~*~ STATE OF ISRAEL~*~

[Dor. IL]

On May 14, 1948, before the expiring of the British Mandate of Palestine on midnight of the May 15, 1948, the State of Israel was proclaimed. The surrounding Arab states supported the Palestinian Arabs in rejecting both the Partition Plan and the establishment of Israel, and the armies of six Arab nations attacked the State of Israel(!!!). Over the next 15 months Israel captured an additional 26% of the Mandate territory west of the Jordan river and annexed it to the new state. Most of the Arab population fled or were expelled during the war. The continuing conflict between Israel and the Arab world resulted in a lasting displacement that persists to this day.

The State of Israel is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state. The name "Israel" means "One Who Struggles with God," and is rooted in the Biblical passage Genesis 32:28 wherein Jacob is renamed Israel after struggling with an unnamed assailant.

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Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and the West with Egypt , and has coastlines on the Mediterranean in the west and the Gulf of Eilat in the south

The coat of arms of Israel shows a Menorah, a symbol of Judaism for almost 3000 years. The Menorah was used to light the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The Menorah depicted is according to the carving on the Arch of Titus, and is surrounded by two olive-tree branches. The olive-branches symbolize the land of Israel (Eretz Israel) but also symbolize peace.



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

Hatikvah("The Hope") is the national anthem of Israel.



The Knesset is the Parliament of Israel. It is located in Jerusalem, Israel's declared capital.

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Israel identity card:
Capital: Jerusalem
Official languages: Hebrew, Arabic
Independence: 14 May 1948
Government type: parliamentary democracy
location-Jerusalem
name-Knesset
Area: 21,671 square km
Climate: hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Population: 6,921,400
Israel's GDP:
Total-$154,174 billions(49 +/- at world)
Per capita-22,077$(32 at world)
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Currency: New Israeli sheqel - NIS - ₪
Calling code: +972
Internet TLD: .il(IL)

[ZOHAR]

more interesting facts on Israel:

There are 21 Arab countries in the Middle East and only one Jewish state: Israel, which is also the only democracy in the region. Israel is the only country in the region that permits citizens of all faiths to worship freely and openly.
Twenty percent of Israeli citizens are not Jewish.

According to the forecasts, the population will grow from the present 7 million to 9.5-10 million by 2020

160,000 philippinos live in Israel, as foreign labour, out of 250,000 foreign workers.
Israel has one of the 5 highest life expactancies, at average 80 years.
Shimon Peres is Israel's oldest MK, at age 83.

an average of 400 people commit suicide each year.

Israel has 3500 known HIV cases.

6.5 million speak Hebrew (inc. israeli arabs) 1.5 million people speak russian. 2.5 million speak arabic (inc. 1.3 million israeli arabs) 0.8-1 million speak french. 5 million speak English.

The total area of urban spaces is 2,364 square kilometers - only about 11 percent of the state's area, where about 90 percent of the population lives in 200 urban centers. 60 percent of Israel's area is mountanous desert.

5% are members of unique rural cooperative settlements - the kibbutz and the moshav
(kibbutzim, moshavim)

Density: 380 per sqm. Tel Aviv: 8000 per sqm. negev: 60 per sqm.

In the urban areas, population density will increase from average 4,500 persons per square kilometer today to 6,600, and in the rural textures from 1,300 to 3,300 by 2020

Israeli homes are small compared with most Western countries: In 1995 they contained an average of 28 square meters per person, in comparison with 35-40 square meters in Europe

In order to meet the projected demand for housing, 1.2 million housing units must be build by 2020 - an average of 50,000 per year. This translates into 150 million square meters of floor space for residential purposes.

The largest terrorist act in Israel occured even before its creation in 1948, when in 1929, 67 jews of Hebron were massacred by arabs, (the rest fled the city) out of 133 jews killed and 400 wounded around the country.

Be'er Sheva, the spearhead of Negev development, will double its area until 2020, reaching 100 square kilometers (twice the area of the city of Tel Aviv).

40 percent of homes are connected to Internet, with 2.5-3 million users.
There are 21 internet service providers. 1.1 million users have high speed connection.

Israel is a country of immigrants. Since its inception in 1948, Israel's population has grown seven-fold. Israel broke a world record unrepeated, recieving 3 times more immigrants than its population in 5 years.

Israel has 150 asylum seekers.

Israel has 8 nobel prize winners (3rd most per population)

There are estimated 10,000 women in prostitution, with illegal woman-traffic from ex soviet countries a large source of crime.

10% or 700,000 are elderly (65 and over). 57 percent are woman

70 percent keep kosher to some degree, 15 percent keep full kosher.

1 of 5 people is below the national "red line" of poverty.
40 percent are arab, 60 percent jews.

minimum wage is 725$
69 percent of Israelis said this year poverty is a bigger threat than terror to the country's security.

600,000 are religious ultra-orthodox Jews,
4 million Israelis consider themselves secular.

Israel has the largest poor-rich gap in the world, with rich employees
earning 12 times on average more than minimum wage employees.

Wealthiest Israeli is Sheri Arison, with estimated $3-3.5 billion (158 in the world) Arison's brother Miki owns Carnival Cruise lines in Miami. Second are the Ofer brothers, with $2 billion and Lev Leviev, with $2 billion.

Largest net-worth company in Israel is Teva, generic drug producer.

Israel is 13th in the world in patent requests (4th in patents per population)

Israel has the highest amount of lawyers per population in the world.

The country has 25 large hospitals, 327 hospitalization facilities and 4 doctors per 1000 people. 350 new doctors have to learn abroad each year.