Country name:
conventional long form:
State of Israel
conventional short form:
Israel
local long form:
Medinat Yisra'el
local short form:
Yisra'el
Data code:
IS
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Jerusalem
note:
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly
all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singularmehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 14 May 1948; noteIsrael declared independence on 14
May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in
April or May
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled
by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the
parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in
personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December
1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996)
cabinet:
Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset
elections:
president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term; election last held 4
March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister elected by
popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 29 May 1996 (early
elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999); notein March 1992, the Knesset
approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct
election of the prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two
ballotsone for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the
party in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage of
the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties to
achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally, the candidate must
submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this must be done
within 45 days of the election; in contrast to the old system, under the
new law, the prime minister's party need not be the single-largest party in
the Knesset
election results:
Ezer WEIZMAN reelected president by the Knesset with a total of 63 votes,
other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven
abstentions and one absence); Binyamin NETANYAHU elected prime minister;
percent of voteBinyamin NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999)
election results:
percent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyLabor Party 34, Likud Party
32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7,
Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4,
Moledet 2; noteLikud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court, appointed for life by the president
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition:
Likud Party [Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Tzomet [ Rafael EITAN];
SHAS [Arieh DERI]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVI]; Yisra'el
Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY]; United Jewish Torah [Meir PORUSH]; Third Way
[Avigdor KAHALANI]
opposition:
Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; MERETZ [Yossi SARID]; United Arab List [Abd
al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; Hadash-Balad [Hashim MAHAMID]
other:
Moledet [Rehavam ZEEVI]; Gesher [David LEVI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West
Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
International organization participation:
BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL
chancery:
3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 364-5500
FAX:
[1] (202) 364-5610
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.
embassy:
71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address:
PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830
telephone:
[972] (3) 519-7575
FAX:
[972] (3) 517-3227
consulate(s) general:
Jerusalem; notean independent US mission, established in 1928, whose
members are not accredited to a foreign government
Flag description:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen
David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands
near the top and bottom edges of the flag