Israel (Geography) The natural conditions, despite the limited extent of the country, are extremely varied. To the south is the Negev Desert with a very scattered population, while the Mediterranean coast has a belt up to 40 km wide with fertile agricultural land. From here, the terrain rises to the east up to approximately 1000… Read More »
The self-proclaimed Jewish state of Israel has been seen by many countries as an independent country since the declaration of independence in 1948. Israel’s history has been shaped by quite a few conflicts. In fact, tensions between Israel and Palestine are still a daily source of disagreement. Fortunately, there is little or nothing to notice… Read More »
Subchapters: Basic data Public finances and the state budget Banking system Tax system Basic data Compared to advanced Western economies, Israel’s economy went through the coronavirus crisis very successfully – also thanks to a rapid vaccination campaign. In the first year of the pandemic, it fell by just 2.4% of GDP. The year 2021 was… Read More »
VISAS, ENTRY RULES, CUSTOMS REGULATIONS in Israel Since September 20, 2008, Russian citizens can enter Israel once or repeatedly for tourism purposes, transit and stay on Israeli territory without visas for 90 days within a period of 180 days without issuing a visa. To do this, you must have a passport valid for at least… Read More »
CAPITAL Jerusalem STATE STRUCTURE Parliamentary republic INTERNAL DIVISION It includes seven districts, the status of one of which remains controversial at the international level, 15 sub-districts and 50 natural regions. SQUARE 20,770 km² CLIMATE mediterranean climate OFFICIAL LANGUAGE Hebrew, Arabic CURRENCY Israeli new shekel POPULATION 8.7 million NATIONAL COMPOSITION 75.4% Jews, 20.6% Arabs, 4%… Read More »
Middle Ages and Modern The city remained under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire until the Muslim expansion in the 7th century, to later be conquered in 1099 by the Christian armies that promoted the Crusades, creating the Kingdom of Jerusalem. After the disaster in the Horns of Hattin (1187), Saladin took the city again that same year and, except for a short interval of… Read More »
6: The background to the war against Gaza After the election victory in 2006, Hamas controlled the Palestinian parliament. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party, was elected in 2005 and without a counter-candidate from Hamas, following the death of Yassir Arafat in 2004. Leading representatives of the international community had demanded that… Read More »
On December 27, 2008, the Israeli army attacked the Gaza Strip. 90 warplanes dropped over 100 tons of explosives over about 100 different targets. Within minutes, 225 people were killed and over 700 injured. Israel wanted to make it impossible for the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas to fire rockets into Israel. Both the rocket bearings… Read More »
6: Occupation and illegal settlements “If the Arab states go to war against us and we win over them, why should we commit ourselves?” Said David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister. During the Six Day War in 1967, Israel conquered East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the east, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula… Read More »
Hamas’ election winner exposed a sore point in Palestinian politics. It was the PLO that had entered into the Oslo Accords and recognized Israel. Hamas is not part of the PLO. How could the PLO claim to represent all Palestinians as long as what turned out to be the largest Palestinian party in elections is… Read More »
The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been going on for decades. It is currently back in one of its more contentious phases. After the recent events, many will also say that the Oslo process is over – that the positive period marked by a certain amount of trust between the parties is over. What… Read More »
Biblical Settlements (World Heritage) The history of the three settlements in the Negev desert, like the approximately 200 other places, is closely linked to the Bible. The ruins document the long history of settlement in the region, which was an important link between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Biblical Settlements: Facts Official title: Biblical Settlements – Megiddo,… Read More »
Beth Shearim Necropolis: a landmark of Jewish renewal (World Heritage) Beth Shearim, located between Haifa and Nazareth and now designated as an Israeli National Park, developed into the most important Jewish burial site outside Jerusalem after the suppression of the Bar Kochba uprising against the Romans in 135 AD. The ancient site of Beth Shearim,… Read More »
Jerusalem is the holy city of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is one of the most troubled places in the world and has been on the Red List of World Heritage since 1982. The old city of Jerusalem is divided into the Muslim, Armenian, Jewish and Christian quarters. Significant architectural monuments include the city wall… Read More »