Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian ceasefire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military. The election of HAMAS in January 2006 to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in Gaza in June-July 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally evacuate from most of the West Bank. The kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Lebanese Hizballah led to a 34-day conflict in Lebanon in June-August 2006.
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references
Middle East
Area
total
20,770 sq km
land
20,330 sq km
water
440 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries
total
1,017 km
border countries
Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline
273 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
to depth of exploitation
Climate
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source
Population
6,426,679
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2007 est.)
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday
Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Constitution
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft constitution
Legal system
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President-elect Shimon PERES (elected on 13 June 2007; takes office on 15 July)
head of government
Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI (since May 2006); Ehud OLMERT won the right to lead the government when his Kadima Party won 29 seats in elections held on 28 March 2006
cabinet
Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
elections
president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition
note
government coalition - Kadima, Labor Party, GIL (Pensioners), Shas,and Yisrael Beiteinu
election results
Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21; PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)
Legislative branch
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor 15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL 5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party - Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee - made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory retirement age is 70)
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKA]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael EITAN]; Kadima [Ehud OLMERT]; Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; Likud Party [Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Union (NU)/National Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah and Shabbat Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List [Ibrahim SARSOUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General] supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha Council of Settlements [Bentzi LIEBERMAN, Chairman] promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy
71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
mailing address
PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone
[972] (3) 519-7575
FAX
[972] (3) 516-4390
consulate(s) general
Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government
Flag description
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
Economy - overview
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$170.3 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$140.3 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$26,800 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2.6%
industry
30.8%
services
66.6% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.6 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1.8%, manufacturing 15.7%, construction 5.3%, wholesale and retail trade 12.9%, transport, storage, and communications 6.3%, finance and business 16.9%, personal and other services 11.5%, public services 28.6% (1996)
Unemployment rate
8.3% (30 September 2006)
Population below poverty line
21.6% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2.4%
highest 10%
28.31% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
38.6 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-0.1% (2006)
Investment (gross fixed)
17.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$48.4 billion
expenditures
$49.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt
89% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear
Industrial production growth rate
8.6% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
46.07 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
99.9%
hydro
0.1%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
41.38 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
1.47 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
249,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves
2 million bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production
792 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
792 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
38.94 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$1.463 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$42.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - partners
US 38.4%, Belgium 6.5%, Hong Kong 5.9% (2006)
Imports
$47.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods
Imports - partners
US 12.4%, Belgium 8.2%, Germany 6.7%, Switzerland 5.9%, UK 5.1%, China 5.1% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$28.2 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$81.98 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$240 million from US (FY06)
Currency (code)
new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS
Currency code
ILS
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
2.936 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
7.757 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest
domestic
good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital
international
country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios
3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
17 (plus 36 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
1.69 million (1997)
Internet country code
.il
Internet hosts
1.252 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
21 (2000)
Internet users
3.7 million (2006)
Airports
53 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
30
over 3,047 m
2
2,438 to 3,047 m
4
1,524 to 2,437 m
8
914 to 1,523 m
10
under 914 m
6 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
23
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
2
under 914 m
20 (2006)
Heliports
3 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 193 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2006)
Railways
total
853 km
standard gauge
853 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
17,446 km
paved
17,446 km (includes 144 km of expressways) (2004)
Merchant marine
total
18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,382 GRT/845,053 DWT
by type
cargo 2, container 16
registered in other countries
51 (Bahamas 1, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Malta 23, Panama 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Slovakia 7) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
Military branches
Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), Israel Air Force (IAF) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 17-49
1,492,125
females age 17-49
1,443,916 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 17-49
1,255,902
females age 17-49
1,212,394 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
53,760
females age 15-49
51,293 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
7.3% (2006)
Disputes - international
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2006)
Illicit drugs
increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center
