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), formally known as the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medinat Yisra'el), 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 June 1967 has 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, though the United Nations Security Council rejected those actions as illegal and without international legal effect. Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world's longest military occupation in modern times. Israel's actions in the occupied territories such as the establishment of Israeli settlements have drawn international scrutiny and sustained condemnation by the United Nations and by human rights organization. Efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in a final peace agreement, while Israel has signed peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan. 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 OECD member. It has the world's 31st-largest economy by nominal GDP, and is the most developed country currently in conflict. 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 - Blumenfeld in 2010 Amir Shmuel Blumenfeld (/əˈmɪər ʃmuˈɛl ˈbluːmənfɛld/; Hebrew: אמיר שמואל בלומנפלד‎; born January 18, 1983) is an Israeli-American comedian, actor, writer, television host, and member of the American comedy duo, Jake and Amir. Born in Israel, he moved to Los Angeles when he was two, and was hired by the New York City-based CollegeHumor in 2005. As well as contributing to its books and articles, he has written and starred in original videos for the comedy website—appearing in series such as Hardly Working and Very Mary-Kate—and was a cast member on its short-lived MTV program The CollegeHumor Show. Amir first came to national prominence in 2004 when he was a semi-finalist during Yahoo's inaugural national IM Live contest, losing to the eventual champions. Now, he is best known for appearing in the web series Jake and Amir with Jake Hurwitz, in which he plays an annoying and exaggerated version of himself. Originally made by Hurwitz and Blumenfeld in their spare time, the series was then produced by CollegeHumor. Blumenfeld's acting in the series gained him a Webby Award for Best Individual Performance in 2010. Read more... List of selected articles Jerusalem Ben Gurion Airport Operation Wrath of God Tel Aviv American Palestine Line Solomon Yom Kippur War Kingdom of Judah 69 Squadron (Israel) Kibbutz Israel–Jordan peace treaty Operation Entebbe Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty Israeli disengagement from Gaza List of Israel international footballers History of ancient Israel and Judah History of Israel Culture of Israel West Bank East Jerusalem Dance in Israel Matzo Music of Israel Hebrew language Levant Arab–Israeli conflict Israelites LGBT rights in Israel Sport in Israel Israel–United States relations Old City (Jerusalem) BYU Jerusalem Center Temple Mount Land of Israel Ariel Sharon Ramat Gan Safari Six-Day War Beit She'an Green Line (Israel) Negev Israeli Jews Rishon LeZion Aliyah Dome of the Rock Women in the Israel Defense Forces Sea of Galilee West Bank Acre, Israel History of Jerusalem Status of Jerusalem List of Israeli football champions List of Israel State Cup winners Featured picture - This is a Featured picture that the Wikimedia Commons community has chosen as one of the highest quality on the site. Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur, an 1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb Ceramic tile on the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem An aerial view of Masada in the Judaean Desert, with the Dead Sea and Jordan in the distance 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 view of Jaffa, from the beachfront of Tel Aviv 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Did you know - ...that the Jaffa Road (pictured) is one of the oldest and longest streets in Jerusalem? ...that the symbol of Fatima's hands, while widespread in Middle Eastern Islamic societies, is not officially condoned by Islam? ...that religious identity in Israel for Jews differs strikingly from that recognized in the Jewish diaspora? Related portals Asia 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. Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, כַּשְׁרוּת) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jews are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher (/ˈkoʊʃər/ in English, Yiddish: כּשר‎), from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér (כָּשֵׁר), meaning "fit" (in this context: "fit for consumption"). Although the details of the laws of kashrut are numerous and complex, they rest on a few basic principles: Only certain types of mammals, birds and fish meeting specific criteria are kosher; the consumption of the flesh of any animals that do not meet these criteria, such as pork and shellfish, is forbidden Kosher mammals and birds must be slaughtered according to a process known as shechita; blood may never be consumed and must be removed from meat by a process of salting and soaking in water for the meat to be permissible for use Meat and meat derivatives may never be mixed with milk and milk derivatives: separate equipment for the storage and preparation of meat-based and dairy-based foods must be used Read more... List of Good articles Israeli cuisine Joseph's Tomb Clal Center Zion Square Black Hebrew Israelites Robinson's Arch Abergil crime family Chaim Topol Birket Israel Joshua Prawer Mamilla Schwester Selma Ir Ovot Downtown Triangle (Jerusalem) Haifa Western Wall Eilat Airport AIL Storm Al-Aqsa Mosque Angel Bakeries Operation Pleshet Arrow (Israeli missile) Selected fare or cuisine - Ancient Israelite cuisine refers to the food eaten by the ancient Israelites during a period of over a thousand years, from the beginning of the Israelite presence in the Land of Israel at the beginning of the Iron Age until the Roman period. The dietary staples were bread, wine and olive oil, but also included legumes, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and meat. Religious beliefs, which prohibited the consumption of certain foods, shaped the Israelite diet. There was considerable continuity in the main components of the diet over time, despite the introduction of new foodstuffs at various stages. The food of ancient Israel was similar to that of other ancient Mediterranean diets. Read more... List of fare/cuisine articles Challah Israeli wine Cholent Israeli salad Kreplach Israeli breakfast Jachnun Kugel Shkedei marak Jerusalem mixed grill Charoset Bamba (snack) Ktzitzot Khubeza Gefilte fish Hamantash Seven Species Matzah ball General images - The following are images from various Israel-related articles on Wikipedia. Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006 Hebrew ulpan in Dimona, 1955 The opening ceremony of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited by Arthur Balfour, 1 April 1925 Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 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. 16th-century Safed rabbi Joseph Karo, author of the Jewish law book Gal Fridman, winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal Portion of the Temple Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes 143rd Division crossing the Suez Canal in the direction of Cairo during the Yom Kippur War, 15 October 1973 David Ben-Gurion proclaiming the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 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 Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, 1918 Ecclesiastes is known for its incipit vanity of vanities; all is vanity and concepts of Vanitas Aerial view of the Temple Mount showing the Dome of the Rock in the center and the al-Aqsa mosque to the south 1949 Green Line Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, 15th-century painting by Miguel Ximénez The Bahri Mamluk dynasty 1250–1382 Intel core i7-940. Intel developed its dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in Haifa. Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv Buchenwald survivors arrive in Haifa to be arrested by the British, 15 July 1945 Tiles in the Bezalel style, 1920s The route of the exiles to Babylon Avraham Adan raising the Ink Flag marking the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) MV Netanya, one of the ships assigned to support boats in the Cherbourg Project Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv Protest in Tel Aviv on 6 August 2011 The Israeli West Bank barrier route built (red), under construction (pink) and proposed (white), 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 Nahal Brigade soldiers returning after the 2006 Lebanon War Hasmonean kingdom Ofek-7 satellite launch through Shavit vehicle Jewish Settlement Police members watching the settlement Nesher during 1936–1939 Arab revolt Patriot missiles launched to intercept an Iraqi Scud over Tel Aviv during the Gulf War City of David in Jerusalem Es Skhul cave Remains of the Roman theater in Caesarea Maritima Supply convoy on its way to besieged Jerusalem, April 1948 David dictating the Psalms. The practice of psalms is referred to as a philosophical and theological problem Jewish workers in Kerem Avraham neighbourhood of Jerusalem (c. 1850s) Shrine of the Báb, built between 1949 and 1953, is an example of the architecture in Israel A portion of the Isaiah scroll. One of the earliest known manuscripts of biblical literature Menachem Begin addressing a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv against negotiations with Germany in 1952 Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, and Yasser Arafat during the Oslo Accords signing ceremony at the White House on 13 September 1993 Hiking near Lake Kinneret Obverse of Yehud silver coin Tel Aviv Cinematheque Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat celebrating the signing of the Camp David Accords Simulated view of a black hole. Jacob Bekenstein predicted and co-discovered black hole entropy United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, 1947 Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem Yemenite Jewish bride at her henna party, 1958 Sermon on the Mount. The New Testament was authored by Christian Jews during Roman-ruled Judea 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 Israeli breakfast Israeli paratroopers dig in near the Mitla Pass, 31 October 1956 Painting of the siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade (1099) Map of the ancient Near East 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 7 August 2020 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict A 23-year-old woman is killed in clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian citizens in Jenin, West Bank. Palestinian officials claim the woman was shot by Israeli forces, but an army spokesman denied this, saying that the Palestinians opened fire and threw explosives and that Israeli troops did not open fire. (Reuters) 3 August 2020 – Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian Civil War, Israeli involvement in the Syrian Civil War Israeli Air Force helicopters strike Syrian military observation posts, intelligence collection systems, anti-aircraft batteries and command-and-control bases in Quneitra Governorate, in response to yesterday's incident along the Purple Line border fence in the Golan Heights, in which four militants were killed after attempting to plant an IED where Israeli soldiers patrol. (Reuters) 2 August 2020 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the media of instigating anti-corruption protests against him and downplaying incidents of violence by the protesters. Earlier in the day, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court ordered his son Yair to take down a Tweet doxing the leaders of the protests. (Times of Israel) (Al Jazeera) 29 July 2020 – Moroccan journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi is arrested and charged with rape and aiding foreign spies. The charges come after Amnesty International reported that the Moroccan government was using Israeli spyware to spy on dissidents like him. (Reuters) Israel category at Wikinews Featured content Featured articles Acra (fortress) Afroyim v. Rusk Princess Alice of Battenberg Balfour Declaration Joel Brand Muhammad al-Durrah incident Second Crusade Richard Williams (RAAF officer) Featured lists 1968 Summer Paralympics medal table Cartography of Jerusalem 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) 1940 Mandatory Palestine v Lebanon football match 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF/AFC–UEFA play-off) 1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats 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 Deni Avdija Ayyubid dynasty BYU Jerusalem Center Ralph Bakshi Battle of Fort Lahtzanit Battle of Karameh Battle of the Chinese Farm Battle of Jerusalem 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 Zvi Hecker Historiography of the Crusades Hurva Synagogue Ir Ovot Battle of Ismailia Israel at the 2010 Winter Olympics Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics Israeli cuisine 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 Mishmar HaEmek Nakam Never again One Million Plan 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, Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu 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. 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