Israel

Israel is a country in West Asia on the Mediterranean Sea, a unitary parliamentary republic that declared independence on 14 May 1948, when the British Mandate ended. Jerusalem is its declared capital and seat of government, a status with limited international recognition, while Tel Aviv is the largest urban area and economic centre.

Within the Green Line it covers 20,770 square kilometres, and 22,072 square kilometres under Israeli law, which includes East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Its population was estimated at 10,147,200 in 2026. About 73.7 per cent of people are Jewish and 18.3 per cent Muslim, by a 2023 estimate. Hebrew is the official language, and Arabic has special status.

Isaac Herzog is President, a largely ceremonial post, and Benjamin Netanyahu is Prime Minister. The parliament, the Knesset, has 120 seats elected by proportional representation with a 3.25 per cent threshold. The currency is the new shekel. Israel’s Human Development Index is 0.919, and its nominal GDP is the 25th largest in the world.

Sources: Wikipedia, Israel.