Israel Facts - Israel is located on the Asian continent and is about the size of the US state of Massachusetts, around 8,000 square miles (53,679 km).
In this post, we’ll explore the 12 most fascinating facts about Israel that will amaze you!
Table of Contents
1. The modern state of Israel has been a nation of the Jewish people since 1948
On May 14, 1948, the Jewish people established the state of Israel.
David Ben-Gurion, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, declared the State of Israel in Tel Aviv. In 2,000 years, this was the first Jewish state.
Israel was characterized as a "Jewish state" in its proclamation of independence. In 1947, the term "Jewish state" debuted in the United Nations Partition Plan for British Palestine.
The creation of Israel restored Jewish independence. In Palestine, the Jewish leadership agreed to the UN's two-state solution. The plan was rejected by the Arab countries.
2. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and is a holy city for three religions
Jerusalem is one of the world's oldest cities. It is the location of some of the most sacred sites in each of these religions, including:
- Temple Mount
- Western Wall
- The rock where Abraham offered his son Isaac in sacrifice to God
The Western Wall is the closest point of prayer for Jews to the Holy of Holies. The Rabbi of the Western Wall oversees its operation, which attracts millions of tourists each year.
The rock upon which Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac to God was also the rock upon which the Temple of Solomon stood.
On his Night Journey in Jerusalem, the Prophet Muhammad touched this precious rock before ascending into paradise.
3. Jerusalem has over 2,000 archaeological sites
Jerusalem covers an area of 49 square miles (126 square kilometers). Over 2,000 archaeological sites are thought to exist in Jerusalem.
Some of these sites are:
- Jerusalem Archaeological Garden
- The Broad Wall
- Robinson's Arch
- The Western Wall
- Solomon's Stables
- Tombs of the Kings
- Third Wall of Jerusalem
- Jeremiah's Grotto
- Garden Tomb
- Abbey of Saint-Etienne
- Tancred's Tower
- Tomb of Absalom
- Tomb of the Prophets
4. Israel fought the Six-Day War against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan
Israel went to war against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in 1967. It won within six days. The conflict lasted five days, from June 5 to June 10, 1967.
Israel won the conflict and took control of the following territories:
- The Golan Heights from Syria
- The West Bank and East Jerusalem of Jordon
- The Gaza Strip from Egypt
Israel's success turned the country from a survivalist to a regional powerhouse. Israel gained four times its original territory.
Israel started the conflict by carrying out a series of pre-emptive airstrikes against Egyptian airfields and other sites.
The Israeli attacks caught the adversary off guard, and they destroyed the majority of Jordanian and Syrian air forces.
The war ended on June 10, 1967, with the implementation of a United Nations-brokered truce.
The US desired a cease-fire to avoid an Arab loss that would push the Soviet Union to intervene.
The Arab countries lost the war because their soldiers were inadequately trained and directed, and their commanders were generally inept.
5. In 1994, Israel handed over much of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinians
This was a part of the Oslo Accords, which Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed.
The Oslo Accords broadened mutual recognition and delegated some governing powers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.
The transfer of authority was phased, with the exception of settlement blocs and military locations, the majority of the Strip came under Palestinian sovereignty.
Except for the borders, airspace, and territorial waterways, the Palestinians were given authority over the Gaza Strip.
The Cairo Agreement, signed in May 1994, resulted in the removal of Israeli forces from Gaza and Jericho.
The PA was established to perform civilian functions in such areas.
The Gaza Strip is a densely populated Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean Sea's eastern coast.
It is ruled by Hamas, a militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
6. Israeli banknotes have Braille markings
Yes, Israeli banknotes are marked in Braille. Each note has Braille markings on the right side. They are numerical values in Israeli money.
Braille markings are raised dots that assist the visually handicapped in determining the value of banknotes.
The markings are placed on the right side of each note.
Since at least the 1970s, all Israeli banknotes have had raised markings to make them easily discernible by the blind.
Technically, these markings are not Braille because they are not raised dot patterns in 2-by-3 cells.
The Braille markings include:
- Raised dots that represent the numerical value in Israel's currency
- Pairs of stripes on the edges of the banknotes of 200, 100, 50 and 20
7. Israel invented the Cell Phone
Motorola's research and development group created the first cell phone in Israel in 1973.
Israeli engineers created the first cell phone technology at Motorola's Israel R&D unit.
It is an American corporation that was formed in Chicago as Galvin Manufacturing Corp. in 1928.
For a decade, Motorola collaborated with the state-owned telephone company, Bezek, and Motorola companies such as Pele-Phone to maintain a market monopoly.
8. The Java technology that powers Amazon's best-selling Kindle was created in Israel
Amazon approached Sun, which was eventually acquired by Oracle, to provide a custom platform for the software to run on a new e-book reader device.
The Java platform was created by the Herzliyah team in Israel. One of the primary goals was to create a Java version that would handle the Kindle's electronic ink.
Israel is well-known for creating and manufacturing processors and chipsets for a variety of firms, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, HP, Amazon, IBM, Broadcom, ARM, STMicroelectronics, Samsung, Sony, and Qualcomm
9. WAZE, the popular traffic app, was created in Israel
Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine, three Israeli entrepreneurs, built the app. LinQmap was the company's initial name.
Waze was established in 2008. The app was first released in 2006 as FreeMap Israel.
The software was developed to give Israelis a simple digital map of the Holy Land.
It is a free-to-download and use community-driven effort. The software directs vehicles to their destinations and suggests routes with the least travel time.
Waze collaborates with the New York Police Department and other organizations throughout the world to keep citizens safe, encourage faster emergency response, and reduce traffic congestion.
10. The population of Israel is about 9.2 million, of which 73% are Jewish and 27% are non-Jewish
Israel's population is 9,214,051 as of October 15, 2023. This represents a 1.51% increase over 2022.
Israel's population accounts for 0.11% of the world's total.
The following people make up the population:
- 73.5%: Jews, or about 7.145 million people
- 21%: Arabs, or around 2.048 million people
- 5.5%: Other minorities, or 534,000 people
The Israeli population is aging. The average age in 2011 was 29.5 years, up from 27.6 in 2000. In 2021, 28% of the population was between the ages of 0 and 14, with only 12% over the age of 65.
11. The breakup of the Soviet Union added over 340,000 Jewish immigrants to Israel's population
Approximately 1.6 million Soviet Jews departed the country between 1989 and 2006.
979,000, or 61%, relocated to Israel. Another 325,000 relocated to the United States, while 219,000 relocated to Germany.
The Soviet Jewry movement was an international human rights campaign that pushed for Jewish emigration rights in the Soviet Union.
Those who were refused permission to emigrate were commonly called Refuseniks.
12. Israel enforces "The Law of Return," which grants citizenship to any Jew who migrates to Israel
In 1950, the Law of Return was passed. It allowed all Jews to travel to and reside in Israel.
The law reinforces the Zionist belief that all Jews should return to their ancestral homeland.
The Israeli citizenship policy is founded on two early pieces of legislation: the Law of Return of 1950 and the Citizenship Law of 1952.
The Law of Return has sparked debate.
Among the controversies are:
- Followers of Messianic Judaism
- Claims of discrimination in relation to Palestinian refugees
- Same-sex relationships
