War and Israel's. Have improved since 1995 due to the decline of Israeli-Turkish relations.

The two countries have a defense cooperation agreement and in 2010, the hosted Greece's in a joint exercise at the. The joint Cyprus-Israel oil and gas explorations centered on the are an important factor for Greece, given its strong links with Cyprus.

Cooperation in the world's longest sub-sea electric power cable, the, has strengthened. Azerbaijan is one of the few majority Muslim countries to develop bilateral strategic and economic with Israel. Azerbaijan supplies Israel with a substantial amount of its oil needs, and Israel has helped modernize the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. India established full with Israel in 1992 and has fostered a strong military, technological and cultural partnership with the country since then.

According to an international opinion survey conducted in 2009 on behalf of the, India is the most pro-Israel country in the world. India is the largest customer of the and Israel is the second-largest military partner of India after Russia. Is Israel's main ally in Africa due to common political, religious and security interests. Israel provides expertise to Ethiopia on irrigation projects and thousands of. International humanitarian efforts Israeli foreign aid low among nations, spending less than 0.1% of its on development assistance, as opposed to the recommended 0.7%.

The country also ranked 43rd in the 2016. However, Israel has a history of providing emergency aid and humanitarian response teams to disasters across the world. Israel's humanitarian efforts officially began in 1957, with the establishment of, the Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation. There are additional Israeli humanitarian and emergency response groups that work with the Israel government, including, a joint programme run by 14 Israeli organizations and North American Jewish groups,, The Fast Israeli Rescue and Search Team (FIRST), Israeli Flying Aid (IFA), (SACH) and.

Between 1985 and 2015, Israel sent 24 delegations of IDF search and rescue unit, the, to 22 countries. In Haiti, immediately following the, Israel was the first country to set up a field hospital capable of performing surgical operations. Israel sent over 200 medical doctors and personnel to start treating injured Haitians at the scene. At the conclusion of its humanitarian mission 11 days later, the Israeli delegation had treated more than 1,110 patients, conducted 319 successful surgeries, delivered 16 births and rescued or assisted in the rescue of four individuals. Despite radiation concerns, Israel was one of the first countries to send a medical delegation to Japan following the disaster.

Israel dispatched a medical team to the city of in 2011. A medical clinic run by an IDF team of some 50 members featured pediatric, surgical, maternity and gynecological, and otolaryngology wards, together with an optometry department, a laboratory, a pharmacy and an intensive care unit. After treating 200 patients in two weeks, the departing emergency team donated its equipment to the Japanese. Further information:,, and The is the sole military wing of the, and is headed by its, the Ramatkal, subordinate to the.

The IDF consist of the, and. It was founded during the by consolidating paramilitary organizations—chiefly the —that preceded the establishment of the state. The IDF also draws upon the resources of the ( Aman), which works with and. The Israel Defense Forces have been involved in several and border conflicts in its short history, making it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in the world. Squad commanders exercise at training base in 2012 Most Israelis are at the age of 18. Men serve two years and eight months and two years. Following mandatory service, Israeli men join the reserve forces and usually do up to several weeks of every year until their forties.

Most women are exempt from reserve duty. (except the ) and those engaged in full-time religious studies are, although the has been a source of contention in Israeli society for many years. An alternative for those who receive exemptions on various grounds is, or national service, which involves a program of service in hospitals, schools and other social welfare frameworks. As a result of its conscription program, the IDF maintains approximately 176,500 active troops and an additional 445,000 reservists. Is the world's first operational anti- defense system. The nation's military relies heavily on high-tech systems as well as some foreign imports.

The missile is one of the world's few operational systems. The air-to-air missile series is often considered one of the most crucial weapons in its military history. Israel's missile is one of the most widely exported in the world. Israel's anti-missile air defense system gained worldwide acclaim after intercepting hundreds of, and artillery from the Gaza Strip. Since the, Israel has developed a network of. The success of the program has made Israel capable of launching such satellites.

Israel is widely believed to as well as chemical and biological. Israel has not signed the and maintains a toward its nuclear capabilities. The Israeli Navy's are believed to be armed with nuclear missiles, offering capability. Since the in 1991, when Israel was attacked by, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforced security room,, impermeable to chemical and biological substances. Since Israel's establishment, military expenditure constituted a significant portion of the country's, with peak of 30.3% of GDP spent on defense in 1975.

In 2016, Israel ranked 5th in the world by defense spending as a percentage of GDP, with 5.6%, and 15th, with $18 billion. Since 1974, the United States has been a particularly notable contributor of. Under a signed in 2016, the U.S. Is expected to provide the country with $3.8 billion per year, or around 20% of Israel's defense budget, from 2018 to 2028. Israel ranked 7th globally for in 2016. The majority of Israel's arms exports are unreported for security reasons.

Israel is consistently rated low in the, ranking 144th out of 163 nations for peacefulness in 2017. The in Ramat Gan Israel is considered the most advanced country in and the in economic and industrial development. Israel's quality and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for spurring the country's high technology boom and rapid economic development. In 2010, it joined the.

The country is ranked 16th in the 's and 54th on the 's. It has the second-largest number of in the world after the United States, and the third-largest number of after the U.S. Israel was also ranked 4th in the world by share of people in high-skilled employment. Its building is optimized for computer trading, with systems located in an underground bunker to keep the exchange active during emergencies. Despite limited natural resources, intensive development of the and industrial sectors over the past decades has made Israel largely self-sufficient in food production, apart from grains and beef. Imports to Israel, totaling $57.9 billion in 2016, include raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, and consumer goods. Leading exports include machinery and equipment, software,, agricultural products, chemicals, and textiles and apparel; in 2016, Israeli exports reached $51.61 billion.

The holds $97.22 billion of. Since the 1970s, Israel has received from the United States, as well as economic assistance in the form of, which now account for roughly half of Israel's. Israel has external debts in the developed world, and is a lender in terms of net external debt (), which in 2015 stood at a surplus of $69 billion.

Israel has an impressive record for creating profit driven technologies making the country a top choice for many business leaders and high technology industry giants. And built their first overseas facilities in Israel, and other high-tech multi-national corporations, such as,,,,, and have opened. In 2007, American investor 's holding company bought an Israeli company,, its first outside the United States, for $4 billion. Days of working time in Israel are Sunday through Thursday (for a five-day ), or Friday (for a six-day workweek). In observance of, in places where Friday is a work day and the majority of population is Jewish, Friday is a 'short day', usually lasting till 14:00 in the winter, or 16:00 in the summer. Several proposals have been raised to adjust the work week with the majority of the world, and make Sunday a non-working day, while extending working time of other days or replacing Friday with Sunday as a work day.

Science and technology. High-tech park in Haifa Israel's development of cutting-edge technologies in software, communications and the life sciences have with. Israel ranks 10th in the, and is 2nd in the world in as a percentage of GDP. Israel boasts 140 scientists, technicians, and engineers per 10,000 employees, the highest number in the world (in comparison, the same is 85 for the U.S.). Israel has produced six scientists since 2004 and has been frequently ranked as one of the countries with the highest ratios of per capita in the world. Israel has led the world in research papers per capita since 2000. Are ranked among the top 50 world universities in computer science ( and ), mathematics () and chemistry ().

In 2012 Israel was ranked ninth in the world by the Futron's. The coordinates all Israeli space research programs with scientific and commercial goals, and have indigenously designed and built at least 13 commercial, research and spy satellites. Some of Israel's satellites are ranked among the world's most advanced space systems. Is a space produced by Israel to launch small into.

It was first launched in 1988, making Israel the to have a space launch capability. In 2003, became Israel's first astronaut, serving as payload specialist of, the of the. The ongoing shortage of has spurred innovation in techniques, and a substantial,, was. Israel is also at the technological forefront of and. The is the largest seawater (SWRO) in the world. By 2014, Israel's desalination programs provided roughly 35% of Israel's drinking water and it is expected to supply 40% by 2015 and 70% by 2050. As of 2015, more than 50 percent of the water for Israeli households, agriculture and industry is artificially produced.

The country hosts an annual Water Technology and Environmental Control Exhibition & Conference (WATEC) that attracts thousands of people from across the world. Free Download Font Thai Psp 3000. In 2011, Israel's was worth around $2 billion a year with annual exports of products and services in the tens of millions of dollars. As a result of innovations in reverse osmosis technology, Israel is set to become a net in the coming years.

The world's largest solar parabolic dish at the. Israel has embraced; its engineers are on the cutting edge of solar energy technology and its solar companies work on projects around the world. Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest per capita in the world. 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 at its geographic creates ideal conditions for what is an internationally renowned solar research and development industry in the. Israel had a modern involving a countrywide network of to facilitate the charging and exchange of car batteries.

It was thought that this would have lowered Israel's oil dependency and lowered the fuel costs of hundreds of Israel's motorists that use cars powered only by electric batteries. The Israeli model was being studied by several countries and being implemented in Denmark and Australia. However, Israel's trailblazing electric car company shut down in 2013. Reception hall at Israel has 19,224 kilometres (11,945 mi) of paved, and 3 million motor vehicles. The is 365, relatively low with respect to developed countries.

Israel has 5,715 buses on scheduled routes, operated by several carriers, the largest of which is, serving most of the country. Stretch across 1,277 kilometres (793 mi) and are operated solely by government-owned. 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 are also transporting 7.5 million tons of cargo, per year. Israel is served by two international,, the country's main hub for international air travel near Tel Aviv, and, which serves the southernmost port city of Eilat. There are several small domestic airports as well. Ben Gurion, Israel's largest airport, handled over 15 million passengers in 2015. On the coast, the is the country's oldest and largest port, while is one of the few deep water ports in the world built on the open sea.

In addition to these, the smaller is situated on the, and is used mainly for trading with Far East countries. Main article: In 2009, a reserve, was found near the coast of Israel. A second natural gas reserve,, was discovered in 2010. Is Israel’s first commercial solar field. Built in early 2011 by the on, Ketura Sun covers twenty acres and is expected to produce green energy amounting to 4.95 megawatts. The field consists of 18,500 panels made by, which will produce about 9 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. In the next twenty years, the field will spare the production of some 125,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The field was inaugurated on June 15, 2011. On May 22, 2012 announced that it had reached financial close on an additional 58.5 MW for 8 projects to be built in the Arava and the Negev valued at 780 million NIS or approximately $204 million.

Main article: Israel's diverse culture stems from the diversity of its population: Jews from diaspora communities around the world have brought their cultural and religious traditions back with them, creating a melting pot of Jewish customs and beliefs. Israel is the only country in the world where life revolves around the. Are determined by the, and the official day of rest is Saturday, the. Israel's substantial Arab minority has also left its imprint on Israeli culture in such spheres as,, and. Laureate of the is primarily and prose written in Hebrew, as part of the of as a spoken language since the mid-19th century, although a small body of literature is published in other languages, such as English. By law, two copies of all printed matter published in Israel must be deposited in the at the. In 2001, the law was amended to include audio and video recordings, and other non-print media.

In 2015, 85 percent of the 7,843 books transferred to the library were in Hebrew. The is held each June and features book fairs, public readings, and appearances by Israeli authors around the country. During the week, Israel's top literary award, the, is presented. [ ] In 1966, shared the with German Jewish author. Leading Israeli poets have been,,, and.

Internationally famous contemporary Israeli novelists include, and. The Israeli-Arab satirist (who writes in Hebrew) is also internationally known. [ ] Israel has also been the home of two leading Palestinian poets and writers:, whose novel, and other writings, won him the Israel prize for Arabic literature; and, considered by many to be 'the Palestinian national poet.' Darwish was born and raised in northern Israel, but lived his adult life abroad after joining the. [ ] Music and dance. Conducted by contains musical influences from all over the world; and, melodies,,, and are all part of the music scene.

Among Israel's world-renowned orchestras is the, which has been in operation for over seventy years and today performs more than two hundred concerts each year., and are among the internationally acclaimed musicians born in Israel. [ ] in the nearly every year since 1973, winning the competition three times and hosting it twice. Has hosted its own international music festival, the, every summer since 1987. Israel is home to many Palestinian musicians, including an group and singer. The has an advanced degree program in Arabic music, headed by oud virtuoso Taiseer Elias.

Celebrated Israeli ballet dancers, who founded the Ballet Panov, in The nation's canonical, known as 'Songs of the Land of Israel,' deal with the experiences of the pioneers in building the Jewish homeland. The circle dance introduced by early Jewish settlers was originally popular in the and outlying communities. It became a symbol of the Zionist reconstruction and of the ability to experience joy amidst austerity. It now plays a significant role in modern and is regularly performed at weddings and other celebrations, and in group dances throughout Israel. [ ] Modern dance in Israel is a flourishing field, and several Israeli choreographers such as and and many others, are considered [ ] to be among the most versatile and original international creators working today. Famous Israeli companies include the and the.

[ ] Cinema and theatre. Main article: Ten Israeli films for at the since the establishment of Israel. The 2009 movie was the third consecutive nomination of an Israeli film. Palestinian Israeli filmmakers have made a number of films dealing with the Arab-Israel conflict and the status of Palestinians within Israel, such as 's 2002 film and.

[ ] Continuing the strong theatrical traditions of the in Eastern Europe, Israel maintains a vibrant theatre scene. Founded in 1918, in Tel Aviv is Israel's oldest company and national theater. Repository of the in Jerusalem The in Jerusalem is one of Israel's most important cultural institutions and houses the, along with an extensive collection of and.

Israel's national museum,, is the world central archive of Holocaust-related information. ('The Diaspora House'), on the campus of, is an interactive museum devoted to the history of Jewish communities around the world. Apart from the major museums in large cities, there are high-quality artspaces in many towns and.

Mishkan LeOmanut in kibbutz is the largest art museum in the north of the country. Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world. Several Israeli museums are devoted to Islamic culture, including the and the, both in Jerusalem. The Rockefeller specializes in archaeological remains from the Ottoman and other periods of Middle East history. It is also the home of the first fossil skull found in called.

A cast of the skull is on display at the Israel Museum. A meal including,, and includes local dishes as well as brought to the country by immigrants from the. Since the establishment of the state in 1948, and particularly since the late 1970s, an Israeli has developed. Israeli cuisine has adopted, and continues to adapt, elements of the,, and styles of cooking. It incorporates many foods traditionally eaten in the,, and cuisines, such as,,,, and.,,,, and are also common in Israel.

[ ] Roughly half of the Israeli-Jewish population attests to keeping at home., though rare in the 1960s, make up around 25% of the total as of 2015, perhaps reflecting the largely secular values of those who dine out. Hotel restaurants are much more likely to serve kosher food. The non-kosher retail market was traditionally sparse, but grew rapidly and considerably following during the 1990s.

Together with non-kosher fish, rabbits and ostriches, —often called 'white meat' in Israel —is produced and consumed, though by both Judaism and Islam. Of Jerusalem The most popular spectator sports in Israel are and. The is the country's premier football league, and the is the premier basketball league.,, and are the largest. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv have competed in the and Hapoel Tel Aviv reached the quarter-finals.

Israel hosted and won the; in 1970 the qualified for the, the only time it participated in the World Cup. The held in Tehran, were the last Asian Games in which Israel, and was plagued by the Arab countries which to compete with Israel. Israel was excluded from the and since then has not competed in Asian sport events. In 1994, agreed to admit Israel and its soccer teams now compete in Europe.

[ ] has won the in basketball six times. In 2016, the country was chosen as a host for the. Chess Grandmaster is a leading sport in Israel and is enjoyed by people of all ages. There are many Israeli grandmasters and have won a number of youth world championships.

Israel stages an annual international and hosted the in 2005. The Ministry of Education and the agreed upon a project of teaching chess within Israeli schools, and it has been introduced into the curriculum of some schools. The city of has become a national chess center, with the game being taught in the city's kindergartens. Owing partly to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of of any city in the world. The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the and the bronze, coming in third among 148 teams, at the.

Israeli grandmaster won the and the for the right to challenge the world champion. He only lost the to reigning world champion after a speed-chess tie breaker. Israel has won since its first win, including a gold medal in at the. Israel has won gold medals in the and is ranked 20th in the. The were hosted by Israel. The, an Olympic-style event for and Israeli athletes, was inaugurated in the 1930s, and has been held every four years since then. Israeli tennis champion ranked 11th in the world on 31 January 2011., a martial art developed by Jewish ghetto defenders during the struggle against fascism in Europe, is used by the Israeli security forces and police.

Its effectiveness and practical approach to self-defense, have won it widespread admiration and adherence around the world. •: the, the, and; by states with limited recognition: [ (for: seemingly conflicting sources) – ]. • The states that 'Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel' and the city serves as the seat of the government, home to the President's residence, government offices, supreme court, and. (20 August 1980; 14–0, U.S. Abstaining) declared the Jerusalem Law 'null and void' and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem.

The United Nations and all member nations refuse to accept the Jerusalem Law (see, p. 140) and maintain their embassies in other cities such as Tel Aviv,, and (see the and ). Congress subsequently adopted the, which said that the U.S. Embassy should be relocated to Jerusalem and that it should be recognized as the capital of Israel. However, the US Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the provisions of the act 'invade exclusive presidential authorities in the field of foreign affairs and are unconstitutional'. Since passage of the act, all presidents serving in office have determined that moving forward with the relocation would be detrimental to U.S.

National security concerns and opted to issue waivers suspending any action on this front. The sees as the capital of a. The city's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see ). See for more information. • ^ The majority of the international community (including the UN General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the International Criminal Court, and the vast majority of human rights organizations) considers Israel to be occupying Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Gaza is still considered to be ' by the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and the majority of governments and legal commentators, despite the 2005, due to various forms of ongoing military and economic control. The government of Israel and some supporters have, at times, disputed this position of the international community.

For more details of this terminology dispute, including with respect to the current status of the Gaza Strip, see and. For an explanation of the differences between an annexed but disputed territory (e.g., ) and a militarily occupied territory, please see the article. • (פלשתינה (א״י in Hebrew (translation: Palestine (Eretz Israel)) References.

Peer Resources: A Comprehensive Definition of Mentoring and List of Mentor Programs A GUIDE to the MENTOR PROGRAM LISTINGS INCLUSION CRITERIA To appear in this list of examples, mentor programs must meet specific criteria. Either the organization has agreed to have its description included or the description appeared in public documents such as. Many corporations contacted by Peer Resources have mentoring programs and requested that their mentor activities remain confidential because they believed that their mentor program provided them with a productivity edge over their competition, or they believed their approach to mentoring should remain private.