Israel

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

arable land:

17%

permanent crops:

4%

permanent pastures:

7%

forests and woodland:

6%

other:

66% (1993 est.)

• 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

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

0-14 years:

28% (male 825,443; female 787,159)

15-64 years:

63% (male 1,831,142; female 1,820,424)

65 years and over:

9% (male 248,695; female 329,591) (2000 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.75 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

noun:

Israeli(s)

adjective:

Israeli

conventional long form:

State of Israel

conventional short form:

Israel

local long form:

Medinat Yisra'el

local short form:

Yisra'el

• 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

chief of state:

President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ehud BARAK (since 6 July 1999)

cabinet:

Cabinet selected by prime minister 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 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2003);
• 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 a 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 120-member Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence);
• Ehud BARAK elected prime minister;
• percent of vote - Ehud BARAK 56.08%, Binyamin NETANYAHU 43.92%

note: government coalition - One Israel, Shas, MERETZ, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya, Center Party, National Religious Party

• Balad [Azmi BISHARA];
• Center Party [Yitzhak MORDECHAI];
• Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN];
• Gesher [David LEVI];
• Hadash [Muhammad BARAKA];
• Labor Party [Ehud BARAK];
• Likud Party [Ariel SHARON];
• MERETZ [Yossi SARID];
• Moledet [Rehavam ZEEVI];
• National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [leader NA];
• National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY];
• National Union [Rehavam ZEEVI] (includes Herut, Tekuma, Yisre'el Beiteinu and Moledet);
• One Israel [Ehud BARAK] (includes Labor, Gesher, and Meimad);
• One Nation [Amir PERETZ];
• Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI];
• Shinui [Tommy LAPID];
• Third Way [Avigdor KAHALANI];
• Tzomet [Rafael EITAN];
• United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH];
• United Torah Judaism [Meir PORUSH];
• Yisra'el Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY];
• Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador David IVRY

chancery:

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-5500

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-5610

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Martin S. INDYK

embassy:

71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv

mailing address:

PSC 98, Unit 7228, 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

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

26.9% (1992)

total:

610 km

standard gauge:

610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

total:

15,965 km

paved:

15,965 km (including 56 km of expressways)

unpaved:

0 km (1998 est.)

• crude oil 708 km;
• petroleum products 290 km;
• natural gas 89 km

total:

20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 711,831 GRT/823,929 DWT

ships by type:

container 19, roll-on/roll-off 1 (1999 est.)

• 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

males age 15-49:

1,499,186

females age 15-49:

1,462,063 (2000 est.)

males age 15-49:

1,226,903

females age 15-49:

1,192,319 (2000 est.)

males:

50,348

females:

47,996 (2000 est.)

• 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

• increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse;
• drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and increasingly Jordan [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]