Israel

AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0

2.25 million (1993 est.)

most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

2.6 million (1996)

24 (in addition, there are 31 low-power repeaters) (1997)

1.5 million (1993 est.)

citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

revenues: $55 billion expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

$18.7 billion (1997)

$1.241 billion (1994); note?$1.2 billion from the US (1997)

Israel has a technologically advanced market economy 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. Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are 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 influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, one-sixth of the total population and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.

27.725 billion kWh (1996)

310 million kWh (1996)

0 kWh (1996)

28.035 billion kWh (1996)

fossil fuel: 99.88% hydro: 0.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2269 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)

$22.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals

US 32%, UK, Hong Kong, Benelux, Japan, Netherlands (1997)

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

purchasing power parity--$101.9 billion (1998 est.)

agriculture: 2% industry: 17% services: 81% (1997 est.)

purchasing power parity?$18,100 (1998 est.)

1.9% (1998 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)

$26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods

US 19%, Benelux 12%, Germany 9%, UK 8%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 6% (1997)

5.4% (1996)

food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism

5.4% (1998 est.)

2.3 million (1997)

public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)

NA%

8.7% (1998 est.)

total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km

slightly smaller than New Jersey

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

273 km

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

31 30 N, 34 45 E

there are 216 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)

1,800 sq km (1993 est.)

total: 1,006 km border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

arable land: 17% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 6% other: 66% (1993 est.)

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Middle East

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm

sandstorms may occur during spring and summer

copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Jerusalem note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv

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

conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el

IS

chief of mission: Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr. embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note--an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government

chief of mission: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco

chief of state: President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996) cabinet: Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term; election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999); note--in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two ballots--one for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally, the candidate must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this must be done within 45 days of the election; in contrast to the old system, under the new law, the prime minister's party need not be the single-largest party in the Knesset election results: Ezer WEIZMAN reelected president by the Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence); Binyamin NETANYAHU elected prime minister; percent of vote--Binyamin NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%

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

republic

14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Supreme Court, appointed for life by the president

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

unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--Labor Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet 2; note--Likud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list

Independence Day, 14 May 1948; note--Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy

18 years of age; universal

The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement between them. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.

Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note--historically there have been no separate Israeli military services

$8.7 billion (1999)

9.5% (1999)

males age 15-49: 1,474,046 females age 15-49: 1,439,569 (1999 est.)

males age 15-49: 1,206,320 females age 15-49: 1,173,818 (1999 est.)

18 years of age

males: 50,737 females: 48,546 (1999 est.)

0-14 years: 28% (male 822,192; female 783,905) 15-64 years: 62% (male 1,792,062; female 1,783,755) 65 years and over: 10% (male 244,438; female 323,408) (1999 est.)

19.83 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)

7.78 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

total population: 78.61 years male: 76.71 years female: 80.61 years (1999 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 97% female: 93% (1992 est.)

noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli

4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

5,749,760 (July 1999 est.) note: includes about 166,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 19,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,000 in the Gaza Strip, and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)

1.81% (1999 est.)

Judaism 80.1%, Islam 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

2.68 children born/woman (1999 est.)

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement--permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982

increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon

54 (1998 est.)

total: 31 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

total: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

2 (1998 est.)

total: 15,464 km paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)

total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 736,419 GRT/855,497 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, container 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km

Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

total: 610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)