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Encyclopedia > Israeli government
Main article: Israel
 ·
History of Israel
Zionism  · Zionism timeline
Aliyah  · Immigration timeline
Herzl  · Faisal-Weizmann
Sykes-Picot  · San Remo
Balfour Declaration  · Mandate
1947 UN Partition Plan
Independence  · Holiday
Land of Israel
Geography  · Kibbutzim
Districts  · Cities  · Transport
Jerusalem  · Western Wall
Demographics  · Economy
Science/Technology · Culture
Writers  · Music  · Archaeology
Judaism  · Israeli Arabs
Laws  · Politics
Parties  · Elections  · Knesset
Prime Minister  · President
Law of Return  · Halakha
Flag  · Anthem  · Hebrew
Foreign relations  · UN
Israeli Security Forces
Defense Forces  · Sayeret
Mossad  · Shin Bet  · YAMAM
Police  · MAGAV  · MASHAZ
Nuclear  · Aircraft Industries
Military Industries  · RAFAEL
Magen David  · ZAKA
Arab-Israeli conflict
1948 War  · 1949 Armistice
1956 War  · 1967 War
1970 War  · 1973 War
1978 War  · 1982 War
Arab League  · Camp David
1979 Israel-Egypt Treaty
1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian timeline
First Intifada  · al-Aqsa Intifada
Unilateral Disengagement
The Peace Process

Politics of Israel comprises of several interwoven components: The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, transliteration: ; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ اِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: ) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Large Flag of Israel File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Israeli Coat of Arms Original digital image can be found at the site of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www. ... Main article: State of Israel. ... A bilingual poster in Romanian and Hungarian promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s. ... Timeline of Zionism in the modern era: 1861 - The Zion Society is formed in Frankfurt, Germany. ... Aliyah (עלייה) is a Hebrew term, literally meaning ascent, widely used to mean Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948, the State of Israel). ... Main article: State of Israel. ... Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (May 2, 1860–July 3, 1904) was an Austrian Jewish journalist who became the founder of modern political Zionism. ... The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement was signed on January 3, 1919, by Emir Faisal, son of the King of Hejaz and Chaim Weizmann, later President of the World Zionist Organization. ... The Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 16, 1916 was a secret understanding between the governments of Britain and France defining their respective areas of post-World War I influence and control in the Middle East. ... The San Remo conference (19-26 April 1920) of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council determined the allocation of Class A League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled Arab lands of the Middle East by the victorious powers. ... The Balfour Declaration was a letter of November 2, 1917 from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, to Lord Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation. ... The British Mandate of Palestine was a swathe of territory in the Middle East, formerly belonging to the Ottoman Empire, which the League of Nations entrusted to the United Kingdom to administer in the aftermath of World War I as a Mandate Territory. ... Map showing the UN Partition Plan. ... The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948 David Ben Gurion (First Prime Minister of Israel) publicly pronouncing the Declaration of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948. ... Flag of Israel Yom Haatzmaut (יום העצמאות yom hā-‘aṣmā’ūṯ), Israeli Independence Day, commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. ... The Land of Israel (Hebrew: Eretz Yisrael) refers to the land making up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. ... Map of Israel Map of Israel This article describes the geography of Israel. ... A kibbutz קיבוץ (Hebrew, pl. ... See related article: List of cities in Israel. ... Cities in Israel, by district Northern District Afula עפולה Akko (Acre) עכו Bet Shean בית שאן Karmiel כרמיאל Maalot-Tarshiha מעלות-תרשיחא Migdal HaEmeq מגדל העמק Nahariyya נהריה Nazareth נצרת Nazerat Illit נצרת עילית Sakhnin סחנין Shefa-Amr (Shfaram) שפרעם Tiberias טבריה Zefat (Safed) צפת Qiryat Shemona... Railways: total: 610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... Western Wall by night The Western Wall, known as the Kotel HaMaaravi (or simply Kotel)הכותל המערבי in Hebrew , also called the Wailing Wall (or Al-Buraq Wall, in a mix of English and Arabic) is a retaining wall from the time of the Second, q. ... This article discusses the demographics of Israel. ... Israel has a diversified modern economy with substantial government ownership and a rapidly developing high-tech sector. ... Israeli contributions to science and technology have been significant, even strangely out of proportion for a country of roughly six million with continuous security challenges. ... Israeli culture is inseparable from Judaism which preceded it (i. ... Israeli literature is literature of the nation of Israel. ... Modern Israeli music is heavily influenced by its constituents, which include Palestinians (see Palestinian music) and Jewish immigrants (see Jewish music) from more than 120 countries around the world have brought their own musical traditions, making Israel a global melting pot. ... The archaeology of Israel is a national passion that also attracts considerable international interest on account of the regions Biblical links. ... The great majority of citizens in the State of Israel are Jewish; the great majority of Israeli Jews practice Judaism as their religion. ... The Israeli Arabs, or 1948 Palestinians, are those Arabs who remained inside the borders of what would become Israel after 1948, when most Arabs fled the country in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (see also Nakba). They make up roughly 20% of Israels population. ... Basic Laws of Israel function as Israels uncodified constitution. The State of Israel has no formal constitution. ... Political parties in Israel lists political parties in Israel. ... Politics of Israel Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Israel ... The Knesset (כנסת, Hebrew for assembly) is the Parliament of Israel. ... The Prime Minister of Israel is the elected head of the Israeli government. ... President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel, but has a largely ceremonial, figurehead role with real power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister of Israel. ... The Law of Return is Israeli legislation that allows Jews to settle in the State of Israel and gain citizenship. ... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ... Flag ratio: 8:11 The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the nations independence. ... Hatikvah (also Hatikva, The Hope) is the national anthem of Israel. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Foreign relations of Israel deal with some of the following issues: In addition to seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought five wars since 1948, Israel has given high priority to gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role. ... Israel and the United Nations (as an organization) have had, since the states founding on 1948, very mixed relations. ... The Israel Security Forces (ISF) are several organizations collectively responsible for Israels security. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Sayeret (Hebrew סיירת, pl. ... Ha-Mossad le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim (Hebrew: המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks) is an Israeli intelligence agency, commonly referred to as Mossad. ... Shabak emblem Defender who shall not be seen The Shin Bet (in Hebrew, שבכ SHABAK an acronym of Sherut Bitahon Klali שירות ביטחון כללי), is the Internal General Security Service of Israel. ... The YAMAM ( יממ ) is the elite civilian counter terrorism unit of Israel. ... The Israeli police is a civilian force in the State of Israel. ... MAGAV (in Hebrew מגב ) is an acronym for Mishmar Ha-Gvul ( מישמר הגבול ), which in Hebrew means Frontier Guard. MAGAV is the combat branch of the Israeli Police and its composed from professional officers on payroll and field policemen redirected from the IDF (men at the age of 18... The MASHAZ המשמר האזרחי (Ha-Mishmar ha-Ezrachi) is the Israeli Civilian Guard. ... Israel is very widely believed to possess a substantial arsenal of nuclear weapons and intermediate-range ballistic missiles to deliver them. ... Israel Aircraft Industries or IAI is Israels prime aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial systems for both military and civilian usage. ... Israeli Military Industries Ltd. ... Raphael (also spelled as Rafael or Rephael, and in Hebrew: רפאל - רשות לפיתוח אמצעי לחימה ) is the Israeli authority for development of weapons and military technology. ... The Magen David Adom is Israels only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. ... ZAKA זקא - איתור חילוץ והצלה - חסד של אמת is an abbreviation for: Identifying Victims of Disaster (in Hebrew: Zihuy Korbanot Asson). ... Israel and the Arab League states The Arab-Israeli conflict is a long-running conflict in the Middle East regarding the existence of the state of Israel and its relations with Arab states and with the Palestinian population (see Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence (Hebrew: מלחמת העצמאות) by Israelis and al Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, the catastrophe) by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. ... The Suez Crisis, also known as the Suez War, Suez Campaign or Kadesh Operation was a war fought on Egyptian territory in 1956. ... The 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War or June War, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. ... Attrition warfare is a strategic concept that to win a war, ones enemy must be worn down to the point of collapse by continuous losses in personnel and materiel. ... The Yom Kippur War (in Hebrew: Milchemet Yom HaKipurim, also known as the October War, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the Ramadan War), was fought from October 6 (the day of Yom Kippur) to October 22 and 24, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Egypt and Syria. ... Operation Litani was the official name of Israels 1978 invasion of Lebanon up to the Litani river. ... The 1982 Invasion of Lebanon, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee, began June 6, 1982, when the Lebanon in response to the Abu Nidal organizations assassination attempt against Israels ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov. ... From the time it was established in March 1945, the Arab League took an active role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David. ... The Israel-Egypt peace treaty was signed in Washington on March 26, 1979 as the first of the Camp David Accords (1978). ... The Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed at the southern border crossing of Wadi Araba on October 26, 1994, and made Jordan only the second Arab country (after Egypt) to normalize relations with Israel. ... Israel and the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... This is a incomplete timeline of events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... The first Intifada was an uprising that took place from 1987 to 1991 or 1993 (see Intifada). ... The al-Aqsa Intifada is the wave of violence and political conflict that began in September 2000 between Palestinian Arabs and Israelis; it is also called the Second Intifada (see also First Intifada). ... Israels unilateral disengagement plan (also known as the disengagement plan, תוכנית ההינתקות) is a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to remove all permanent Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria (part of what is known as The West Bank to the Palestinians, the UN, and... Despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East, there has since the 1970s been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed. ...

Contents

Laws

Israel's governmental system is based on several basic laws enacted by its unicameral parliament, the Knesset. The president (chief of state, a largely ceremonial role) is elected by the Knesset for a 5-year term. Since August 2000, this post has been filled by Moshe Katsav. The prime minister (head of government) exercises executive power and is selected by the president as the party leader most able to form a government. After the president's selection, the chosen prime minister has forty-five days to form a government. In the May 1996 elections, Israelis for the first time voted for the prime minister directly, but direct election has since been repealed. The members of the cabinet must be collectively approved by the Knesset. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (from the Likud party) was first elected 17 February 2001, and re-elected 28 Jan 2003, forming a coalition government with Shinui, National Union, and the Mafdal (National Religious Party). (In addition, Yisrael Ba-Aliya dissolved itself into Likud.) All three parties later left the coalition, and the current coalition governemt is composed of the Likud, the Labour Party, and the United Torah Judaism. The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, transliteration: ; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ اِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: ) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... The Knesset (כנסת, Hebrew for assembly) is the Parliament of Israel. ... Moshe Katsav (Courtesy: Israeli Knesset) Moshe Katsav (משה קצב mosheh qaṣṣāḇ, born December 5, 1945) is the current President of Israel (since 2000). ... The Prime Minister of Israel is the elected head of the Israeli government. ... Ariel Sharon, the eleventh Prime Minister of Israel, spent many years in the Israel Defense Forces before being elected in March 2001. ... Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... Shinui (שינוי) is a Zionist, secular, liberal party in Israel. ... This article is about the Israeli political party. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ...


Knesset

The Knesset's 120 members are elected by secret ballot to 4-year terms, although the Knesset may decide to call for new elections before the end of its 4-year term. Voting is carried out using the highest averages method of party-list proportional representation, using the d'Hondt formula. General elections are closed list; that is, voters vote only for party lists and cannot affect the order of candidates within the lists. There are no separate districts; all voters vote on the same party lists. Suffrage is universal among Israeli citizens aged 18 years or older. Polling locations are open throughout Israel ; absentee ballots are limited to diplomatic staff and the merchant marine. The Polling by William Hogarth (1755); Before the secret ballot was introduced voter intimidation was commonplace The secret ballot is a process in elections where the choice of the voters is kept confidential. ... The highest averages method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems. ... Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems used in multiple-winner elections (e. ... The dHondt method is a method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. ... Closed list describes the variant of party_list proportional representation where voters can (effectively) only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the (party-supplied) order in which party candidates are elected. ... Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ...


Courts

The independent judicial system includes secular and religious courts. The secular courts consist of a three-tier system: Magistrate Courts serve as courts of first instance; above them are the District Courts which serve as appelate courts and also serve as courts of first instance for some cases; at the top of the judicial pyramid is the Supreme Court which is situated in Jerusalem. The religious authorities, which are comprised of the ministry of religion and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, only have jurdistiction in five distinct areas: Kashrut, Sabbath, burial and marital issues (especially divorce), and Jewish status of immigrants. The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognised religious leader of that countrys Jewish community. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... Shabbat, or Shabbos (Ashkenazic pronunciation) (שבת shabbāṯ, rest), is a day of rest that is observed once a week, from sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, by practitioners of Judaism, as well as by many secular Jews. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... In Judaism, a ger (Hebrew: stranger or convert) or ger tzedek (righteous convert or convert of righteousness) is a gentile who has undergone religious conversion (giur) to Judaism by fulfilling the ritual requirements for such conversion accepting the obligations of Jewish religious observance. ...


However, except for determining a person's marital status, all other marital issues may also be taken to secular Family Courts. This is known as the religious status quo, achieved by David Ben-Gurion with the religious parties at the time of the declaration of independence in 1948, which is still mostly held today, under which streets of Haredi neighborhoods are closed to traffic on Saturday, there is no public transport on that day and most businesses are closed. Restaurants who wish to advertise themselves as kosher must be certified by the Chief Rabbinate. Importation of non-kosher foods is prohibited, but there are a few local pork Farms in kibbutzim, catering for establishments selling "White Meat" (the Israeli euphemism for pork, forbidden under kashrut laws) due to its popular demand (especially after the waves of Russian immigration in the 1990s.) For the perennial British rock band, see Status Quo (band) Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present current, existing state of affairs. ... David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion (October 16, 1886—December 1, 1973; Hebrew: דוד בן גוריון) was the first Prime Minister of Israel. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... A kibbutz קיבוץ (Hebrew, pl. ... A euphemism is a word or phrase used in place of a term that originally could not be spoken aloud (see taboo) or, by extension, terms which they consider to be disagreeable or offensive. ... The Russian Federation (Russian: Росси́йская Федера́ция, transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija), or Russia (Russian: Росси́я, transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija), is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM...


The other major religions in Israel, such as Islam and Christianity are officially supervised by their own official religious establishments which have similar jurdistiction over their followers. Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ...


The ministry of education manages the secular (largest) and religious streams of various faiths in parallel, with a limited degree independence and a common core Curriculum.


Nevertheless, some breaches of the status quo have become prevalent, such as several suburbian malls remaining open during the Sabbath. Though this is contrary to the law, the Government largely turns a blind eye. Currently, there is an ongoing discussion on the relationship between Judaism and state, and these issues do not seem to be resolved any time soon.


Origins of Israeli law

Israeli law is composed of both laws enacted by the Knesset and of Ordinances which were enacted by the British Mandate rule (until 1948) and later adopted and revised by the Knesset. Israel's legal system is best described as a "mixed" one: it belongs to the western legal tradition, it is heavily influenced by the Anglo-American legal system, has some aspects which are typical to the Civil Law tradition, and has unique characterisitics which are induced from the fact that Israel is a Jewish and democratic state. The courts' right of judicial review of the Knesset's legislation comes into effect in cases of non-conformance of legislation to the Basic Laws, in problems of execution of laws and when the validity of subsidiary legislation is in question. In December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction. The United Nations Secretariat is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. ... The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. ...


In recent years, secular frustration with the status quo has strengthened parties such as Shinui, which advocate separation of religion from the state, without much success so far, however. For example, though an estimated 70% of Israelis (according to polls) support the enactment of civilian marriage (not requiring religious affilation), but its implementation has been blocked due to the power of small religious parties. (see Political conditions, below). Currently, civilian marriages officially sanctioned if performed abroad. Local marriage licenses must declare to be Jewish, Muslim, Christian or any of the other officially recognized religions. For the perennial British rock band, see Status Quo (band) Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present current, existing state of affairs. ... Shinui (שינוי) is a Zionist, secular, liberal party in Israel. ...


Israel has no formal constitution. Some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Independence (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law.


Israel is divided into six districts (mehozot, singular - mahoz): Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv. Administration of the districts is coordinated by the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the administration of the disputed territories. For the Lebanese singer, see Haifa Wahbe Haifa (Hebrew חיפה; Arabic حيفا Ḥayfā) is the third-largest city in Israel, with a population close to 300,000. ... A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession/control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power. ...


Political conditions

Golda Meir, a former Israeli Prime Minister, joked that "in Israel, there are 3 million prime ministers". Because of the Proportional representation system, there is a large number of political parties, many of whom run on very specialized platforms, often advocating the tenets of particular interest groups. The prevalent balance between the largest parties means that the smaller parties can have disproportionately strong influence to their size, due to their ability to act as tie breakers; they often use this status to block popular legislation or promote their own even contrary to the manifesto of the larger party in office. Golda Meir was the fourth Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir (pronounced gol-da meh-ir) (nee Mabovitz) (May 3, 1898 - December 8, 1978) was a founder of the State of Israel. ... Proportional Representation (PR) describes various multi-winner electoral systems which try to ensure that the proportional support gained by different groups is accurately reflected in the election result. ... A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. ...


Israeli politics is dominated by Zionist parties which traditionally fall into three camps, Labour Zionism, Revisionist Zionism and Religious Zionism (although there are several non Zionist Orthodox religious parties, as well as anti-Zionist Israeli Arab parties). A bilingual poster in Romanian and Hungarian promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s. ... Labor Zionism (or Labour Zionism) is the traditional left-wing of the Zionist ideology. ... Revisionist Zionism is a right wing tendency of the Zionist movement. ... The Religious Zionist Movement, or Religious Zionism is an ideology combining Zionism and Judaism, which offers Zionism based on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ... Orthodox Judaism is one of the three major branches of Judaism. ... Anti-Zionism is a term that has been used to describe several very different political and religious points of view, both historically and in current debates. ...


From the founding of Israel in 1948 until the election of May 1977, Israel was ruled by successive coalition governments led by the Labour Alignment (or Mapai prior to 1967). From 1967 to 1970, a national unity government included all of Israel's parties except for the two factions of the Communist Party of Israel. After the 1977 election, the Revisionist Zionist Likud bloc, then composed of Herut, the Liberals, and the smaller La'am Party, came to power forming a coalition with the National Religious Party, Agudat Israel, and others. 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... National Governments or National Unity Governments are broad coalition governments consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature and are often formed during times of war or national emergency. ... The Communist Party of Israel (known as Maki , an acronym for Miflaga Komunistit Yisraelit) was formed in 1948 by the remnant of the Communist Party of Palestine within the borders of the new state of Israel. ... Revisionist Zionism is a right wing tendency of the Zionist movement. ... Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... This article is about the Zionist movement known as Herut. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Israel-related stubs | Israeli political parties | Orthodox Judaism ...


Recent Prime Ministers and governments

Begin and Shamir

As head of Likud, Menachem Begin became Prime Minister. He remained Prime Minister through the succeeding election in June 1981, until his resignation in the summer of 1983, when he was succeeded by his Foreign Minister, Yitzhak Shamir. After losing a Knesset vote of confidence early in 1984, Shamir was forced to call for new elections, held in July of that year. Prime Minister Menachem Begin Menachem Begin (August 16, 1913 - March 9, 1992) became the 6th Prime Minister of Israel in May 1977. ... Alternative meaning: Prime Minister (band) A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the... Yitzhak Shamir (born October 15, 1915) was Prime Minister of Israel from 1983 to 1984 and again from 1986 to 1992. ... A Motion of Confidence is a motion of support proposed by a government in a parliament to give members of parliament a chance to register their confidence for a government by means of a parliamentary vote. ...


The vote was split among numerous parties and provided no clear winner leaving both Labour and Likud considerably short of a Knesset majority. Neither Labour nor Likud was able to gain enough support from the small parties to form even a narrow coalition. After several weeks of difficult negotiations, they agreed on a broadly based government of national unity. The agreement provided for the rotation of the office of prime minister and the combined office of vice prime minister and foreign minister midway through the government's 50-month term.


Peres and Shamir

During the first 25 months of unity government rule, Labour's Shimon Peres served as prime minister, while Likud's Yitzhak Shamir held the posts of vice prime minister and foreign minister. Peres and Shamir switched positions in October 1986. The November 1988 elections resulted in a similar coalition government. Likud edged Labour out by one seat but was unable to form a coalition with the religious and right-wing parties. Likud and Labour formed another national unity government in January 1989 without providing for rotation. Yitzhak Shamir became Prime Minister, and Shimon Peres became Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (born August 21, 1923), an Israeli politician, is the head of the Israeli Labour Party and served as 8th Prime Minister of Israel from 1984-1986 and 1995-1996 and Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel from 2001-2002, and became Vice Premier in a coalition under... Yitzhak Shamir (born October 15, 1915) was Prime Minister of Israel from 1983 to 1984 and again from 1986 to 1992. ...


The formation of the Labour-Likud coalition in 1984 resulted in the Mapam party leaving the Labour Alignment to join other members of the Israeli peace camp in forming the left wing Meretz party. 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mapam - United Workers Party (in Hebrew: מפם - מפלגת פועלים מאוחדת Mifleget Poalim Meuhedet) was initially a Marxist-Zionist party. ... The Israeli peace camp is a collection of political and non-political movements which desire to promote peace, mainly with the Arab neighbours of Israel (the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon) and encourage co-existence with the Arab citizens of Israel. ... Meretz (מרצ, Vitality) was an Israeli political party, considered to be on the left and secular. ...


The national unity government fell in March 1990, in a vote of no-confidence precipitated by disagreement over the government's response to U.S. Secretary of State Baker's initiative in the peace process. The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ...


Shamir

Labour Party leader Peres was unable to attract sufficient support among the religious parties to form a government. Yitzhak Shamir then formed a Likud-led coalition government including members from religious and right-wing parties.


Shamir's government took office in June 1990, and held power for 2 years.


Rabin

In the June 1992 national elections, the Labour Party reversed its electoral fortunes, taking 44 seats. Labour Party leader Yitzhak Rabin formed a coalition with Meretz (a group of three centre-left parties) and Shas (an ultra-Orthodox religious party). The coalition included the support of Arab and communist parties. Rabin became Prime Minister in July 1992. Shas subsequently left the coalition, leaving Rabin with a minority government dependent on the votes of Arab and communist parties in the Knesset. Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (יצחק רבין) (March 1, 1922–November 4, 1995) was an Israeli politician and military general. ... Meretz (מרצ, Vitality) was an Israeli political party, considered to be on the left and secular. ... Shas may also refer to the Shisha Sedarim (six orders) of the Mishnah and Talmud. ...


Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish radical on November 4, 1995. Peres, then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, once again became Prime Minister and immediately proceeded to carry forward the peace policies, as well as the economic liberalization policies, of the Rabin government and to implement Israel's Oslo commitments (including military redeployment in the West Bank and the holding of historic Palestinian elections on January 20, 1996). November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... The Oslo Accords were a series of agreements negotiated between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO, acting as representatives of the Palestinian people) in 1993 as part of a peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, officially called the Declaration of Principles. ... The West Bank is a territory in the Middle East constituting the area west of the Jordan River annexed by Jordan at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...


Peres, again

Enjoying broad public support and anxious to secure his own mandate, Peres called for early elections after just 3 months in office. (They would have otherwise been held by the end of October 1996.) In late February and early March, a series of suicide bombing attacks by Palestinian terrorists took some 60 Israeli lives, seriously eroding public support for Peres and raising concerns about the peace process. Increased fighting in southern Lebanon, which also brought Katyusha rocket attacks against northern Israel, also raised tensions and weakened the government politically just a month before the May 29 elections. This was further exacerbated by the fact that despite the sharp increase in economic growth rates (brought about by immigration and the peace process), Labour's economic liberalization policies only further increased social and economic gaps.


Netanyahu

In those elections - the first direct election of a prime minister in Israeli history - Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu won by a narrow margin, having sharply criticized the government's peace policies for failing to protect Israeli security. Netanyahu subsequently formed a predominantly right-wing coalition government publicly committed to pursuing the peace process, but with an emphasis on security first and reciprocity. His coalition included the Likud party, allied with the Tsomet and Gesher parties in a single list; three religious parties (Shas, the National Religious Party (Mafdal), and the United Torah Judaism bloc); and two centrist parties, The Third Way and Yisrael b'Aliyah. The latter is the first significant party formed expressly to represent the interests of Israel's new immigrants. The Gesher party withdrew from the coalition in January 1998 upon the resignation of its leader, David Levy, from the position of Foreign Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (Binyamin in Hebrew, and nicknamed Bibi) (Hebrew: בנימין נתניהו) (born October 21, 1949, Tel Aviv) was the 9th Prime Minister of Israel. ... Tzomet or Tsomet (Hebrew: צומת, meaning crossroads) is a secular, right-wing Israeli political party. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ... David Levy (also: David Levi) (born December 21, 1937) is an Israeli politician. ...


Barak

In May 27, 1999, Ehud Barak from the Labour party was elected Prime minister, and formed a coalition with the center party (a new party with centrist views, led by former generals Yitzhak Mordechay and Amnon Lipkin Shachak), the left-wing Meretz, Yisrael b'Aliyah, and the religious Shas and National Religious Party. The coalition was committed to continuing the peace process; however, during the two years of the government's existence, most parties left the coalition, leaving Barak with a minority government of the Labour and the center party alone. Barak was forced to call for early elections. Ehud Barak Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אהוד ברק) (born February 12th, 1942) was the 10th Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. ... Meretz (מרצ, Vitality) was an Israeli political party, considered to be on the left and secular. ... Shas may also refer to the Shisha Sedarim (six orders) of the Mishnah and Talmud. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ...


Sharon

The February 17, 2001 elections resulted in a new "national unity" coalition government, led by Ariel Sharon of Likud, and including the Labour Party. This government fell when Labour pulled out, and elections held 28 January 2003, resulted in the following party structures: Ariel Sharon, the eleventh Prime Minister of Israel, spent many years in the Israel Defense Forces before being elected in March 2001. ...


Percentages of votes per party

Party (translation in quotes, party leader in parentheses) - percent of vote by party -

  • Likud Party ("Union") (Ariel Sharon - prime minister) - 29.4% (38 seats+ 2 seats of Yisra'el Ba'Aliya).
  • Labour Party or 'Avoda-Meimad ("Labor") (Amram Mitsna) - 14.5% (19 seats)
  • Shinui ("Change") (Yosef Lapid) - 12.3% (15 seats)
  • Shas or Mifleget HaSfaradim Shomrei Torah ("Orthodox Sephardi Party") (Eliyahu Yishai) - 8.2% (11 seats)
  • HaIhud HaLeumi ("National Union") (Avigdor Lieberman) - 5.5% (7 seats)
  • Meretz ("Vigor") (Yossi Sarid) - 5.2% (6 seats)
  • Yahadut HaTora ("United Torah Judaism") (Yaakov Litsman)- 4.3% (5 seats)
  • Mafdal or Miflaga Datit Leumit ("National Religious Party") (Ephraim Eitam) - 4.2% (6 seats)
  • Hadash ("Democratic front for peace and equality") (Muhammad Baraka) - 3.0% (3 seats)
  • Am Ehad ("One Nation") (Amir Peretz) - 2.8% (3 seats)
  • Balad or Brit Leumit Demokratit - Al-Tajamu' Al-Watani Al-Demokrati ("National Democratic league") (Azmi Bishara) - 2.3% (3 seats)
  • Yisra'el Ba'Aliya ("Israel on the rise (also immigration)") (Nathan Sharansky) - 2.2% (2 seats). Now, part of the Likud.
  • Raam ("United Arab List") (Abd al-Malik Dahamshah) - 2.1% (2 seats)
Notes:
Yisra'el Ba'Aliya dissolved into Likud shortly after the elections.
Meretz became Yachad in 2004, and Yosi Beilin became its leader.
Amram Mitsna resigned from his post as leader of the labour party, and Shimon Peres became (once again) its leader.

14 parties didn't pass the qualifying threshold of 1.5%. These parties got 4.0% of votes in total. (For a complete list of political parties, see list of political parties in Israel. Information on past elections can be found at the archive.) Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... Ariel Sharon, the eleventh Prime Minister of Israel, spent many years in the Israel Defense Forces before being elected in March 2001. ... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ... Shinui (שינוי) is a Zionist, secular, liberal party in Israel. ... Yosef Tommy Lapid ( יוסף טומי לפיד ) is an Israeli politician and a minister. ... Shas may also refer to the Shisha Sedarim (six orders) of the Mishnah and Talmud. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal: ספרד, Standard Hebrew Səfárad, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄áraḏ / Səp̄āraḏ), or whose ancestors were among the Jews expelled from... This article is about the Israeli political party. ... Meretz (מרצ, Vitality) was an Israeli political party, considered to be on the left and secular. ... Yossi Sarid (born October 24, 1940) is an Israeli left wing politician. ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... Hadash (חדש) is a left wing, largely Arab, anti-Zionist popular front group in Israel made up of the Communist Party of Israel and other left-wingers. ... Balad is a city 50 miles north of Baghdad in Israel, currently led by Azmi Bishara and Ahmad Tibi. ... RAAM, is an attempt to create a global currency to eliminate world poverty, describing itself as the Global Development Currency of the Global Country of World Peace. ... The United Arab List (RAAM, Heb. ... This is an article about the Israeli political party. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (born August 21, 1923), an Israeli politician, is the head of the Israeli Labour Party and served as 8th Prime Minister of Israel from 1984-1986 and 1995-1996 and Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel from 2001-2002, and became Vice Premier in a coalition under... Political parties in Israel lists political parties in Israel. ... (Redirected from Politics of Israel/Archive) This page is intended to hold outdated information removed from Politics of Israel entry. ...


Following these elections, Sharon formed a right-wing secular government, consisting of the Likud, Shinui, the National Religious Party and the National Union. The coalition was based on resuming security to Israel through fighting against terror, and on fighting the economical depression. However, when Sharon decided on his disengagement plan, which included evacuation of Israeli settlements in the disputed territories, the National Union and National Religious Party withdrew from the coalition. Sharon's attempt to add the Haredi United Torah Judaism to the coalition drove Shinui out of the coalition, and forced Sharon to join the Labour Party to the coalition. However, since not all Likud knesset memebers support Sharon's disengagement plan, he does not currently have a constant majority in the Knesset. Sharon (שרון, Standard Hebrew Šaron, Tiberian Hebrew Šārôn) is the name of several places in the world: From an Old Testament place name meaning plain in Hebrew, referring to a fertile plain near the coast of Israel. ... Likud party logo Likud or ליכוד literally means consolidation. ... Shinui (שינוי) is a Zionist, secular, liberal party in Israel. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... This article is about the Israeli political party. ... This article is about the Israeli political party. ... The grammar in this article needs to be checked. ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ... Shinui (שינוי) is a Zionist, secular, liberal party in Israel. ...


Political pressure groups and leaders

Political right

On the political right: In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ...

  • Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and opposing evacuation of any of these settlements. (Largely defunct)
  • Yesha Council (Yesha being a Hebrew acronym for "Judea, Samaria and Gaza"), a loose formation of local office-bearers in the Disputed Territories that claims to represent the interests of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They have high influence through strong organization and highly motivated communities.
  • Almagor: association of terror victims.

Gush Emunim גוש אמונים (Hebrew: Block of the faithful) was an Israeli political movement. ... The West Bank is a territory in the Middle East constituting the area west of the Jordan River annexed by Jordan at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. ... Map of the Gaza Strip from The World Factbook. ... Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ... A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession/control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power. ... Israeli settlements are Jewish communities in areas under Israeli control as a result of the 1967 Six Day War. ... The West Bank is a territory in the Middle East constituting the area west of the Jordan River annexed by Jordan at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. ... Map of the Gaza Strip from The World Factbook. ... For the state of pronounced fear, see terror. ...

Political left

On the political left: In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition...

  • Israeli peace camp is a coalitions of parties and non-paralaimental groups which desire to promote peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One of its major groups is Peace Now (see below).
  • Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and was critical of government's Lebanon policy.
  • Geneva Initiative and The People's Voice (HaMifkad HaLeumi), two peace initiatives led by prominent Israeli and Palestinian public figures that surfaced in 2004. These initiatives are based on bilateral understandings between the two sides, and offer models for a permanent agreement.
  • Histadrut ("Union"; short for "the General Union of the Workers in Israel"), an umbrella organization for many labor unions in Israel. In the past, was identified with the different forms of the Israel labor party; nowadays, the chairman of the Histadrut is Amir Peretz, head of the socialist Am Ehad party (which eventually merged into the Labor in 2004).
  • Several left-wing organizations calling soldiers to refuse service in the West Bank and Gaza; the best known are HaOmetz LeSarev ("Courage to Refuse") and Yesh Gvul. They effect is little since they are shuned by the majority of the public and only anti-Israeli parties agree to have contacts with them.

The Israeli peace camp is a collection of political and non-political movements which desire to promote peace, mainly with the Arab neighbours of Israel (the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon) and encourage co-existence with the Arab citizens of Israel. ... Peace Now (in Hebrew, שלום עכשיו - Shalom Achshav) is an extra-parliamental political movement in Israel, with the agenda of swaying popular opinion and convincing the Israeli government of the need and possibility for achieving a just peace and an historic conciliation with the Palestinian people and neighboring Arab countries... This article is about the proposal for peace between Israel and Palestine. ... The Peoples Voice (called in Hebrew המפקד הלאומי, literally The National Census) is an Israeli-Palestinian civil initiative dedicated to advancing the process of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. ... The Histadrut (HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim BEretz Yisrael or ההסתדרות הכללית של העובדים בארץ ישראל General Federation of Laborers in the Land of Israel) is the Israeli trade union congress. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Note: The original term Refusenik was used to describe Russian Jews who had applied to leave the former Soviet Union and who either refused to leave without their family members, or more commonly, were refused exit-visas to leave for Israel. ... Note: The original term Refusenik was used to describe Russian Jews who had applied to leave the former Soviet Union and who either refused to leave without their family members, or more commonly, were refused exit-visas to leave for Israel. ...

Interest groups

  • The kibbutzim lobby, which seek to receive financial aid from the government.
  • The agriculture lobby, which seek to receive financial aid and tax relief on water.
  • The lobby for promoting the status of women, a feminist group which co-operates with the Knesset.
  • The lobby for the release of Jonathan Pollard, a Jewish spy jailed in the USA
  • Or Yarok ("Green Light"): an organization devoted to reducing road accidents in Israel through education, enforcement, improvement of infrastructure and the stablishment of a national task force to research the problem and formulate a long-range plan to reduce car accidents.

A kibbutz קיבוץ (Hebrew, pl. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... Jonathan Jay Pollard (born August 7, 1954) is a former United States Navy intelligence officer who was convicted of spying for Israel. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... The word Usa has more than one meaning: U.S.A. - The United States of America The United States Army Usa, Oita - A city in Japan The USA cable network USA Today national daily newspaper The University of Southern Alabama goes by the initials U.S.A. The patriotic cheer... The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, transliteration: ; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ اِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: ) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Others

  • Notable rabbinic figures have considerable influence on several Israeli parties and politicians, notably Shas and United Torah Judaism.
  • Neturei Karta, Radical Haredi group that rejects secular Zionism and refrains from taking part in elections. They have very tiny effect on the Israeli politics.
  • The Monitor Committee of Israeli Arabs: an Arab group, claiming to represent the interests of the Arab minority in Israel, tend to be seperatists and hence percieved as hostile by the Jewish majority and have little influence in politics.

See Semicha for article about ordination of rabbis. ... Shas may also refer to the Shisha Sedarim (six orders) of the Mishnah and Talmud. ... United Torah Judaism (In Hebrew: יהדות התורה which translates as Judaism [of the] Torah) (UTJ) is a small Haredi political party in the Israeli Knesset. ... Neturei Karta (Aramaic: Guardians of the City) is a group of Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews who not only reject all forms of Zionism (as do some other Orthodox Jewish communities), but also actively oppose the State of Israel. ... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ... A bilingual poster in Romanian and Hungarian promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s. ... Arab (disambiguation). ... The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, transliteration: ; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ اِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: ) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Political issues

Major issues in Israeli political life include:

Israel and the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... Israel and the Arab League states The Arab-Israeli conflict is a long-running conflict in the Middle East regarding the existence of the state of Israel and its relations with Arab states and with the Palestinian population (see Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... This article discusses the relationship between the various denominations of Judaism. ... The term Jewish state is sometimes used to describe the State of Israel and refers to its status as a nation-state for the Jewish people. ...

Country name


Conventional long form: State of Israel
Conventional short form: Israel
Local long form: Medinat Yisra'el (Hebrew: מדינת ישראל)
Local short form: Yisra'el (Hebrew: ישראל)


Data code

  • IS

Capital


note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. ... Tel Aviv at night Dizengof Center Allenby Street Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew תל אביב-יפו; Arabic تل ابيب-يافا Tal Abīb-Yāfā) is an Israeli city on the coast of the Mediterranean sea. ...


National holiday

Independence Day is known as Yom Ha'atzma'ut, 14 May 1948; note -Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May. Its Hebrew date is 5 Iyar. Flag of Israel Yom Haatzmaut (יום העצמאות yom hā-‘aṣmā’ūṯ), Israeli Independence Day, commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. ... This figure, in a detail of a medieval Hebrew calendar, reminded Jews of the palm branches ( Lulav) and the citron ( Etrog) to be brought to the synagogue at the end of sukkot, closing the solemn convocations of the calendar in autumn. ... Iyar (Standard Hebrew אִייָּר Iyyar, Tiberian Hebrew אִיָּר ʾIyyār: from Akkadian ayyaru Rosette; blossom) is the eighth month of the ecclesiastical year and the second month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ...


International organization participation

BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, International Maritime Organization, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO. The Palace of Europe in Strasbourg The Council of Europe is an international organisation of 46 member states in the European region. ... CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the worlds largest particle physics laboratory, situated on the border between France and Switzerland, just west of Geneva. ... The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was founded in 1991 to promote private and entrepreneurial initiatives in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). ... The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE or ECE) was established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. ... Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations programs seek to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger. ... The Inter-American Development Bank, for four decades, has supported Latin American and Caribbean economic/social development and regional integration by lending mainly to public institutions. ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means of financing states. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is an international organization that works to promote and support global trade and globalization. ... Claiming 157 million members in 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and territories, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) came into being on December 7, 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). ... The International Development Association (IDA) was created on September 24, 1960, is a UN specialized agency. ... The International Fund for Agricultural Development is an agency of the United Nations. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other meanings of the ILO abbreviation, see ILO (disambiguation). ... The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing global financial system‘s current trade account balances of member states. ... Headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation in Lambeth, adjacent to the east end of Lambeth Bridge Headquarters building taken from the west side of the Thames Headquartered in London, U.K., the International Maritime Organization (IMO) promotes cooperation among governments and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to... INMARSAT, is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979. ... Intelsat is the worlds largest commercial satellite communications services provider. ... This article is about the International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol. ... Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ... The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organisation. ... Iso (iso-) is a prefix indicating similarity or equality. ... The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an international organization established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications. ... The Organization of American States (OAS; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. Its members are the 35 independent nations of the Americas. ... The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an agency of the United Nations. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... The phrase Hague Tribunal can also be used to refer to ICTY. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), also known as the Hague Tribunal is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body, UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is an agency of the United Nations with the mission of helping countries pursue sustainable industrial development, it is a specialist in industrial affairs. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is a international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ... For other meanings of the acronym WHO, see WHO (disambiguation) WHO flag Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health. ... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and has as its core objectives the promotion of creative intellectual activity and the facilitation of the transfer of technology related to intellectual property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social... The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 187 Member States and Territories. ... The World Tourism Organization (WTO) is a UN agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. ... For other uses of the initials WTO, see WTO (disambiguation). ...


Flag description

Flag of Israel

White with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag. Large Flag of Israel File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Large Flag of Israel File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Star of David The Star of David (Magen David or Mogen David in Hebrew, Shield of David, Solomons Seal, or Seal of Solomon) is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. ...


Arab-Israeli peace diplomacy and treaties

The Paris Peace Conference was an international conference, organized by the victors of the World War I for negotiating the peace treaties between the Allied and Associated Powers and their former enemies. ... The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement was signed on January 3, 1919, by Emir Faisal, son of the King of Hejaz and Chaim Weizmann, later President of the World Zionist Organization. ... The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. ... Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David. ... The Israel-Egypt peace treaty was signed in Washington on March 26, 1979 as the first of the Camp David Accords (1978). ... The Madrid Conference of 1991 was an early attempt by the international community to start a peace process through negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians. ... The Oslo Accords were a series of agreements negotiated between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO, acting as representatives of the Palestinian people) in 1993 as part of a peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, officially called the Declaration of Principles. ... The Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed at the southern border crossing of Wadi Araba on October 26, 1994, and made Jordan only the second Arab country (after Egypt) to normalize relations with Israel. ... The Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. ... Despite the ongoing violence in the Middle East, there has since the 1970s been a parallel effort made to find terms upon which peace can be agreed. ... This page discusses the many projects that work to create a peaceful and productive co-existence between Israelis and Arabs. ... Geneva Accord October 20, 2003 Road Map for Peace April 30, 2003 The Peoples Voice July 27, 2002 Elon Peace Plan 2002 ... Much of the debate around the Arab-Israeli conflict is based on assertions about the applicability of various and diverse elements of International law. ...

See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Politics of Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (3097 words)
As the legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset enacts laws, supervises government activities, and is empowered to elect or remove the President of the State or State Comptroller from office.
Israeli politics are subject to unique circumstances and often defy simple classification in terms of the political spectrum.
The Monitor Committee of Israeli Arabs: an Arab group, claiming to represent the interests of the Israeli Arab minority in Israel, tend to be separatists and hence perceived as hostile by the Jewish majority and have little influence in politics.
Israel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (7166 words)
Israel held the Lebanese government responsible for the attack, as it was carried out from Lebanese territory, and initiated an air and naval blockade, airstrikes across much of the country, and ground incursions into southern Lebanon.
As of 2004, 224,200 Israeli citizens lived in the West Bank in numerous Israeli settlements, (including towns such as Ma'ale Adummim and Ariel, and a handful of communities that were present long before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and were re-established after the Six-Day War such as Hebron and Gush Etzion).
Israelis tend not to align themselves with a movement of Judaism (such as Reform Judaism or Conservative Judaism) but instead tend to define their religious affiliation by degree of their religious practice.
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