Independence Year : 1948
Population : 6217000
Life Expectancy : 78.6
Capital : 1450
GNP : 97477.00
GNP Old : 98577.00
Local Name : Yisra’el/Isra’il
Government Form : Republic
Location : Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Terrain : Plains, mountains, desert, and coast
Climate : Temperate, except in desert areas
Ethnic Group : Jewish 5.2 million; non-Jewish 1.2 million
Religions : Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Druze
Official Website :
www.info.gov.il/LAPAM
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General Information - Israel
Background
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs.
Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, 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 (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement.
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. On 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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