Israel

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

highest point:

• Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m;
• note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m;
• both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range

lowest point:

Dead Sea -431 m

mean elevation:

508 m note - does not include elevation data from the Golan Heights

• 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

noun:

Israeli(s)

adjective:

Israeli

• 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

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.82 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• 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, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation

particulate matter emissions:

19.46 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

65.17 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

13.02 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

92.7% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

5.4 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

1.35 million tons (2017 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

25% (2017 est.)

municipal:

983 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

72 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

1.249 billion cubic meters (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

etymology:

• Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2800 B.C.;
• it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.;
• "uru-shalim" likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic "yry", "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world;
• Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew);
• this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace"

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)

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 2020 (Basic Law: the Knesset)

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

chief of state:

President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Naftali BENNETT (since 13 June 2021)

cabinet:

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term;
• election last held on 2 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2028);
• following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government

election results:

Issac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote - Issac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 7

description:

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed-list proportional representation vote, with a 3.25% vote threshold to gain representation; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 23 March 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

election results:

• percent by party - Likud 24.2%, Yesh Atid 13.9%, Shas 7.2%, Blue and White 6.6%, Yamina 6.2%, Labor 6.1%, UTJ 5.6%, Yisrael Beiteinu 5.6%, Religious Zionist Party 5.1%, Joint List 4.8%, New Hope 4.7%, Meretz 4.6%, Ra'am 3.8%, other 0.5%;
• seats by party - Likud 30, Yesh Atid 17, Shas 9, Blue and White 8, Yamina 7, Labor 7, UTJ 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 7, Religious Zionist Party 6, Joint List 6, New Hope 6, Meretz 6, Ra'am 4 - NA

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices;
• in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices

judge selection and term of office:

• judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association;
• judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

• district and magistrate courts;
• national and regional labor courts;
• family and juvenile courts;
• special and Rabbinical courts

• Democratic Union [Nitzan HOROWITZ] (alliance includes Democratic Israel, Meretz, Green Movement)
• Joint List [Ayman ODEH] (alliance includes Hadash, Ta’al, United Arab List, Balad)
• Kahol Lavan [Benny GANTZ] (alliance includes Israeli Resilience, Yesh Atid, Telem)
• Labor-Gesher [Amir PERETZ]
• Likud [Binyamin NETANYAHU]
• Otzma Yehudit [Itamar BEN-GVIR]
• Religous Zionist Party [Belzalel SMOTRICH, chairperson]
• SHAS [Arye DERI]
• United Torah Judaism, or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN] (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah)
• Yamina [Ayelet SHAKED]
• Yesh Atid [Yair LAPID]
• Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
• Zehut [Moshe FEIGLIN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gilad Menashe ERDAN (since 17 February 2021)

chancery:

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-5500

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-5607

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx

consulate(s) general:

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

• 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)

Fitch rating:

A+ (2016)

Moody's rating:

A1 (2008)

Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2018)

Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

1.1%

industry:

17.3%

services:

81.6% (2015 est.)

total:

7.9%

male:

7.6%

female:

8.2% (2020 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

31.3% (2010)

• the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (est 2015) broadcasts on 3 channels, two in Hebrew and the other in Arabic;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels;
• the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

6 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 64

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

7,404,373 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

994.54 million mt-km (2018)

total:

1,599 km (2019) (2014)

standard gauge:

1,384 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

total:

19,555 km (2017)

paved:

19,555 km (includes 449 km of expressways) (2017)

total:

41

by type:

container ship 6, general cargo 2, oil tanker 4, other 29 (2021)

major seaport(s):

Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

container port(s) (TEUs):

Ashdod (1,584,000) (2019)

• the majority of the IDF's inventory is comprised of weapons that are domestically-produced or imported from Europe and the US;
• since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of arms to Israel;
• Israel has a broad defense industrial base that can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armored vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defense, and guided missiles (2021)

• 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 about 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) (2021)

• Kahane Chai;
• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

• West Bank is Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
• in 2002, Israel began construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank;
• as of mid-2020, plans were to continue barrier construction;
• 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-controlled (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights);
• in March 2019, the US Government recognized Israel's sovereignty over the 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):

12,181 (Eritrea), 5,061 (Ukraine) (2019)

stateless persons:

42 (2020)

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