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| Introduction | Israel |
| 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. 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. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. On 24 June 2002, US President Bush laid out a "road map" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence ongoing since September 2000. |
| People | Israel |
| Population: | 6,199,008 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 847,591; female 808,399) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,976,539; female 1,954,782) 65 years and over: 9.9% (male 262,781; female 348,916) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 29.2 years male: 28.3 years female: 30 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.29% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 18.45 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 7.96 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 79.17 years male: 77.08 years female: 81.37 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 2,400 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 100 (2001 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: 95.4% male: 97.3% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Israel |
| Country name: | conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local short form: Yisra'el local long form: Medinat 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) elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset 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 continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%, Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz 5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%, National Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%, United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Shimon PEREZ]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Efie EITAM]; National Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA (merged with Likud) [Natian SHARANSKY] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses |
| International organization participation: | BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 364-5560 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5578 chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575 FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390 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 |
| Communications | Israel |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 3.006 million (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 6.334 million (2002) |
| 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: country code - 972; 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 hosts: | 437,516 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 21 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 2 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Israel |
| Railways: | total: 640 km standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 16,281 km paved: 16,281 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
| Pipelines: | gas 140 km; oil 1,509 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo |
| Merchant marine: | total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT by type: container 18 registered in other countries: 40 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 51 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 3 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Israel |
| Military branches: | Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Corps (including Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal)), Navy, Air Force(including Air Defense Forces); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli military services |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,581,883 females age 15-49: 1,532,234 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,294,742 females age 15-49: 1,250,969 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 51,054 females: 53,515 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $9.11 billion (FY03) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 8.7% (FY02) |
| Transnational Issues | Israel |
| 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) |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2004) |
| Illicit drugs: | increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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