| Background: |
Following World
War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of
Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and
Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs.
Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of
wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides.
The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are
not included in the Israel country profile, 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 (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and
Gaza Strip) and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent
settlement. 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. On 25 May
2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon,
which it had occupied since 1982. |
| Location: |
Middle East,
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
31 30 N, 34 45 E |
| Map
references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
total:
20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than New Jersey |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,006 km
border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51
km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental
shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate; hot
and dry in southern and eastern desert areas |
| Terrain: |
Negev desert in
the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift
Valley |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m |
| Natural
resources: |
timber, potash,
copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide,
clays, sand, oil |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 66% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
1,800 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
sandstorms may
occur during spring and summer; droughts |
| 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 231
Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West
Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the
Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2000 est.) |
| Population: |
5,938,093 (July
2001 est.)
note: includes about 176,000 Israeli settlers
in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights, about 6,900 in the Gaza Strip, and about 173,000 in
East Jerusalem (August 2000 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
27.36% (male 831,523; female 792,982)
15-64 years: 62.73% (male 1,869,114; female
1,855,707)
65 years and over: 9.91% (male 253,105; female
335,662) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.58% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
19.12
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.22 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
2.85 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
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 (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
7.72 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.71 years
male: 76.69 years
female: 80.84 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.57 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.08% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
2,400 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 100
(1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli |
| 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.) |
| Religions: |
Jewish 80.1%,
Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other
3.2% (1996 est.) |
| Languages: |
Hebrew
(official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy |
| 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 |
| Independence: |
14 May 1948 (from
League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Moshe KATSAV (since 31 July 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON
(since 2 March 2001)
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 31 July 2000 (next to
be held NA July 2005); prime minister elected by popular
vote for a four-year term; election last held 6 February
2001 (next to be held NA 2005); note - in March 1992, the
Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which
allowed for the direct election of the prime minister, but
in 2001 the Knesset voted to restore the previous method
under which the legislators will choose the next prime
minister after the next legislative elections in 2003
election results: Moshe KATSAV elected
president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60
votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes
(there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON elected prime
minister; percent of vote - Ariel SHARON 62.5%, Ehud BARAK
37.4%; note - after the next legislative elections scheduled
for 2003, the prime minister will be elected by the Knesset |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be
held NA November 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party -
One Israel 20.2%, Likud Party 14.1%, Shas 13%, MERETZ 7.6%,
Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 5.1%, Shinui 5%, Center Party 5%, National
Religious Party 4.2%, United Torah Judaism 3.7%, United Arab
List 3.4%, National Union 3%, Hadash 2.6%, Yisra'el Beiteinu
2.6%, Balad 1.9%, One Nation 1.9%, Democratic Movement NA
(party formed after election, members elected under Yisra'el
Ba'Aliya list); seats by party - One Israel 26, Likud Party
19, Shas 17, MERETZ 10, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 4, Shinui 6,
Center Party 6, National Religious Party 5, United Torah
Judaism 5, United Arab List 5, National Union 4, Hadash 3,
Yisra'el Beiteinu 4, Democratic Movement 2 (party formed
after election, members elected under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya
list), Balad 2, One Nation 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court
(justices appointed for life by the president) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Balad or National
Democratic Alliance [Amnon LIPKIN-SHAHAK]; Center Party
[Yitzhak MORDECHAI]; Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN];
Gesher [David LEVI]; Hadash [Muhammad BARAKA]; Labor Party
[leader vacant]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; MERETZ [Yossi
SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [leader NA];
National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union [Rehavam
ZEEVI] (includes Herut, Tekuma, and Moledet); One Israel
[leader NA] (includes Labor, Gesher, and Meimad); One Nation
[Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID];
United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah
Judaism [Rabbi Eliezer SHACK, spiritual leader]; Yisra'el
Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor
LIEBERMAN] |
| 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 David IVRY
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 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 |
| 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
- 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. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production
except for grains. Cuts diamonds, high-technology equipment,
and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the
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 1989-99, bringing the population of Israel from
the former Soviet Union to 1 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 moderating in 1996 when
the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies
and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong
5.9% in 2000. But the outbreak of Palestinian unrest in late
September and the collapse of the BARAK Government - coupled
with a cooling off in the high-technology and tourist
sectors - undercut the boom and foreshadows a slowdown to
2%-3% in 2001. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $110.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.9% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $18,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
4%
industry: 37%
services: 59% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 26.9% (1992) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0.1% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
2.4 million (2000
est.) |
| 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) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
9% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$40 billion
expenditures: $42.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
high-technology
projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided
design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood and
paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and
tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
7% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
35.437 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
99.89%
hydro: 0.11%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
31.899 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
1.061 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
4 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
citrus,
vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products |
| Exports: |
$31.5 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products,
chemicals, textiles and apparel |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 36%, UK 6%,
Benelux 5%, Hong Kong 4%, Netherlands 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$35.1 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
raw materials,
military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels,
consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 20%, Benelux
11%, Germany 8%, UK 8%, Switzerland 6%, Italy 5% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$38 billion (2000
est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$1.1 billion from
the US (1999) |
| Currency: |
new Israeli
shekel (ILS) |
| Exchange
rates: |
new Israeli
shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December 2000), 4.0773
(2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917
(1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
2.8 million
(1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
2.5 million
(1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay; all systems are digital
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian
Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 23, FM 15,
shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios: |
3.07 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
17 (plus 36
low-power repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
1.69 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.il |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
21 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
1 million (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996) |
| Highways: |
total:
15,965 km
paved: 15,965 km (including 56 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 708 km;
petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Ashdod, Ashqelon,
Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 631,582 GRT/745,011
DWT
ships by type: container 16, roll on/roll off 1
(2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
30
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 20 (2000 est.) |
| Military
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 - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,522,003
females age 15-49: 1,482,027 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 1,245,757
females age 15-49: 1,208,973 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
49,206
females: 53,379 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$8.7 billion
(FY99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
9.4% (FY99) |
| Disputes
- 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 (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms
area of Golan Heights) |
| Illicit
drugs: |
increasingly
concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in
country from Lebanon and increasingly Jordan |
|
