The State of Israel is a country in the Middle East. Most of the citizens of Israel are Jewish, with a large Arab minority who are Muslims or Christians. The country was established in the Palestine Mandate, which was a region looked after by the British on behalf of the United Nations.

Israel is on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares borders with Lebanon and Syria on the north, Jordan on the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel also controls territory in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank of the Jordan River. It shares the coastlines of the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba, the Dead Sea, and the Sea of Galilee.

The story of the State of Israel does not begin in 1948. Canaanites are the first people known to have lived in the area. 3000 years ago the biblical kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon existed. When the Temple (of King Solomon) in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, most of the Jewish people were forced to live in other countries. This dispersal is called the Diaspora.

Since the Diaspora, there have been many attempts to make a homeland for the Jewish people. In the 1880s, this wish for the nation became a movement called Zionism. Jews from all over the world began to come to the area and forcibly took the lands from the Palestinians, then governed by the Turkish and later by the British Governments. World War II and the Holocaust killed millions of Jews in Europe.

The mass migration of Jews into Israel primarily from Europe and Russia led to brutal occupation of Palestinian land who were sent as refugees to neighbouring Arab countries.

On May 14th, 1948, the Israelis (under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion) declared independence for the new Jewish state.

1 Geography
2 Politics
3 Economy
4 Other Related Websites

[change] Geography

The borders of Israel are disputed, and several wars have been fought about where the borders should be. The land is desert in the south with a flat plain in the west near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel also has a range of mountains near its center. The weather is normally warm, but is hot and dry in the desert areas; in the north, the weather is temperate. Two-thirds of the land is covered with desert. Jerusalem is the biggest city in Israel, and Tel Aviv is another big city.

[change] Politics

Israel is a parliamentary democracy. The President is Shimon Peres. The Prime Minister is Ehud Olmert, who took over from Ariel Sharon in 2006 when Sharon fell into a coma, never waking up. Jerusalem is the capital city and the seat of government. The government and parliament meet in the Knesset.

Israel's early leaders were well known terrorists. For example, David Ben Gurion the first Prime Minister of Israel, was a well known member of the Jewish terrorist group responsible for the bombing of King David Hotel. The second Prime Minister, Minachem Begin was a well known member of the Hagannah a terrorist organisation responsible for numerous atrocities and later incorporated into IDF or Israeli Defence Force in 1948.

[change] Economy

Most of the Israeli economy is based on technology, manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture. Also, aid from the United States, through money and trading, contributes to the development of Israel. The United States and the United Nations have greatly helped the country grow.

[change] Other Related Websites

Israel Breaking News, News from Israel and the Middle East, updated daily.
Israel-Times Daily News, Breaking News: World, USA, Europe, Asia and Israel.
Haaretz Daily Newspaper, News from Israel in English.
Israel national news, News from Israel in English.
MOVING UP: An Aliyah Journal, the new book, is an upbeat account about Aliyah and life in Israel.
History of the Jewish people (basic things)