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 (counting countries with at least 100–999 military 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 - The flag of the American Palestine Line The American Palestine Line was a steamship company, formed in 1924 in the U.S., for the purpose of providing direct passenger service from New York to Palestine. It was reportedly the first steamship company owned and operated by Jews. The company negotiated to purchase three ocean liners from the United States Shipping Board, but it was only able to purchase one, SS President Arthur, a former North German Lloyd steamer that operated as Princess Alice before being seized by the United States during World War I. After refurbishing the liner, the company inaugurated service between New York and Palestine in March 1925, when President Arthur sailed on her maiden voyage. A crowd of 15,000 witnessed ceremonies that included songs, prayers, and speeches in English and Yiddish. The company claimed that President Arthur was the first ocean liner to fly the Zionist flag at sea and the first ocean liner ever to have female officers. The line had labor difficulties and financial difficulties throughout its existence. On President Arthur's first trip in 1925, rumors of a mutiny were reported in The New York Times, and several crew members got into an altercation with members of the Blackshirts, the Italian fascist paramilitary group, when the liner made an intermediary stop in Naples. On her second voyage, the ship's master-at-arms was killed by a fellow crew member. Financial difficulties included unpaid bills and resultant court actions as well as accusations of fraud against company officers that were leveled in the press. In late 1925 the company was placed in the hands of a receiver; President Arthur—after a two-alarm fire in her forward cargo hold—ended up back in the hands of the United States Shipping Board (USSB), and the company's office furniture and fixtures were sold at auction in early 1926. 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. 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. 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). 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. Ceramic tile on the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem 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. 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 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. An aerial view of Masada in the Judaean Desert, with the Dead Sea and Jordan in the distance 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. 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. Did you know - ... that Ethiopian Jews protesting police brutality in Israel used a slogan from the Black Lives Matter movement? ... that in addition to founding Tmura, an anti-discrimination center that advocates for women's rights, Yifat Bitton was shortlisted for Israel's Supreme Court twice? ... that hints of female discrimination in biblical times were discovered in an ancient Persian cemetery excavated from Tel Qiri in northern Israel? 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. Zion Square during the daytime (looking towards Ben Yehuda Street) Zion Square (Hebrew: כיכר ציון‎, Kikar Tziyon) is a public square in Jerusalem, Israel, located at the intersection of Jaffa Road, Ben Yehuda Street, Herbert Samuel Street, and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street. The square is one of the vertices of the Downtown Triangle commercial district. Since the British Mandate era, Zion Square has been the focal point of the cultural life of downtown Jerusalem. The square is busy day and night with tourists, elderly immigrants, overseas students, local youth, street performers, and religious activists. In recent decades, the square has become a hangout for disaffected and homeless youth. Read more... Selected cuisine - Israeli wines Israeli wine is produced by hundreds of wineries, ranging in size from small boutique enterprises to large companies producing over ten million bottles per year. Wine has been produced in the Land of Israel since biblical times. In 2011, Israeli wine exports totaled over $26.7 million. The modern Israeli wine industry was founded by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, owner of the Bordeaux estate Château Lafite-Rothschild. Today, Israeli winemaking takes place in five vine-growing regions: Galil (Galilee, including the Golan Heights), the region most suited for viticulture due to its high elevation, cool breezes, marked day and night temperature changes and rich, well-drained soils; the Judean Hills, surrounding the city of Jerusalem; Shimshon (Samson), located between the Judean Hills and the Coastal Plain; the Negev, a semi-arid desert region, where drip irrigation has made grape growing possible; and the Sharon plain near the Mediterranean coast and just south of Haifa, surrounding the towns of Zichron Ya'akov and Binyamina, which is the largest grape growing area in Israel. Several of these terms for Israeli wine-growing regions, such as the Judean Hills, the Golan Heights and the Shimshon, actually refer to areas that are largely Israeli-occupied territories. The definition of wines produced in the latter as Israeli is a subject of legal contention abroad. Read more... General images - The following are images from various Israel-related articles on Wikipedia. Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, 15th-century painting by Miguel Ximénez Nahal Brigade soldiers returning after the 2006 Lebanon War Remains of the Roman theater in Caesarea Maritima David dictating the Psalms. The practice of psalms is referred to as a philosophical and theological problem Hebrew ulpan in Dimona, 1955 Hasmonean kingdom Map of the ancient Near East Israeli paratroopers dig in near the Mitla Pass, 31 October 1956 1949 Green Line The Israeli West Bank barrier route built (red), under construction (pink) and proposed (white), The opening ceremony of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited by Arthur Balfour, 1 April 1925 Painting of the siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade (1099) Patriot missiles launched to intercept an Iraqi Scud over Tel Aviv during the Gulf War Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, and Yasser Arafat during the Oslo Accords signing ceremony at the White House on 13 September 1993 The route of the exiles to Babylon Supply convoy on its way to besieged Jerusalem, April 1948 Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat celebrating the signing of the Camp David Accords The Bahri Mamluk dynasty 1250–1382 Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006 Menachem Begin addressing a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv against negotiations with Germany in 1952 Tiles in the Bezalel style, 1920s Portion of the Temple Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) Yemenite Jewish bride at her henna party, 1958 16th-century Safed rabbi Joseph Karo, author of the Jewish law book 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 Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv City of David in Jerusalem Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag David Ben-Gurion proclaiming the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 Jewish Settlement Police members watching the settlement Nesher during 1936–1939 Arab revolt Simulated view of a black hole. Jacob Bekenstein predicted and co-discovered black hole entropy 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. Ofek-7 satellite launch through Shavit vehicle 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 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, 1947 Intel core i7-940. Intel developed its dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in Haifa. Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, 1918 Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Sermon on the Mount. The New Testament was authored by Christian Jews during Roman-ruled Judea 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 Avraham Adan raising the Ink Flag marking the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Shrine of the Báb, built between 1949 and 1953, is an example of the architecture in Israel MV Netanya, one of the ships assigned to support boats in the Cherbourg Project Israeli breakfast 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 Aerial view of the Temple Mount showing the Dome of the Rock in the center and the al-Aqsa mosque to the south 143rd Division crossing the Suez Canal in the direction of Cairo during the Yom Kippur War, 15 October 1973 Es Skhul cave Protest in Tel Aviv on 6 August 2011 Buchenwald survivors arrive in Haifa to be arrested by the British, 15 July 1945 Obverse of Yehud silver coin Tel Aviv Cinematheque Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem Ecclesiastes is known for its incipit vanity of vanities; all is vanity and concepts of Vanitas Hiking near Lake Kinneret 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 December 2019 – 2020 Israeli legislative election The Israeli parliament votes to dissolve itself and schedules an unprecedented third election in a year for 2 March 2020. (The Jerusalem Post) 4 December 2019 – Syrian Civil War, Iran–Israel proxy conflict An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps weapons depot in Abu Kamal District, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, is hit by an airstrike. Arab media say Israel is behind the attack. The United States denies any involvement. (Ynet) (Haaretz) 28 November 2019 – Foreign relations of Bolivia, Foreign relations of Israel Bolivia and Israel reestablish diplomatic relations after Bolivia suspended ties over a decade ago as a consequence of Operation Cast Lead. The foreign minister of the Bolivian transitional government says President Evo Morales took the decision in 2009 "without thinking about the economic and commercial consequences". (The Jerusalem Post) 26 November 2019 – Foreign relations of Israel It is announced that in a United States-backed peace plan, Israeli citizens will be allowed to visit the Gulf States for "business and political purposes", starting next year. (Middle East Monitor) 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 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 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 Activities Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology Random portal