Israel Facts

“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it…” – Deuteronomy 8:7-9a 

 

Official Name:  State of Israel (Medinat Yisrael)

 

Capital:  Jerusalem (Yerushalayim)

 

Government type:  Parliamentary Democracy

 

Head of State:  President

 

Head of Government:  Prime Minister

 

Legislative:  Knesset (Parliament), which is a unicameral house

 

Cabinet:  Selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

 

List of Political Parties:  Balad; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (HADASH); Kadima; Labor Party; Likud; National Union; The Jewish Home (HaBayit HaYehudi); SHAS; The New Movement-Meretz; United Arab List-Ta’al; United Torah Judaism; Yisrael Beiteinu

 

Administrative Divisions:  6 Districts (Mehozot) - Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

 

Judicial:  Supreme Court

 

Military Branches:  Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), Israel Air Force (IAF)

 

Key Cities:  Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa

 

Population:  Approximately 7.2 million (figures include israelis in the West Bank and Golan Heights)

 

Ethnic Groups:  Jewish (76%); Non-Jewish (24% – Mostly Arab) – The Arabic population consists of 83% Muslim (mostly Sunni), 8.5% Christian, 8.3% Druze, 0.2% other.  62% of Arab Israeli citizens would prefer to remain Israeli citizens, rather than become citizens of a future Palestinian state.  Only 41% of Israeli Arabs are willing to recognize the country’s right to exist as a “Jewish and Democratic” state; numbers are continuing to slowly drop.  53.7% believe Israel has a right to exist just as an independent country.

 

Language:  Hebrew (Official), Arabic, English

 

Religions:  Judaism, Islam, Christianity

 

Currency:  New Israeli Sheqel (NIS)

 

Literacy:  97%

 

Economy and Natural Resources:  Fisheries, Agriculture (Citrus Fruits, Wheat, Barley, Olives, Cotton, Grapes, and Peanuts), Livestock (Sheep, Goats, Cattle, Horses, and Donkeys), Minerals (Copper, Iron, Potash, Phosphates, Rock Salt, Oil, and Natural Gas), and Tourism.