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Israel (Hebrew: יִשְרָאֵל, Yisra'el; Arabic: إسرائيل, Isrā'īl) officially
the State of Israel (Hebrew: 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 and Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the
southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its
relatively small area.The West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are partially
administrated by the Palestinian National Authority, are also adjacent. With
a population of about 7.2 million, the majority of whom are Jews, Israel
is the world's only Jewish state. It is also home to Arab Muslims,
Christians and Druze, as well as other religious and ethnic minority groups.
The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept
central to Judaism for over three thousand years. 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." In 1947, the United
Nations approved the partition of the Mandate of Palestine into two states,
one Jewish and one Arab. The Arab League rejected the plan, but on May
14, 1948, Israel declared its independence. The new country's victory in the
subsequent Arab-Israeli War expanded 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 until this day. Since its foundation, Israel's
boundaries and even the State's very right to exist have been subject to
dispute, although Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan,
and efforts are being made to reach a permanent accord with the
Palestinians.
Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and
universal suffrage.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; Israel ranks high among Middle Eastern
countries on the bases of human development, freedom of the press,
and economy.Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government,
and largest city, and Israel's main financial center encompasses Tel
Aviv. After Silicon Valley in California, Israel's Silicon Wadi is
considered to be the world's second most important technological cluster.
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