from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Israel
Introduction
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. Israel
and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a
Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo
Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian
self-rule. 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 and
Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. In April 2003,
US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU,
UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in
laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the
conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two
parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic
Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status
agreement was undermined by Palestinian-Israeli
violence between September 2000 and February 2005. An
agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005
significantly reduced the violence. The election in
January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian
leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir
ARAFAT, the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah
Judaism coalition government in January 2005, and the
successful Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip
(August-September 2005), presented an opportunity for a
renewed peace effort. However, internal Israeli
political events between October and December 2005 have
destabilized the political situation and forced early
elections, scheduled for March 2006.
Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic 31 30 N, 34 45 E
coordinates:
Map Middle East
references:
Area: total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than New Jersey
comparative:
Land total: 1,017 km
boundaries: border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km,
Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank
307 km
Coastline: 273 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
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 lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
extremes: highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate
resources: rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use: arable land: 15.45%
permanent crops: 3.88%
other: 80.67% (2005)
Irrigated 1,940 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural sandstorms may occur during spring and summer;
hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - limited arable land and natural fresh water resources
current pose serious constraints; desertification; air
issues: pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic
waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use
note: sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East
Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of Galilee is an
important freshwater source
People
Population: 6,352,117
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the
West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July
2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 855,054/female 815,619)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 2,044,135/female 2,016,647)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 266,671/female 353,991)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 29.6 years
male: 28.8 years
female: 30.5 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.18% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 17.97 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 79.46 years
expectancy at male: 77.33 years
birth: female: 81.7 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.1% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 3,000 (1999 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 100 (2001 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/
America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%),
non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)
Religions: Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other
Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
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
Country name: conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as
its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other
countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
geographic coordinates: 32 05 N, 34 48 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in
March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur
Administrative 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central,
divisions: Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared
holiday: 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 chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July
branch: 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since
May 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI
(since May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and
approved by the Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and
is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (no
term limits); election last held 31 July 2000 (next to
be held mid-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 results: Moshe KATZAV 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 continued 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; controversy
surrounding SHARON's disengagement plan ultimately led
to the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism
(UTJ) coalition government in January 2005
Legislative unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by
branch: popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 March 2006 (next scheduled to
be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12,
Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat
Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3,
HADASH 3
Judicial Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection
branch: Committee - made up of all three branches of the
government; mandatory retirement age is 70)
Political Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH)
parties and [Muhammad BARAKA]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael EITAN];
leaders: Kadima [Ehud OLMERT]; Labor Party [Amir PERETZ]; Likud
Party [Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-YAHAD [Yossi
BEILIN]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi
BISHARA]; National Union (NU)/National Religious Party
(NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah and
Shabbat Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List
[Ibrahim SARSOUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor
LIEBERMAN]; Yisrael Ba'Aliya (merged with Likud)
Political Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on
pressure the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports
groups and territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza
leaders: Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler
interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem
monitors human rights abuses
International BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB,
organization IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
participation: ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA,
OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON
representation chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia,
San Francisco
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
representation embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
from the US: mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
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 white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star)
description: 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
Economy - Israel has a technologically advanced market economy
overview: 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
imports substantial quantities of grain, but is largely
self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut
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
bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties in
the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors;
and fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation
led to small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The
economy rebounded in 2003 and 2004, growing at a 4%
rate each year, as the government tightened fiscal
policy and implemented structural reforms to boost
competition and efficiency in the markets. In 2005,
rising consumer confidence, tourism, and foreign direct
investment - as well as higher demand for Israeli
exports - boosted GDP by 4.7%.
GDP $156.9 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $114.3 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.2% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $25,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 2.6%
composition by industry: 31.7%
sector: services: 65.7% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 2.42 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing
by occupation: 20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport,
storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business
13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public
services 31.2% (1996)
Unemployment 9% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 21% (2005)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 2.4%
income or highest 10%: 28.3% (1997)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 34 (2005)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 1.3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 17.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $43.82 billion
expenditures: $58.04 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 99.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy
products: products
Industries: high-technology projects (including aviation,
communications, computer-aided design and manufactures,
medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper
products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and
tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals
products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting,
textiles, footwear
Industrial 2.8% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 44.24 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 99.9%
production by hydro: 0.1%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 39.67 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 1.47 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 2,740 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 270,100 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 1.92 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 200 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 200 million cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 38.94 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $2.385 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $40.14 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds,
commodities: agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - US 36.5%, Belgium 8.7%, Hong Kong 5.6% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $43.19 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - raw materials, military equipment, investment goods,
commodities: rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods
Imports - US 13.4%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 5.7%,
partners: Switzerland 5.5%, China 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of $28.06 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $75.55 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $662 million from US (2003 est.)
recipient:
Currency new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency
(code): abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS
Currency code: ILS
Exchange new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005),
rates: 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057
(2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 2,936,300 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 7.757 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: most highly developed system in the
system: 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 AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 3.07 million (1997)
Television 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 1.69 million (1997)
Internet .il
country code:
Internet 1,251,881 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 21 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 3.7 million (2006)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 53 (2006)
Airports - total: 30
with paved over 3,047 m: 2
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 6 (2006)
Airports - total: 23
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2006)
Heliports: 3 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 193 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2006)
Railways: total: 853 km
standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 17,364 km
paved: 17,364 km (including 126 km of expressways)
(2004)
Merchant total: 18 ships (1000 GRT or over) 716,382 GRT/845,053
marine: DWT
by type: cargo 2, container 16
registered in other countries: 51 (Bahamas 1, Bermuda
3, Cyprus 3, Honduras 1, Liberia 5, Malta 23, Panama 6,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Slovakia 7) (2006)
Ports and Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
terminals:
Military
Military Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Army Headquarters, Israel
branches: Navy, Israeli Air and Space Force (ISAF, includes air
defense forces); historically there have been no
separate Israeli military services (2005)
Military 17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and
service age voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military
and service; both sexes are eligible for military service;
obligation: conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21
months for women (2004)
Manpower males age 17-49: 1,492,125
available for females age 17-49: 1,443,916 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 17-49: 1,255,902
for military females age 17-49: 1,212,394 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 53,760
reaching females: 51,293 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $9.45 billion (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 7.7% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with
international: current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian
Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined
through further negotiation; Israel continues
construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along
parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank;
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-occupied (Lebanon
claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since
1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in
Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice
agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating,
and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in
internally northern Israel) (2005)
displaced
persons:
Trafficking in current situation: Israel is a destination country for
persons: low-skilled workers from Eastern Europe and Asia who
migrate voluntarily for contract labor in the
construction, agriculture, and health care industries,
some of whom are subsequently subjected to conditions
of involuntary servitude; many labor recruitment
agencies in source countries and in Israel require
workers to pay large up-front fees that often lead to
debt bondage and vulnerability to forced labor; Israel
is also a destination country for women trafficked from
Eastern Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Israel is placed on
the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide
evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking,
namely the conditions of involuntary servitude
allegedly facing thousands of foreign migrant workers
Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse;
drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly,
from Jordan; money-laundering center