Israel today
Did you know?
There are approximately [number] people living in Israel
Million.
People
- including 7.1 million Jews (73.6%)
- 2 million Arabs (21%)
- Christians
- as well as some minorities
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2022
How does politics work in Israel?
democracy
Knesset
Low blocking clause
Forming a government
New businesses
prime minister
Israel is under threat and seems to be constantly at war, both militarily and politically. No other country in the world has had to fear for its existence for decades.
Why is Israel so often a topic in the news?
The news often focuses on the long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. This includes disputes over land, the status of Jerusalem, current disagreements, and other issues. Many countries that sympathize with the Palestinian side are enemies of Israel. This is partly because the Palestinians are overwhelmingly Arab and Muslim, like millions of people in Israel's neighboring countries. Therefore, Israel is threatened from virtually all sides. Furthermore, Israel's enemies repeatedly use the United Nations to take action against the Jewish state.
No other country has been subjected to as many one-sided condemnatory UN resolutions as Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East.
Many media outlets seem to be biased against Israel, as comparatively little is heard about the many outstanding and commendable achievements Israel makes to the world. For example, Israel provides humanitarian aid in disaster areas worldwide. Furthermore, Israel is the source of many creative solutions and groundbreaking developments in agriculture, environmental protection, medicine, water technology, cybersecurity, and information technology, to name just a few.
Is there a connection between modern-day Israel and the Israel of the Bible?
Around 2,000 years ago, the Jews lived in their homeland of Israel. From there, they were expelled by the Romans in 70 and 135 AD. Most of them became a people without a homeland, scattered across the globe. Only a small number of Jewish people remained in the land of Israel. But the Jews preserved their Jewish identity throughout the centuries and maintained their longing for a return to their homeland. Only in this way was it possible for the people of that time to return to their land today, after two millennia.
The Jewish citizens of the modern State of Israel are the descendants of the Jews of the Bible. Many adhere to the ancient traditions of their forefathers, referencing the patriarchs and the Holy Scriptures of ancient Israel, and speak the Hebrew language. But the most profound connection is their longing for their homeland: for Israel and for the city of Jerusalem. For centuries, Jews have called out to one another at Passover: "Next year in Jerusalem!" This longing is what the Jews brought with them from Israel, and it is what now draws them back to Israel.
Today's Jews are the descendants of the people of Israel from biblical times. The Israel of the past has been revived as the modern state of Israel.