Portal:Israel

Welcome to The Israel Portal The flag of Israel Location of Israel The emblem of Israel Map of Israel Israel (/ˈɪzriəl, ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל; Arabic: إِسْرَائِيل‎), also known as the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל), is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's economic and technological center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem has only partial recognition. Israel has evidence of the earliest migration of hominids out of Africa. Canaanite tribes are archaeologically attested since the Middle Bronze Age, while the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah emerged during the Iron Age. The Neo-Assyrian Empire destroyed Israel around 720 BCE. Judah was later conquered by the Babylonian, Persian and Hellenistic empires and had existed as Jewish autonomous provinces. The successful Maccabean Revolt led to an independent Hasmonean kingdom by 110 BCE, which in 63 BCE however became a client state of the Roman Republic that subsequently installed the Herodian dynasty in 37 BCE, and in 6 CE created the Roman province of Judea. Judea lasted as a Roman province until the failed Jewish revolts resulted in widespread destruction, the expulsion of the Jewish population and the renaming of the region from Iudaea to Syria Palaestina. Jewish presence in the region has persisted to a certain extent over the centuries. In the 7th century CE, the Levant was taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Arabs and remained in Muslim control until the First Crusade of 1099, followed by the Ayyubid conquest of 1187. The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt extended its control over the Levant in the 13th century until its defeat by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. During the 19th century, national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the Zionist movement in the diaspora followed by waves of immigration to Ottoman Syria and later Mandatory Palestine. In 1947, the United Nations (UN) adopted a Partition Plan for Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency, and rejected by Arab leaders. The following year, the Jewish Agency declared the independence of the State of Israel, and the subsequent 1948 Arab–Israeli War saw Israel's establishment over most of the former Mandate territory, while the West Bank and Gaza were held by neighboring Arab states. Israel has since fought several wars with Arab countries, and since the Six-Day War in 1967 held occupied territories including the West Bank, Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip (still considered occupied after the 2005 disengagement, although some legal experts dispute this claim). It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank. Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world's longest military occupation in modern times. Efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in a final peace agreement. However, peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have been signed. In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic state and the nation state of the Jewish people. The country has a liberal democracy (one of only two in the Middle East and North Africa region, the other being Tunisia), with a parliamentary system, proportional representation, and universal suffrage. The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature. With a population of around 9 million as of 2019, Israel is a developed country and an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member, has the 31st or 32nd-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and is the richest (nominal GDP) and the most developed country currently in conflict (100–999 deaths per year). It has the highest standard of living in the Middle East, and ranks among the world's top countries by percentage of citizens with military training, percentage of citizens holding a tertiary education degree, research and development spending by GDP percentage, women's safety, life expectancy, innovativeness, and happiness. Selected article - Female infantry instructors prepare for a combat exercise The women in the Israel Defense Forces are female soldiers who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Israel is one of only a few countries in the world with a mandatory military service requirement for women. According to the IDF, 535 female Israeli soldiers had been killed in combat operations between the period 1962-2016 (this figure does not include the dozens of female soldiers killed in Israeli service prior to 1962). Women have taken part in Israel’s military before and since the founding of the state in 1948, with women comprising over 20% of Israeli forces in 1948, and 33% of all IDF soldiers and 51% of its officers, in 2011, fulfilling various roles within the Ground, Navy and Air Forces. The 2000 Equality amendment to the Military Service law states that "The right of women to serve in any role in the IDF is equal to the right of men." As of now, 88% to 92% of all roles in the IDF are open to female candidates, while women can be found in 69% of all positions. Read more... Featured picture - This is a Featured picture that the Wikimedia Commons community has chosen as one of the highest quality on the site. Southern aerial view of the Temple Mount, a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem that for thousands of years has been venerated as a holy site, in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. David Ben-Gurion's room at Ben-Gurion's Hut, the retirement home of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula (Pola) from the years 1953 until Ben-Gurion's death in 1973. Northeast exposure of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Considered to be the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Reading Power Station, built in Tel Aviv in 1938, was named for Rufus Isaacs, the 1st Marquess of Reading. Reading Light is pictured on the left. An aerial view of Makhtesh Ramon, a geological feature of Israel's Negev desert. Located at the peak of Mount Negev, some 85 km south of the city of Beersheba, the landform is not an impact crater from a meteor nor a volcanic crater formed by a volcanic eruption, but rather is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (steephead valley or box canyons). A more recent section of the Israel-Egypt barrier fence, north of Eilat, June 2012. It is a border barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. It was originally an attempt to curb illegal migrants from African countries. Construction was approved on 12 January 2010 and began on 22 November 2010. A view of Jaffa, from the beachfront of Tel Aviv Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur, an 1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb A view of Jerusalem from southeast, showing the Walls of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This image was taken sometime between 1900 and 1940. The Jerusalem Railway Station c. 1900. The locomotive on the turntable is "Ramleh" (J&J No. 3), a Baldwin 2-6-0. The station was the terminus of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998. Today, the station is abandoned and suffering from neglect and vandalism, although it is one of 110 buildings selected for preservation in Jerusalem. An aerial view of Masada in the Judaean Desert, with the Dead Sea and Jordan in the distance Ceramic tile on the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem Did you know - ...that Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit (pictured) was the only signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence to have been born in the Land of Israel? ...that Mickey Marcus, a U.S. Army colonel who assisted Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and became Israel's first aluf (major general), is the only person buried at the United States Military Academy who died fighting under a foreign flag? ... that the Israeli Air Force's first heavy bombers were three B-17 Flying Fortresses smuggled to Israel in the late 1940s by Charles Winters and his associates? Related portals Geography Judaism Christianity Islam Palestine WikiProjects WikiProject Israel – WikiProject Jewish history – WikiProject Judaism – WikiProject Jewish culture – WikiProject Hebrew Good article - This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards. Angel Bakeries (Hebrew: מאפיות אנג'ל‎ Ma'afiyot Anjel), also known as Angel's Bakery, is the largest commercial bakery in Israel, producing 275,000 loaves of bread and 275,000 rolls daily and controlling 30 percent of the country's bread market. With a product line of 100 different types of bread products and 250 different types of cakes and cookies, Angel sells its goods in 32 company-owned outlets nationwide and distributes to 6,000 stores and hundreds of hotels and army bases. It also exports to the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Denmark. Founded in 1927 in Jerusalem by Salomon Angel, Angel Bakeries introduced to the Israeli market the first sliced bread, plant-based emulsifiers, and new baking technologies. It has always been family-run, at first by Salomon with his brothers and sons, then by Salomon's grandsons, and today by Salomon's great-grandsons. The company, Salomon A. Angel Ltd., is publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with a turnover of $180 million in 2008. Read more... Selected cuisine - Peanut butter-flavored Bamba Bamba (Hebrew: במבה‎) is a peanut butter-flavored snack manufactured by the Osem corporation in Holon, Israel. Bamba is one of the leading snack foods produced and sold in Israel. It has been marketed since 1964 with no decline in sales. Bamba makes up 25% of the Israeli snack market. Similar products from other domestic manufacturers include "Parpar" (Telma, since 2000 a subsidiary of Unilever) and "Shush" (Strauss-Elite). Read more... General images - The following are images from various Israel-related articles on Wikipedia. Shrine of the Báb, built between 1949 and 1953, is an example of the architecture in Israel Map of the ancient Near East The Bahri Mamluk dynasty 1250–1382 Gal Fridman, winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal A portion of the Isaiah scroll. One of the earliest known manuscripts of biblical literature Illustration for the Song of Songs. Along with the Book of Esther, the ancient poem is an example of an ancient Israeli literature with no mention of God, and is traditionally read as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel 143rd Division crossing the Suez Canal in the direction of Cairo during the Yom Kippur War, 15 October 1973 Tiles in the Bezalel style, 1920s Portion of the Temple Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes David Ben-Gurion proclaiming the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 Gen. Uzi Narkiss, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, Chief of staff Yitzhak Rabin and Gen. Rehavam Ze'evi in the Old City of Jerusalem, 7 June 1967 A Bookplate done for Martin Buber; The plate is adorned with the walls of Jerusalem in the shape of a Shield of David, viewed from above The Israeli West Bank barrier route built (red), under construction (pink) and proposed (white), MV Netanya, one of the ships assigned to support boats in the Cherbourg Project Hebrew ulpan in Dimona, 1955 Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, 1918 Tel Aviv Cinematheque 1949 Green Line City of David in Jerusalem The opening ceremony of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited by Arthur Balfour, 1 April 1925 Ecclesiastes is known for its incipit vanity of vanities; all is vanity and concepts of Vanitas Protest in Tel Aviv on 6 August 2011 Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv Es Skhul cave Supply convoy on its way to besieged Jerusalem, April 1948 Menachem Begin addressing a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv against negotiations with Germany in 1952 Yemenite Jewish bride at her henna party, 1958 Obverse of Yehud silver coin Buchenwald survivors arrive in Haifa to be arrested by the British, 15 July 1945 Painting of the siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade (1099) Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, 15th-century painting by Miguel Ximénez Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Sermon on the Mount. The New Testament was authored by Christian Jews during Roman-ruled Judea Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv Avraham Adan raising the Ink Flag marking the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War 16th-century Safed rabbi Joseph Karo, author of the Jewish law book Patriot missiles launched to intercept an Iraqi Scud over Tel Aviv during the Gulf War Hiking near Lake Kinneret Ofek-7 satellite launch through Shavit vehicle Remains of the Roman theater in Caesarea Maritima United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, 1947 Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) Jewish Settlement Police members watching the settlement Nesher during 1936–1939 Arab revolt Hasmonean kingdom Israeli paratroopers dig in near the Mitla Pass, 31 October 1956 Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006 David dictating the Psalms. The practice of psalms is referred to as a philosophical and theological problem Israeli breakfast Nahal Brigade soldiers returning after the 2006 Lebanon War The route of the exiles to Babylon Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, and Yasser Arafat during the Oslo Accords signing ceremony at the White House on 13 September 1993 Jewish workers in Kerem Avraham neighbourhood of Jerusalem (c. 1850s) The Merneptah Stele. While alternative translations exist, the majority of biblical archeologists translate a set of hieroglyphs as "Israel," representing the first instance of the name in the historical record. Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat celebrating the signing of the Camp David Accords Aerial view of the Temple Mount showing the Dome of the Rock in the center and the al-Aqsa mosque to the south Simulated view of a black hole. Jacob Bekenstein predicted and co-discovered black hole entropy Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem Intel core i7-940. Intel developed its dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in Haifa. Categories Select [►] to view subcategories ▼ Israel ► Israel-related lists ► Buildings and structures in Israel ► Israeli culture ► Economy of Israel ► Education in Israel ► Environment of Israel ► Geography of Israel ► Government of Israel ► Health in Israel ► History of Israel ► Organizations based in Israel ► Israeli people ► Politics of Israel ► Israeli society ► Images of Israel ► Israel stubs Topics News 12 November 2019 – Gaza–Israel conflict Israel conducts airstrikes on targets in Gaza. (NPR) 11 November 2019 – Gaza–Israel conflict The Israel Defense Forces say they've killed Baha Abu al-Ata, leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine's armed wing known as the Al-Quds Brigades, in an airstrike on a building in the Gaza Strip. PIJ confirms the death of Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife, vowing to "shake the Zionist entity to its core" in response. (Haaretz) (The Jerusalem Post) 11 November 2019 – Syrian Civil War Israel Forces targets a Damascus house belonging to Islamic Jihad Official. The strike killed one of the militant's son. (Haaretz) 10 November 2019 – Israel–Jordan peace treaty Israel returns the territory of the "Island of Peace" to Jordan. (The Times of Israel) Israel category at Wikinews Featured content Featured articles Afroyim v. Rusk Balfour Declaration Joel Brand Muhammad al-Durrah incident Second Crusade Richard Williams (RAAF officer) Featured lists 1968 Summer Paralympics medal table List of Israeli football champions List of Israel State Cup winners List of Israel international footballers List of cities in Israel A-Class articles American Palestine Line Arrow (Israeli missile) Battles of the Kinarot Valley Operation Pleshet Good articles 6th Airborne Division in Palestine 69 Squadron (Israel) 1982 Iranian diplomats kidnapping Abergil crime family AIL Storm American Palestine Line Angel Bakeries Al-Aqsa Mosque Arad, Israel Armenian Quarter Arrow (Israeli missile) Ashdod Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists Auschwitz concentration camp Ayyubid dynasty BYU Jerusalem Center Ralph Bakshi Battle of Fort Lahtzanit Battle of Karameh Battle of the Chinese Farm Battle of Tawahin Battles of the Kinarot Valley Bayt Jibrin Bethlehem Biblical Hebrew Birket Israel Black Hebrew Israelites Murder of Dora Bloch Amir Blumenfeld Clal Center Comverse Technology Crusades Cyrus Cylinder Adolf Eichmann Eilat Airport EL/M-2080 Green Pine Falafel Fill the Void Norman Finkelstein First Crusade Battles of Fort Budapest Haifa Zvi Hecker Hurva Synagogue Ir Ovot Battle of Ismailia Israel at the 2010 Winter Olympics Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics Israeli cuisine Battle of Jerusalem Downtown Triangle (Jerusalem) 2008 Jerusalem bulldozer attack John of Brienne Joseph's Tomb Kashrut Kvitel Battles of Latrun (1948) Lemon Tree (film) David Levin (ice hockey) Liviu Librescu Mamilla Mall Mamilla McMahon–Hussein Correspondence Nakam Operation Mole Cricket 19 Operation Pleshet Origen Neri Oxman Mandate for Palestine Palestine (region) Peasants' revolt in Palestine Joshua Prawer Qualifying Industrial Zone Robinson's Arch Royal Stoa (Jerusalem) Russian language in Israel Battle of Samakh Samson Oskar Schindler Anton Schmid Schneller Orphanage Sde Dov Airport Schwester Selma Ida Silverman Hillel Slovak Bassem Tamimi Chaim Topol Danny Valencia Western Wall Yad Kennedy Zion Square Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Article requests : Belilios Family, HaRav Meir Shehenboim (Etz Hadar) (heb), HaRav Moshe Nehemia Cohenov, (heb), Holyland (apartment complex) (heb), Radio in Israel (heb), Theatre of Israel (heb), S. Ben-Zion (heb) Assess : Rate the Unassessed Israel-related articles and Unknown-importance Israel-related articles. Categorization : Diffuse articles from Category:Companies of Israel. Citing sources : Cellcom (Israel), El Al Flight 1862 Cleanup : Cleanup listing for this project is available. See also the list by category and the tool's wiki page. Collaborate : Participate in WikiProject Israel Palestine Collaboration. Deletion sorting : Participate in discussions at WikiProject Deletion sorting/Israel. Expand : Ayala Procaccia, Diamond industry in Israel, Edna Arbel, Levin Kipnis, Rami Kleinstein, Sephardic Haredim, Zman Tel Aviv, Nachum Heiman, Public Defence (Israel), Prisoner of Zion See also Articles needing translation from Hebrew Wikipedia. Geographical coordinates : Add geographic coordinates to Israel articles missing geocoordinate data. Infobox : Add infoboxes to Israel articles needing infoboxes. Maintain : See Israel articles needing attention. Map : See discussion at Module:Location map/data/Israel. Add maps to articles in Wikipedia requested maps in Israel. NPOV : Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries Photo : Add pictures to articles in Wikipedia requested photographs in Israel. Stubs : See Israel stubs. Update : Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People Other : (Partially) consolidate : Beit Guvrin (Bayt Jibrin, Beit Guvrin National Park, Beit Guvrin, Israel, Eleutheropolis, Maresha). Translate to Hebrew : David Bar-Hayim, Guy Bavli, Guy Oseary, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Associated Wikimedia External media News sources Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Newsline Ynet • ידיעות אחרונות – Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest newspaper, centrist מעריב – Maariv, second largest Israeli newspaper, liberal JPost – The Jerusalem Post, Israel's oldest English language newspaper, centrist Haaretz • הארץ – Haaretz, leading liberal Israeli newspaper Globes – business daily Jewish Telegraph Agency – worldwide Jewish news, centrist Israel21c – the focus beyond the conflict Israel Broadcasting Authority Kol Israel – Live Radio - News - Sports Israel National News • ערוץ 7 – Arutz Sheva (Channel 7), representing mostly right-wing, religious and settler communities אינדימדיה – Indymedia Israel, primarily left-wing Independent Media Review Analysis Yahoo News full coverage Israel Google News results for Israel • Alerts Access Middle East – Accessible, attributable news Isracast – Multimedia broadcast network The Jerusalem Report – newsmagazine, liberal Wikinews Cat:Israel Mid-East and Current events – free news you can write CAMERA – Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America Sources Portals Reference works Overviews Glossaries Indices Lists Outlines Categories Activities Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Random portal