Israel
State of IsraelMedinat Yisra'el
republic
Israel as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 107 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement between them. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.
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:
- Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geography--note
there are 216 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 1998 est.)
People
15 fieldsNote
Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)
Male · female
Religions(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 28% (male 822,192; female 783,905)
- 15-64 years:
- 62% (male 1,792,062; female 1,783,755)
- 65 years and over:
- 10% (male 244,438; female 323,408) (1999 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
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 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)
18 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
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; 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
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 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999);
- 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 reelected 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 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999)
- 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 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
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), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL
- chancery:
- 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- 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 S. WALKER, Jr.
- embassy:
- 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
- mailing address:
- PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830
- 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.
31 fieldsGDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)
Electricity
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 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. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, one-sixth of the total population and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future.
The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.
Labor force--by occupation
public services 31.2%, 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--commodities
machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals
Imports--commodities
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2269 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone 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, 23 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 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
Military manpower--fit for military service
- males age 15-49:
- 1,206,320
- females age 15-49:
- 1,173,818 (1999 est.)
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
Illicit drugs
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Israel.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/israel/1999.