Map of Israel | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 21,937 km²
Land: 21,497 km²
Water: 440 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,068 km
Border countries: (6) Egypt 208 km; Gaza Strip 59 km; Jordan 327 km; (20 km; are within the Dead Sea) Lebanon 81 km; Syria 83 km; West Bank 330 km

Coastline: 273 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Elevation
Highest point: Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range
Lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
Mean elevation: 508 m

Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

Land use
Agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 7.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 69.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,159 km² (2020)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 1.78 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

Geography
Note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti)
Note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); its survey is not complete and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock)
Note 3: in March 2019, there were 380 Israeli settlements,to include 213 settlements and 132 outposts in the West Bank, and 35 settlements in East Jerusalem; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, as all were evacuated in 2005 (2019)


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Population
Distribution: population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba: 9,043,387 (2023 est.) (includes populations of the Golan Heights or Golan Sub-District and also East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel after 1967)
Note: approximately 236,600 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem (2021); following the March 2019 US recognition of the Golan Heights as being part of Israel, Gheos World Guid no longer includes Israeli settler population of the Golan Heights (estimated at 23,400 in 2019) in its overall Israeli settler total
Growth rate: 1.56% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 22% (2014 est.)
Below poverty line note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day

Nationality
Noun: Israeli(s)
Adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups: Jewish 73.5% (of which Israel-born 79.7%, Europe/America/Oceania-born 14.3%, Africa-born 3.9%, Asia-born 2.1%), Arab 21.1%, other 5.4% (2022 est.)

Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic (special status under Israeli law), English (most commonly used foreign language)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.96% (male 1,200,721/female 1,146,556)
15-64 years: 61.66% (male 2,839,124/female 2,737,054)
65 years and over: 12.38% (2023 est.) (male 506,536/female 613,396)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 66.9
Youth dependency ratio: 47
Elderly dependency ratio: 19.9
Potential support ratio: 5 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 29.5 years
Female: 30.7 years

Population growth rate: 1.56% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 19.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Urbanization
Urban population: 92.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: limited arable land and restricted natural freshwater resources; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 19.47 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 65.17 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 13.02 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 27.7 years (2019 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 80.2 years
Female: 84.3 years

Total fertility rate: 2.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 8.3% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 3.63 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 3 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Asia; Israel is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 26.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 21.2% (2020 est.)
Male: 28.9% (2020 est.)
Female: 13.5% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.8%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 96.8% (2011)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 17 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 8.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 8.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9.2%


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Country name
Conventional long form: State of Israel
Conventional short form: Israel
Local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
Local short form: Yisra'el
Former: Mandatory Palestine
Etymology: named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel; according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name "Israel" ("He who struggles with God") after he wrestled an entire night with an angel of the Lord; Jacob's 12 sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who formed the Kingdom of Israel

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty
Geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October
Etymology: Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2,800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; uru-shalim likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic yry, "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace"

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Dependent areas

Independence: 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 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

Constitution
History: no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended)
Amendments: proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review; 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2020 (Basic Law: the Knesset)

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel
Dual citizenship recognized: yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship
Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization
Note: Israeli law (Law of Return, 5 July 1950) provides for the granting of citizenship to any Jew - defined as a person being born to a Jewish mother or having converted to Judaism while renouncing any other religion - who immigrates to and expresses a desire to settle in Israel on the basis of the Right of aliyah; the 1970 amendment of this act extended the right to family members including the spouse of a Jew, any child or grandchild, and the spouses of children and grandchildren

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
Head of government: Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; election last held on 2 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2,028); following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party- list proportional representation vote, with a 3.25% vote threshold to gain representation; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 1 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2,026)
Election results: percent by party - Likud 23.4%, Yesh Atid 17.8%, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Strength, and Noam) 10.8%, National Unity 9.1%, Shas 8.2%, UTJ 5.9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 4.5%, United Arab List 4.1%, Hadash-Ta'al 3.8%, Labor 3.7%, Meretz 3.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 32, Yesh Atid 24, Religious Zionism 14, National Unity 12, Shas 11, UTJ 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 6, Hadash-Ta'al 5, United Arab List 5, Labor 4; composition - men 91, women 29, percentage of women 24.2%; note - following the 1 November 2022 election, the Religious Zionism Alliance split into three parties in the Knesset: Religious Zionism 7 seats, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) 6, and Noam 1

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices; in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices
Judge selection and term of office: judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association; judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN, CICA, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael HERZOG (since 1 December 2021)
In the us chancery: 3,514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-5,500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 364-5,607
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jacob J. LEW (since 5 November 2023)
From the us embassy: 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9,378,322
From the us mailing address: 6,350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20,521-6,350
From the us telephone: [972] (2) 630-4,000
From the us FAX: [972] (2) 630-4,070
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David or Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag; the basic design resembles a traditional Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), which is white with blue stripes; the hexagram as a Jewish symbol dates back to medieval times
Note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary from a light to a dark blue

National symbols: Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand); national colors: blue, white

National anthem
Name: "Hatikvah" (The Hope)
Lyrics/music: Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
Note: adopted 2004, unofficial since 1948; used as the anthem of the Zionist movement since 1897; the 1888 arrangement by Samuel COHEN is thought to be based on the Romanian folk song "Carul cu boi" (The Ox Driven Cart)

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 9 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: high-income, technology- and industrial-based economy; highly dense, fast-growing labor force; recent debt spikes; persistent inequality and poverty; significant tariff and regulatory burdens, especially in agriculture; quantitative easing in effect

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 55.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 22.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 28.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -27.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.4% (2017 est.)
Industry: 26.5% (2017 est.)
Services: 69.5% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, potatoes, poultry, tomatoes, carrots, turnips, tangerines/mandarins, green chillies/peppers, eggs, vegetables

Industries: high-technology products (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, pharmaceuticals, construction, metal products, chemical products, plastics, cut diamonds, textiles, footwear

Industrial production growth rate: 6.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 4.186 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 8.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 8.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9.2%

Population below poverty line: 22% (2014 est.)
Note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 38.6 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.7%
Highest 10%: 31.3% (2010)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $139.374 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $154.927 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 21.9% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: data are in current year dollars
Partners: United States 27%, China 8%, India 4%, Germany 3%, Ireland 3% (2021)
Partners note: Approximately, 6% of Israel's exports went to the Gaza Strip and West Bank, but official data are not available individually for the Palestinian territories.
Commodities: diamonds, integrated circuits, refined petroleum, medical instruments, packaged medicines, measuring instruments (2021)

Imports:
Note: data are in current year dollars
Partners: United States 12%, China 11%, Germany 7.5%, Switzerland 7%, Turkey 6% (2020)
Commodities: diamonds, cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2021)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 18.993 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 59,192,500,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 6.243 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.642 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 5.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 5.089 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 5.565 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 232,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 232,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 12.7 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 294,300 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 111,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 98,860 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 10.474 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 9.442 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 820.508 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 176.017 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 61.092 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 13.653 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 29.416 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 18.023 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 113.273 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3.574 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12.5 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (est 2015) broadcasts on 3 channels, two in Hebrew and the other in Arabic; multi-channel satellite and cable TV packages provide access to foreign channels; the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts on 8 radio networks with multiple repeaters and Israel Defense Forces Radio broadcasts over multiple stations; about 15 privately owned radio stations; overall more than 100 stations and repeater stations (2019)

Internet
Country code: .il
Users total: 8.01 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 90% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,602,079 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense) (2023)
Note 1: the national police, including the border police and the immigration police, are under the authority of the Ministry of Public Security
Note 2: the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) is charged with combating terrorism and espionage in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip; it is under the authority of the Prime Minister; ISA forces operating in the West Bank fall under the IDF for operations and operational debriefing

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; Jews and Druze can be conscripted; Christians, Circassians, and Muslims may volunteer; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation is 32 months for enlisted men and about 24 months for enlisted women (varies based on military occupation); officers serve 48 months; Air Force pilots commit to 9 years of service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), age 24 (women) (2023)
Note 1: women have served in the Israeli military since its establishment in 1948; as of 2021, women made up about 35% of IDF personnel; more than 90% of military specialties, including combat specialties, were open to women and more than 3,000 women were serving in combat units; the IDF's first mixed-gender infantry unit, the Caracal Battalion, was established in 2004
Note 2: conscripts comprise about 70% of the IDF active-duty ground forces
Note 3: the IDF recruits non-Israeli Jews and non-Jews with a minimum of one Jewish grandparent, as well as converts to Judaism; each year the IDF brings in about 800-1,000 foreign recruits from around the world

Space program
Overview: has one of the most advanced space programs in the region; designs, builds, and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; designs, builds, and operates sounding (research) rockets and orbital satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs); launches satellites on domestic and foreign rockets; researches and develops a range of other space-related capabilities with a focus on lightweight and miniaturized technologies, including small satellites with high resolution RS imaging and communications capabilities; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and space industries, including those of Canada, the European Space Agency (and individual member states, such as France, Germany, and Italy), India, Japan, Mexico, and the US; has a substantial commercial space sector, including state-owned enterprises, in areas such as launchers, propulsion, satellite manufacturing, particularly micro- and nano-satellites, payloads and applications, RS, communications, and ground stations (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Palestinian Islamic Jihad; HAMAS
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 64
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 7,404,373 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 994.54 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 4X

Airports: 42 (2021)
With paved runways: 33
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 9
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 3 (2021)

Pipelines: 763 km gas, 442 km oil, 261 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 1,497 km (2021) (2019)
Standard gauge: 1,497 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 20,391 km (2021)
Paved: 20,391 km (2021) (includes 449 km of expressways)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 45 (2022)
By type: container ship 6, general cargo 2, oil tanker 4, other 33

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
Container ports teus: Ashdod (1,584,000) (2019)
Lng terminals import: Hadera


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Disputes international: Israel-Gaza Strip: Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 12,181 (Eritrea), 5,061 (Ukraine) (2019)
Stateless persons: 35 (2022)

Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center