Israel
State of IsraelMedinat Yisra'el
republic
Israel as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt | and Lebanon
18 fieldsNatural resources
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Land use
- arable land:
- 17%
- permanent crops:
- 4%
- permanent pastures:
- 7%
- forests and woodland:
- 6%
- other:
- 66% (1993 est.)
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
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Marine Life Conservation
Geography-note
there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
People
15 fieldsNote
Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 28% (male 814,558; female 776,630)
- 15-64 years:
- 62% (male 1,751,111; female 1,745,499)
- 65 years and over:
- 10% (male 239,658; female 316,510) (July 1998 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.76 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
Jewish 82% (Israel-born 50%, Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 20%, Africa-born 7%, Asia-born 5%), non-Jewish 18% (mostly Arab) (1993 est.)
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Government
Republic; President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993); Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Knesset or parliament, 111 seats, elected 29 May 1996one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- State of Israel
- conventional short form:
- Israel
- local long form:
- Medinat Yisra'el
- local short form:
- Yisra'el
National capital
Jerusalem note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions
6 districts (mehozot, singular-mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
National holiday
Independence Day, 14 May 1948 (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
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset
- elections:
- president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term;
- election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003);
- prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
- election last held 29 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2000);
- note-in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister;
- under the new law, each voter casts two ballots-one for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party in the Knesset;
- the candidate that receives the largest percentage of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats;
- finally, the candidate must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this must be done within 45 days of the election;
- in contrast to the old system, under the new law, the prime minister's party need not be the single-largest party in the Knesset
- election results:
- Ezer WEIZMAN elected president by the Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence);
- Binyamin NETANYAHU elected prime minister;
- percent of vote - Binyamin NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%
Legislative branch
unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 29 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party-NA;
- seats by party-Labor Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet 2;
- note-Likud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list
Political parties and leaders
- government coalition:
- Likud Party, Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU;
- Tzomet, Rafael EITAN;
- SHAS, Arieh DERI;
- National Religious Party, Yitzhak LEVI;
- Yisra'el Ba'Aliya, Natan SHARANSKY;
- United Jewish Torah, Meir PORUSH;
- Third Way, Avigdor KAHALANI
- opposition:
- Labor Party, Ehud BARAK;
- MERETZ, Yossi SARID;
- United Arab List, Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH;
- Hadash-Balad, Hashim MAHAMID
- other:
- Moledet, Rehavam ZEEVI; Gesher, David LEVI
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip;
- Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
International organization participation
AG (observer), BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador-designate Zalman SHOVAL
- 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, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Edward WALKER
- embassy:
- 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
- mailing address:
- PSC 98, Box 100, APO AE 09830
- telephone:
- [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX
[972] (3) 517-3227; 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
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy | with substantial government participation.
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1997 est.)
Economy-overview
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years.
Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing only 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports.
Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as medical scanning equipment.
The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-97, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, or one-sixth of the total population. Initially this great influx increased unemployment, intensified housing problems, and strained the government budget. At the same time, the immigrants bring to the economy scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the future.
Labor force
- total:
- 2.3 million (1997)
- by occupation:
- public services 31.3%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)
Industries
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
Exports
- total value:
- $20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
- commodities:
- machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals
- partners:
- EU 32%, US 31%, Japan 7% (1996)
Imports
- total value:
- $28.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
- commodities:
- military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
- partners:
- EU 52%, US 20%, Japan (1996)
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993)
Telephone system
most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest
- domestic:
- good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
- international:
- 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 27 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Military
7 fieldsMilitary branches
- Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women);
- note-historically there have been no separate Israeli military services
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes-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;
- Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied;
- Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Israel.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/israel/1998.