ISRAEL. State of Israel
The State of Israel is located in the Middle East on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The territory within the borders defined by UN General Assembly Resolution 181 in 1947 is 14.1 thousand km², and together with the territory annexed during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-49, it is 20.7 thousand km². The largest cities are Jerusalem (over 680,000, of which nearly 240,000 are Arabs), Tel Aviv-Jaffa (360,000, with suburbs - over 2 million), and Haifa (270,000, with suburbs - 660,000). In 1950, contrary to the UN Resolution of 1947, the Israeli authorities declared Jerusalem the capital of the state, and in 1980, the Israeli parliament confirmed that Jerusalem, including the annexed part of the city from 1967, is the "eternal and indivisible capital of Israel." The UN Security Council recognized this decision as invalid.
Administratively, the country is divided into 6 districts. The population is 6.85 million (end of 2004), of which: Jews - 5.23 million (76%), Arabs - 1.34 million (19%), and the rest - Circassians, Druze, and representatives of other nationalities. The Jewish population has largely formed due to immigration. From 1989 to 2004, more than 1 million people immigrated to Israel from the states that emerged in the place of the USSR.
The official languages are Hebrew (ancient Hebrew) and Arabic. The religion of the majority of the population is Judaism, with Islam (20% of the population) and Christianity (about 2%) also being widespread. The currency is the new Israeli shekel = 100 agorot (4.35 shekels = 1 USD).
Israel has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. The USSR was one of the first countries to recognize Israel after its proclamation in 1948. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 1953, in 1956-57, and after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. They were restored in October 1991.
The national holiday is Independence Day (1948) - the 5th of Iyar in the Jewish calendar (in 2005, it corresponds to May 12 in the Gregorian calendar, in 2006 - May 3).
Israel is a parliamentary republic. It does not have a constitution. Its place is taken by the fundamental laws of the state and individual legislative acts. The highest legislative body is the Knesset (a unicameral parliament of 120 deputies with 4-year terms). The last elections to the Knesset took place on January 28, 2003 (the speaker of the 16th Knesset - R. Rivlin). The head of state is a president elected by the Knesset for a 7-year term, who has representative powers (since 2000 - M. Katsav). The executive power is exercised by the government, which is formed by the leader of the party that won the elections based on the parliamentary majority. The government is headed by the prime minister (since February 2001 - A. Sharon). Since no Israeli party has managed to gain an absolute parliamentary majority (61 seats in the Knesset), all cabinets have been formed on a coalition basis. The coalition government formed in January 2005 includes representatives of the "Likud," "Labor," and "Torah Judaism" parties.
Political parties: The "Likud" Party ("Consolidation") - the successor to the "Likud" bloc, created in 1973 as a result of the merger of the "Herut" party, the Liberal Party, and several small parties and movements, has 40 seats in parliament, leader - A. Sharon. The Labor Party of Israel ("Avoda") - formed in 1968 on the basis of the existing labor party MAPAI since 1930 and two other social-democratic Zionist parties, has 19 mandates in the Knesset; party leader - Sh. Peres. In the 16th Knesset, the following parties are also represented: "Shinui" ("Change") - 15 seats (leader - Y. Lapid), Shas ("Sephardic Guardians of the Torah") - 11 seats (leader - E. Yishai), the "National Unity" bloc - 7 seats (leader - A. Lieberman), the Meretz bloc - 6 seats (leader - Y. Beilin), Mafdal (National Religious Party) - 5 seats (leader - E. Eitam), "Torah Judaism" - 5 seats (leader - Y. Litzman), Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) - 4 seats (leader - M. Barakeh), "Am Echad" ("One People") - 3 seats (leader - A. Peretz), Balad (National Democratic Assembly) - 3 seats (leader - A. Bishara), United Arab List - 2 seats (leader - A. M. Dakhamshe).
The largest trade union association is "Histadrut" (General Federation of Labor in Israel), which owns banks, enterprises, insurance companies, etc.
Formation of Israel
Israel was established on May 14, 1948, based on UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, regarding the termination of the British mandate in Palestine and the creation of two independent states - Jewish and Arab - on its territory. The Arab states did not recognize this decision and began military actions against Israel. During the 1948-49 war ("War of Independence"), Israel annexed part of the territory allocated by the UN for the Arab state and the western part of Jerusalem. In 1956, Israel, along with Great Britain and France, participated in aggression against Egypt. As a result of the Arab-Israeli War in June 1967 ("Six-Day War"), the remaining part of the territory of the Arab state, all of Jerusalem, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula were captured. In October 1973, a new outbreak of the Arab-Israeli armed conflict occurred due to actions by Syria and Egypt ("Yom Kippur War"). In June 1982, Israel sent troops into Lebanon, besieged Beirut, and achieved the evacuation of the headquarters and armed formations of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from there.
In the mid-1970s, a process began to seek ways for a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 1977, for the first time in the history of Israeli-Arab relations, Egyptian President A. Sadat visited Israel. In 1978, with the participation of the USA, the Camp David Accords were signed between Israel and Egypt, and in 1979, the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty was signed. In 1982, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
In October 1991, Israel participated in the Madrid Peace Conference on the Middle East, which initiated direct bilateral Arab-Israeli negotiations co-sponsored by the USA and Russia. The coming to power of the Labor Party led by I. Rabin in 1992 stimulated the Middle Eastern peace process. In September 1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles was signed in Washington, in May 1994 - the agreement on Gaza and Jericho, and in September 1995 - the Interim Agreement between Israel and the PLO, which defined the principles of Palestinian self-governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In October 1994, a peace treaty was signed between Israel and Jordan. Some progress was made in Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations. However, after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister I. Rabin in November 1995 and the coming to power of the right-wing leader B. Netanyahu (May 1996 - May 1999), the peace process entered a crisis phase. Israel took a hard line on the main demands of the Arab sides. Bilateral negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks were not conducted. Multilateral negotiations on fundamental issues in the Middle East ceased. The implementation of the memorandum signed on October 23, 1998, by Israelis and Palestinians in Wye Plantation (USA), which regulated, in particular, the phased redeployment of Israeli troops, was suspended by Israel, accusing the Palestinians of failing to fulfill agreements, primarily in the area of security.
The peace process received a new impetus following the victory in the Israeli elections in May 1999 of Labor Party leader E. Barak. In September 1999, E. Barak and Y. Arafat agreed to continue implementing the interim agreements and resume final negotiations. By March 2000, the second stage of the redeployment of the Israeli army in the West Bank was completed. Nevertheless, the process of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli issue continued to face significant difficulties, and E. Barak decided to shift focus to Syria. In December 1999 - January 2000, two rounds of negotiations took place in Shepherdstown (USA) between E. Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister F. Sharaa. However, in March 2000, the negotiations were interrupted when the parties could not agree on the line for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Golan Heights.
In June 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from Southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426. This step, although welcomed by the international community, did not stabilize the situation in the region. In July 2000, at Camp David (USA), the administration of B. Clinton attempted to bring the parties to a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian track during negotiations involving Barak and Arafat; however, disagreements on key issues of final status predetermined the failure of this summit. A crisis emerged in the Israeli government. On December 9, 2000, E. Barak announced his resignation. Since September 2000, the region has been engulfed in a wave of Israeli-Palestinian confrontation: in response to terrorist attacks by Palestinian extremists, Israelis resorted to harsh actions, leading to numerous casualties among the civilian population and material damage on both sides.
The new Prime Minister of Israel, A. Sharon, focused on issues of ensuring the country's security and tightened approaches to resolving issues with the Palestinians. He refused to negotiate with Y. Arafat and linked the possibility of resuming dialogue with Syria to "its refusal to support terrorists." In May 2003, A. Sharon agreed to act based on the "roadmap" for resolution developed in late 2002 by the "Quartet" of international mediators consisting of Russia, the USA, the EU, and the UN, but conditioned this on a series of reservations, including a demand for Palestinians to end terrorism. In April 2004, A. Sharon proposed a unilateral disengagement initiative from the Palestinians.
According to this plan, by mid-September 2005, Israel completed its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.
After the death of Y. Arafat in November 2004 and the election of M. Abbas as the new head of the Palestinian National Authority (January 2005), the Israeli Prime Minister resumed contacts with the Palestinians and confirmed readiness to follow the "roadmap" on the condition that the Palestinian side fulfills its obligations to curb terrorism. At a meeting between Sharon and Abbas in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) on February 8, 2005, an agreement was reached on a ceasefire and a series of measures to stabilize the situation in the region.
Development of Israel
One of the key elements of Israel's foreign policy is the "strategic alliance" with the USA, enshrined in a number of agreements and memoranda. These documents provide for extensive cooperation and close military collaboration, including maneuvers and the implementation of joint projects. Annually, Israel receives approximately $3 billion in American aid, most of which goes to military needs. Israel's traditional partners are European countries; it has agreements for associated membership with the EU and participates in European research programs. Cooperation between Israel and Turkey, India, and China is developing dynamically. Among the Arab-Muslim countries, full diplomatic relations have been established with Egypt (1979), Jordan (1994), and Mauritania (1999).
Relations between Russia and Israel are characterized by positive dynamics with an emphasis on expanding political dialogue and trade-economic ties, cooperation in the field of modern industrial developments, and the development of humanitarian and cultural contacts.
The trade turnover between Russia and Israel amounted to $1.2 billion in 2004 (31% higher than in 2003).
Israel's line in the UN (a member of the UN since 1949) is aimed at removing the block of Middle Eastern resolutions criticizing its policy towards the Palestinians from the agenda.
Israel is a developed industrial-agricultural country. Its GDP in 2004 was $110 billion, with an annual income per capita of $17,200. It has raw material resources such as phosphates (extraction of 2.1-2.7 million tons per year), mineral salts from the Dead Sea, and small reserves of oil and natural gas.
Israel occupies leading positions in the world in advanced technologies, production of computer programs, communication systems, agro-industry, and diamond processing. The metalworking, machine engineering (including aircraft and shipbuilding, including military), electrical engineering, chemical industries, and agriculture are also well developed. The Israeli economy is characterized by a high share of the military industry and a significant dependence on external sources of financing, primarily from the USA and the EU.
From 2001 to 2003, the Israeli economy experienced a severe crisis related to armed confrontation with the Palestinians, as well as unfavorable conditions in the global high-tech market. Since the end of 2003, thanks to the economic recovery program, there has been a revival in the economic sector. In terms of growth rates, Israel ranked second among Western countries after the USA (4.4%).
Inflation did not exceed 1.3%. Foreign investments in 2004 amounted to $6 billion, while Israeli capital investments abroad were $8.5 billion.
Israel has a developed social security and healthcare system. The standard of living (consumption per capita) increased by 3.5% in 2004, following a decline in the previous two years. The average salary is $1,539. Child mortality is among the lowest in the world (5.4 per 1,000 live births). The average life expectancy is 80.9 years for women and 76.7 years for men. Unemployment remains a serious problem (10.5% in 2004).
The volume of exports in 2004 amounted to $33.7 billion, while imports were $40.5 billion. 96% of the export value consists of industrial products and diamonds. Israel ranks 5th in the world in arms exports (revenue - $2.8 billion per year). Imports consist of unprocessed diamonds, petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, equipment, and consumer goods. The main trading partners are the USA and Western European countries.
Israel has a developed system of higher education. The largest universities are in Jerusalem (Hebrew University), Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Be'er Sheva.
Main newspapers: "Haaretz" (published in Hebrew and English with a circulation of 75-95 thousand copies), "Yedioth Ahronoth" (in Hebrew and English with a circulation of 750 thousand copies), "Maariv" (in Hebrew with a circulation of 150-170 thousand), "Jerusalem Post" (in English with a circulation of 25-90 thousand). There are several state and commercial television and radio channels, and cable and satellite television networks are widely represented. Among Russian-language media, the newspapers "Vesti" and "Novosti nedeli," Channel Nine, and the REKA radio station stand out. Israel ranks 7th in the world in terms of the level of Internet service availability.