israel

Israel
israel sebagai negara teroristis

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This is related to a current event: 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic Israel topics. For other uses, see Israel (disambiguation).

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מְדִינַת יִשְרָאֵל‎‎
Medīnat Yisrā'el دولة إسرائيل‎
Dawlat Isrā'īl
State of Israel
Flag of Israel Emblem of Israel
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Hatikvah
The Hope
Location of Israel
Capital
(and largest city) Jerusalem[1]
[show location on an interactive map] 31°47′N 35°13′E / 31.783, 35.217
Official languages Hebrew, Arabic[2]
Ethnic groups 76% Jewish, 19% Arab, 5% minority groups
Demonym Israeli
Government Parliamentary democracy[2]
- President Shimon Peres
- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
- Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik
- Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch
Independence from British Mandate of Palestine
- Declaration May 14, 1948 (05 Iyar 5708)
Area
- Total 1 20,770 / 22,072 km2 (151st)
8,019 / 8,522 sq mi
- Water (%) ~2%
Population
- 2008 estimate 7,282,0002[3] (96th)
- 1995 census 5,548,523
- Density 324/km2 (34th)
839/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $188.936 billion[4] (52nd)
- Per capita $27,146[4] (32nd)
GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate
- Total $164.103 billion[4]
- Per capita $23,578[4]
Gini (2005) 38.6[2]
HDI (2007) ▬ 0.932 (high) (23rd)
Currency Israeli new sheqel (₪‎) (ILS)
Time zone IST (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST) (UTC+3)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .il
Calling code 972
1 Excluding / Including the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem; see below.
2 Includes all permanent residents in proper Israel, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. Also includes Israeli population in the West Bank.

Israel (Hebrew: יִשְרָאֵל‎, Yisra'el; Arabic: إسرائيل‎, Isrā'īl) officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: He-Medinat Israel.ogg מְדִינַת יִשְרָאֵל‎ (help·info), Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل‎, Dawlat Isrā'īl), is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.[5] The West Bank and Gaza Strip are also adjacent. With a population of about 7.28 million,[3] the majority of whom are Jews, Israel is the world's only Jewish state.[6] It is also home to other ethnic groups, including most numerously Arab citizens of Israel, as well as many religious groups including Muslims, Christians, Druze, Samaritans and others.

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), a concept central to Judaism since ancient times,[7] and the heartland of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to which modern Jews are usually attributed. After World War I, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine with the intent of creating a "national home for the Jewish people."[8] In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.[9] On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel declared independence and this was followed by a war with the surrounding Arab states, which refused to accept the plan. The Israelis were subsequently victorious in a series of wars confirming their independence and expanding the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence that continue to this day.[10] Since its foundation, Israel's boundaries and the State's right to exist have been subject to dispute, especially among its Arab neighbors and their many Palestinian refugees. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, though efforts for a long-lasting peace with the Palestinians have so far been unsuccessful.

Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage.[11][12] The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. In terms of nominal gross domestic product, the nation's economy is estimated as being the 44th-largest in the world.[13] Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the bases of human development,[14] freedom of the press,[15] and economic competitiveness.[16] Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government, and largest city, while Israel's main financial center is Tel Aviv.[1]