337 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
337 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
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ISRAEL
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(also see separate Gaza Strip and West Bank entries)
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Note: The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war
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are not included in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David
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Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace
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initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their
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relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel
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and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp
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David Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the
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location of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this
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process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and
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Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza Strip
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entries). On 25 April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to
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Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in
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the Syria entry.
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 20,770 km2; land area: 20,330 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey
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Land boundaries: 1,006 km total; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km,
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Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307, Gaza Strip 51 km
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Coastline: 273 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation;
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Territorial sea: 6 nm
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Disputes: separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the
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1949 Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location
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of the 1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries;
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West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with status
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to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in
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southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
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Climate: temperate; hot and dry in desert areas
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Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
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mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
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Natural resources: copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand,
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sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
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Land use: arable land 17%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures
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40%; forest and woodland 6%; other 32%; includes irrigated 11%
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Environment: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited
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arable land and natural water resources pose serious constraints;
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deforestation
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Note: there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the
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Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14
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Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
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PEOPLE
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Population: 4,477,105 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991);
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includes 90,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 13,000 in the
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Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 2,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 120,000 in
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East Jerusalem (1990 est.)
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Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 79 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Israeli(s); adjective--Israeli
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Ethnic divisions: Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%
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Religion: Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%,
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Christian 2%, Druze and other 2%
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Language: Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab
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minority; English most commonly used foreign language
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Literacy: 92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1983)
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Labor force: 1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%;
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industry, mining, and manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and
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business 9.5%; transport, storage, and communications 6.8%; construction
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and public works 6.5%; personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture,
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forestry, and fishing 5.5%; electricity and water 1.0% (1983)
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Organized labor: 90% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: State of Israel
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Type: republic
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Capital: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the
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US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
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Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz);
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Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
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Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
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British administration)
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Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
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constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the
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basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
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Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate
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regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
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legal systems; in December 1985 Israel informed the UN Secretariat that
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it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 10 May 1989; Israel declared
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independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the
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holiday may occur in April or May
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, vice prime minister,
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Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (Knesset)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October
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1986)
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Political parties and leaders: Israel currently has a coalition
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government comprising eleven parties that hold 66 of the Knesset's
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120 seats;
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Members of the government--Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak
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SHAMIR;
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Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I;
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National Religious Party, Minister of Education Zevulun HAMMER;
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Agudat Yisrael, Moshe Zeev FELDMAN;
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Degel HaTorah, Avraham RAVITZ;
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Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yitzhak PERETZ;
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Ge'vlat Yisrael, Elizer MIZRAHI;
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Party for the Advancement of Zionist Ideology (PAZI), Minister of
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Finance Yitzhak MODAI;
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Tehiya Party, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy, and Infrastructure
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Yuval NE'EMAN;
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Tzomet Party, Minister of Agriculture Rafael EITAN;
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Unity for Peace and Aliyah, Efrayim GUR;
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Moledet Party, Rehavam ZE'EVI;
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Opposition parties--Labor Party, Shimon PERES;
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Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit ALONI;
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United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN;
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Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon RUBENSTEIN;
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New Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER;
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Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI;
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Arab Democratic Party, Abd Al Wahab DARAWSHAH;
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Black Panthers, Charlie BITON
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February
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1994); results--Chaim HERZOG reelected by Knesset;
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Knesset--last held 1 November 1988 (next to be held by
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November 1992);
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seats--(120 total) Labor Party 38, Likud bloc 37, SHAS 5, National
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Religious Party 5, Citizens' Rights Movement 5, Agudat Yisrael 4,
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PAZI 3, MAKI 3, Tehiya Party 3, MAPAM 3, Tzomet Party 2, Moledet Party 2,
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Degel HaTorah 2, Center Movement-Shinui 2, Progressive List for Peace 1,
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Arab Democratic Party 1; Black Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat
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Yisrael 1, Unity for Peace and Aliyah 1
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Communists: Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its
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leadership) has some 1,500 members
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Other political or pressure groups: Gush Emunim, Jewish
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nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza
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Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and
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Lebanon policies
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Member of: AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
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INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
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UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at
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3514 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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364-5500; there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston,
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Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San
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Francisco;
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US--Ambassador William A. BROWN; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street,
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Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO New York 09672); telephone 972 (3)
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654338; there is a US Consulate General in Jerusalem
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Flag: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as
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the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal
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blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Israel has a market economy with substantial government
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participation. It depends on imports for crude oil, food, grains, raw
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materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources,
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Israel has developed its agricultural and industrial sectors on an
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intensive scale over the past 20 years. Industry accounts for about 23%
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of the labor force, agriculture for 5%, and services for most of the
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balance. Diamonds, high-technology machinery, and agricultural products
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(fruits and vegetables) are the biggest export earners. The balance of
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payments has traditionally been negative, but is offset by large transfer
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payments and foreign loans. About half of Israel's $18 billion external
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government debt is owed to the US, which is its major source for economic
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and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel must continue
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to exploit high-technology niches in the international market, such as
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medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August dealt
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a blow to Israel's economy in 1990. Higher world oil prices added an
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estimated $300 million to Israel's 1990 oil import bill, and helped
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keep the inflation rate at 18% for the year. Regional tensions
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and continuing acts of the Palestinian uprising
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(intifadah)-related violence contributed to a sharp dropoff in
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tourism--a key source of foreign exchange--to the lowest level since the
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1973 Arab-Israeli war. In 1991, the influx of up to 400,000 Soviet
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immigrants will increase unemployment, intensify the country's
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housing crisis, and contribute to a widening budget deficit.
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GNP: $46.5 billion, per capita $10,500; real growth rate 3.5%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 9.8% (March 1991)
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Budget: revenues $28.7 billion; expenditures $33.0 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91)
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Exports: $10.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles
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and clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products, military
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hardware, electronics;
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partners--US, UK, FRG, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy
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Imports: $14.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
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commodities--military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals,
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machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft;
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partners--US, FRG, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg
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External debt: $24.5 billion, of which government debt is
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$18 billion (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 1.5% (1989); accounts
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for about 40% of GDP
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Electricity: 4,392,000 kW capacity; 17,500 million kWh produced,
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4,000 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing,
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textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, military equipment,
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transport equipment, electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery,
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potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
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Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP; largely self-sufficient in
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food production, except for bread grains; principal products--citrus and
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other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products--beef, dairy, and
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poultry
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $2.5 billion
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Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
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1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
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Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.35
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(May 1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946
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(1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March; changing to calender year basis
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starting January 1992
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 594 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated
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Highways: 4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced
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Pipelines: crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural
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gas, 89 km
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Ports: Ashdod, Haifa, Elat
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Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 516,714
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GRT/611,795 DWT; includes 7 cargo, 21 container, 2 refrigerated cargo;
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note--Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet,
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which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the
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Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its POL
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tankers
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Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: most highly developed in the Middle East
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though not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay;
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1,800,000 telephones; stations--11 AM, 24 FM, 54 TV; 2 submarine cables;
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satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean
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INTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Israel Defense Forces includes ground, naval, and air
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components; historically there have been no separate Israeli military
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services
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Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 2,213,808; of the 1,117,733
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males 15-49, 920,449 are fit for military service; of the 1,096,075
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females 15-49, 899,022 are fit for military service; 44,429 males and
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42,249 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable
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for military service; Nahal or Pioneer Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard,
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Chen
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Defense expenditures: $5.3 billion, 13.9% of GNP (1991);
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note--includes an estimated $1.8 billion in US military aid
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