Israel

• Negev desert in the south;
• low coastal plain;
• central mountains;
• Jordan Rift Valley

mean elevation:

508 m

elevation extremes:

-431 m lowest point: Dead Sea; 1208 highest point: Har Meron

• population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee;
• the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

• sandstorms may occur during spring and summer;
• droughts;
• periodic earthquakes

• limited arable land and restricted natural freshwater resources;
• desertification;
• air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
• groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Marine Life Conservation

noun:

Israeli(s)

adjective:

Israeli

0-14 years:

27.26% (male 1,175,106 /female 1,121,309)

15-24 years:

15.58% (male 670,121 /female 642,155)

25-54 years:

37.19% (male 1,601,516 /female 1,531,849)

55-64 years:

8.42% (male 350,050 /female 359,578)

65 years and over:

11.55% (male 437,511 /female 535,709) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

64.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

45.7 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

18.4 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

5.4 (2015 est.)

• population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee;
• the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

State of Israel

conventional short form:

Israel

local long form:

Medinat Yisra'el

local short form:

Yisra'el

etymology:

• named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel;
• according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name "Israel" ("He who struggles with God") after he wrestled an entire night with an angel of the Lord;
• Jacob's 12 sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who formed the Kingdom of Israel

name:

Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty

geographic coordinates:

31 46 N, 35 14 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October

history:

no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended) (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset;
• passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review;
• 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2018 (2018)

• 18 years of age;
• universal;
• 17 years of age for municipal elections

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 14 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges selected by the Judicial Selection Committee consisting of 3 Supreme Court judges, 2 Cabinet members including the Minister of Justice as chairman, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives from the Israel Bar Association;
• judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

• Court for Administrative Matters;
• district and magistrate courts;
• national and regional labor courts;
• special and religious courts

chief of state:

President Reuven RIVLIN (since 27 July 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 31 March 2009, most recently reformed on 15 May 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a 7-year term (limited to 1 term);
• election last held on 10 June 2014 (next to be held in 2021 but can be called earlier);
• following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a government

election results:

Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4

description:

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 17 March 2015 (next to be held by 5 November 2019 but can be called earlier)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - Likud 23.4%, Zionist Union 18.7%, Joint List 10.5%, Yesh Atid 8.8%, Kulanu 7.5%, The Jewish Home 6.7%, Shas, 5.7%, Yisrael Beitenu 5.1%, UTJ 5%, Meretz 3.9%, Yachad 3%, other 1.7%;
• seats by party as of December 2018 - Likud 30, Zionist Union 24, Joint List 13, Yesh Atid 11, Kulanu 10, The Jewish Home 8, Shas 7, Yisrael Beitenu 6, UTJ 6, Meretz 5;
• composition - men 91, women 29, percent of women 24.2%

• Balad [Jamal ZAHALKA]
• Democratic Front for Peace and Equality or HADASH [Ayman ODEH]
• Israeli Labor Party [Avi GABBAY]
• Joint List [Ayman ODEH] (coalition includes Balad, HADASH, United Arab List, Ta'al))
• Kulanu [Moshe KAHLON]
• Likud [Binyamin NETANYAHU]
• Meretz [Tamar ZANDBERG]
• SHAS [Arye DERI]
• Ta'al (Arab Movement for Renewal) [Ahmad TIBI]
• Tekumah/National Union (Ichud Leumi) [Uri ARIEL]
• The Jewish Home (Habayit Hayehudi) [Naftali BENNETT]
• The Movement (Hatnuah) [Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI]
• United Arab List [Masud GANAIM]
• United Torah Judaism or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN] (an alliance of three parties)Yachad [Eli YISHAI]
• Yesh Atid [Yair LAPID]
• Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
• Zionist Union or Zionist Camp [Avi GABBAY] (alliance includes Israeli Labor Party, The Movement)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ron DERMER (since 3 December 2013)

chancery:

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-5500

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-5607

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador David M. FRIEDMAN (since 23 May 2017)

embassy:

David Flusser St.14, Jerusalem, 9378322

telephone:

[972] (2) 630-4000

FAX:

NA

consular agent:

Haifa

note: on 14 May 2018, the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, replacing the site of the Jerusalem Consulate General

• white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David or Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag;
• the basic design resembles a traditional Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), which is white with blue stripes;
• the hexagram as a Jewish symbol dates back to medieval times

note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary from a light to a dark blue

name:

"Hatikvah" (The Hope)

lyrics/music:

Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN

note: adopted 2004, unofficial since 1948; used as the anthem of the Zionist movement since 1897; the 1888 arrangement by Samuel COHEN is thought to be based on the Romanian folk song "Carul cu boi" (The Ox Driven Cart)

agriculture:

1.1%

industry:

17.3%

services:

81.6% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

31.3% (2010)

highest 10%:

31.3% (2010)

general assessment:

• most highly developed system in the Middle East;
• mobile broadband 100% population penetration;
• cunsumers enjoy inexpensive 3G services;
• 4G cellular service;
• fixed broadband available to 99% of all households (2018)

domestic:

• good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
• all systems are digital;
• competition among both fixed-line and mobile cellular providers results in good coverage countrywide;
• fixed-line 39 per 100 and 127 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2018)

international:

• country code - 972;
• submarine cables provide links to Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East;
• satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2018)

• state broadcasting network, operated by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), broadcasts on 2 channels, one in Hebrew and the other in Arabic;
• 5 commercial channels including a channel broadcasting in Russian, a channel broadcasting Knesset proceedings, and a music channel supervised by a public body;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels;
• IBA broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters and Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations;
• about 15 privately owned radio stations;
• overall more than 100 stations and repeater stations (2008)

number of registered air carriers:

6 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 60 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

6,064,478 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

758,633,996 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,250 km (2014)

standard gauge:

1,250 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

total:

18,566 km (2011)

paved:

18,566 km (includes 449 km of expressways) (2011)

total:

42 (2017)

by type:

container ship 5, general cargo 4, oil tanker 3, other 30 (2017)

major seaport(s):

Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

container port(s) (TEUs):

Ashdod (1,443,000) (2016)

• 18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druze) military service;
• 17 years of age for voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service;
• both sexes are obligated to military service;
• conscript service obligation - 32 months for enlisted men and 24 months for enlisted women (varies based on military occupation), 48 months for officers;
• pilots commit to 9-year service;
• reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), age 24 (women) (2015)

Kahane Chai (Kach):

aim(s): expel Arabs from Israel's biblical lands and, ultimately, restore the biblical state of Israel

area(s) of operation:

Israel and West Bank settlements

note: considered to be operationally inactive in recent years (April 2018)

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 negotiationIsrael continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West BankIsrael withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied Syria (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights)since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

refugees (country of origin):

22,010 (Eritrea), 13,262 (Ukraine) (2017) note - estimate represents asylum applicants since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 to September 2017

stateless persons:

42 (2017)

• increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse;
• drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan;
• money-laundering center