Israel (State of Israel)

Israel State of Israel
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	28th best
Capital	Jerusalem
Land Area	21 640km21
Location	Asia, Mediterranean, Middle East
Population	7.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	82.56yrs (2017)3
GNI	$31 215 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	IL, ISR, 3765
Internet Domain	.il6
Currency	Shekel (ILS)7
Telephone	+9728

1. Overview
2. Israel National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Gender Equality
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. Public Health Issues
8. Politics and Freedom
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Divisions: Arabs Versus Jews
11. Links

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1. Overview

#egypt #israel #lebanon #syria

“Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. (The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted.) On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. Progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. Israel in 2005 unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS to head the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2006 Israel engaged in a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006 and a 23-day conflict with HAMAS in the Gaza Strip during December 2008 and January 2009. Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU formed a coalition in March 2009 following a February 2009 general election. Direct talks with the PA launched in September 2010 collapsed following the expiration of Israel's 10-month partial settlement construction moratorium in the West Bank.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“At the intersection of Asia, Europe and Africa, the region of Israel and the Palestinian Territories has been a meeting place of cultures, empires and religions since history began. The Holy Land, cradle of Judaism and Christianity and sacred to Muslims and Baha´is, offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the richness and variety of their own religious traditions and to discover the beliefs of other faiths.Human beings have lived in Israel and the Palestinian Territories since long before recorded history, and thanks to the painstaking work of archaeologists, you can explore and ponder what they left behind. After you´ve admired the 10,000-year-old mud-brick relics of Jericho, you might find inspiration in Jerusalem´s City of David, which dates from the time of Kings David and Solomon.

Distances are short, so you can relax on a Mediterranean beach one day, spend the next floating in the Dead Sea and the day after that scuba diving in the Red Sea.

In 2012 the Palestinian Territories were elevated to a `non-member observer state´ by the United Nations but as yet a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains only a vague hope.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Israel National and Social Development

UN HDI (2016) Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
16	UK	16
17	Japan	17
18	Korea, S.	18
19	Israel	19
20	Luxembourg	20
21	France	21
22	Belgium	22
23	Finland	23
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index Higher is better Points12
1	Iceland	84.1
2	Sweden	80.8
3	Norway	80.0
	...
25	Italy	68.7
26	Czech Rep.	68.4
27	Korea, S.	68.2
28	Israel	67.0
29	Singapore	66.9
30	Slovenia	66.9
31	Maldives	66.0
32	Costa Rica	66.0
	World Avg	54.5
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016) Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
124	Trinidad & Tobago	21.9
125	Bahamas	22.4
126	Costa Rica	22.6
127	Israel	22.9
128	Sri Lanka	23.7
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
131	Mauritius	25.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010) %14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
44	Seychelles	14.6
45	New Zealand	14.5
46	Ukraine	14.4
47	Israel	14.0
48	Swaziland	13.4
49	Lithuania	13.2
50	Romania	13.1
51	Iceland	13.0
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013) 2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
116	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.13
117	Paraguay	2.87
118	Hong Kong	1.12
119	Israel	2.91
120	Jordan	2.93
121	Honduras	3.02
122	Philippines	3.06
123	Lesotho	3.08
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010) %14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
4	Kuwait	68.8
5	Andorra	64.4
6	Jordan	45.9
7	Palestine	43.6
8	Singapore	40.7
9	Israel	40.4
10	Bahrain	39.1
11	Hong Kong	38.8
12	San Marino	37.0
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015) Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
4	Singapore	83.21
5	Switzerland	83.13
6	Spain	82.77
7	Iceland	82.72
8	Israel	82.56
9	Australia	82.54
10	France	82.36
11	Sweden	82.35
12	Canada	82.22
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
94	UAE	8.1m
95	Honduras	7.9m
96	Switzerland	7.7m
97	Israel	7.7m
98	Bulgaria	7.4m
99	Hong Kong	7.2m
100	Papua New Guinea	7.2m
101	Tajikistan	7.1m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Israel's population is predicted to rise to 9.816 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.91. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception: How Religion is Making Overpopulation Worse

4. Gender Equality

Gender Inequality (2015) Lower is better18
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
17	Portugal	0.09
18	Canada	0.10
19	France	0.10
20	Israel	0.10
21	Japan	0.12
22	Cyprus	0.12
23	Greece	0.12
24	Australia	0.12
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better Year19
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
70	Malta	1947
71	Argentina	1947
72	Korea, S.	1948
73	Israel	1948
74	Belgium	1948
75	Niger	1948
76	Suriname	1948
77	Seychelles	1948
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Israel is on the way towards ending gender inequality.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

5. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Religiosity (2009) Lower is better %20
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
23	Slovenia	47
24	Spain	49
25	Azerbaijan	50
26	Israel	51
27	Uzbekistan	51
28	Serbia	54
29	Ireland	54
30	USA	65
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007) Higher is better21
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
31	Greece	16
32	Iceland	16
33	Spain	15
34	Israel	15
35	Armenia	14
36	Lithuania	13
37	Singapore	13
38	Kazakhstan	12
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₂₂:

Christian	2%
Muslim	18.6%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.3%
Folk Religion	0.2%
Jew	75.6%
Unaffiliated	3.1%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 96.2% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (15%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 96.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 51% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Jewish 75.6%, Muslim 16.9%, Christian 2%, Druze 1.7%, other 3.8% (2008)₂₃.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012), in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Israel states:

“While there is no formal constitution, Israel's Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty protects freedom of religion or belief. The Basic Law describes the country as a "Jewish and democratic state" and references the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, which promises religious freedom and full social and political equality, regardless of religious affiliation. However, governmental and legal discrimination against non-Jews, and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism including Secular Humanistic Judaism, continued. As a "Jewish State" some laws and policies promote certain Orthodox Jewish values over those of other religious beliefs.

Each officially recognized religious community has legal authority over its members in matters of marriage, divorce, and burial, limiting the freedom of many individuals who may not otherwise subject themselves to the authority of those religious communities. Orthodox control of Jewish family law continues to create problems for non-Orthodox Jewish families; for example practicing Jews who are not Orthodox must leave the country to marry. The government does not allow civil marriages, such as secular ceremonies performed by state or municipal authorities, or marriages performed by non-Orthodox rabbis. Secular marriages, non-Orthodox marriages of Jews, or interfaith marriages must take place abroad to be recognized by the government. As a result, several hundred thousand citizens cannot marry within their own country due to either a lack of eligibility or their desire to wed outside of the rabbinic system. In 2010, a bill was passed that allows a limited right to an alternative form of civil marriage ("couplehood union" status) for Israelis who declare a non-religious status.

The religious freedom Article 173 of the country's penal code allows for one year imprisonment if "One publishes a publication that is liable to crudely offend the religious faith or sentiment of others," or if "One voices in a public place and in the hearing of another person any word or sound that is liable to crudely offend the religious faith or sentiment of others."”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₂₄

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

6. The Internet

Internet Users (2016) Higher is better25
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
46	Hong Kong	74%
47	Cayman Islands	74%
48	Macau	73%
49	Israel	73%
50	Guam	73%
51	Poland	72%
52	Brunei	72%
53	Slovenia	72%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017) Higher is better Ratio26
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.1
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
42	Latvia	2.2
43	Israel	1.8
44	Italy	1.7
45	Argentina	1.4
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013) Lower is better27
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
6	Israel	0.20
7	Colombia	0.22
8	S. Africa	0.22
9	Japan	0.22
10	Philippines	0.24
11	Czech Rep.	0.24
12	Argentina	0.27
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

7. Public Health Issues

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015) Lower is better Per 100018
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
28	Saudi Arabia	8.8
29	France	8.9
30	Croatia	9.5
31	Israel	9.7
32	Canada	9.8
33	Kuwait	9.8
34	Portugal	9.9
35	Czech Rep.	9.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010) Lower is better Per Capita28
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
47	Lebanon	2.4
48	Malawi	2.5
49	Sudan	2.7
50	Israel	2.8
51	Tajikistan	2.8
52	Kiribati	3.0
53	Papua New Guinea	3.0
54	Fiji	3.0
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015) Higher is better Avg %29
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
63	Gambia	95.4
64	Cyprus	95.3
65	Switzerland	95.3
66	Israel	95.2
67	Grenada	95.2
68	Slovenia	95.2
69	Macedonia	95.2
70	Belize	95.1
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014) Lower is better30
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
138	Philippines	1 291
139	Indonesia	1 322
140	Libya	1 333
141	Israel	1 346
142	Argentina	1 359
143	Denmark	1 378
144	Georgia	1 378
145	Cuba	1 392
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013) Lower is better Per 100k31
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
23	Bahrain	7.5
24	Albania	8
25	Mexico	8.5
26	Israel	8.5
27	Georgia	8.8
28	Seychelles	8.9
29	Cyprus	9.1
30	Uzbekistan	9.3
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

8. Politics and Freedom

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009) Higher is better Treaties32
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
139	Dominica	12
140	Central African Rep.	12
141	Bahrain	12
142	Israel	12
143	Angola	12
144	Suriname	12
145	Kuwait	12
146	Trinidad & Tobago	12
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014) Lower is better Rank33
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
49	Greece	48
50	Albania	50
51	Seychelles	51
52	Israel	52
53	Peru	53
54	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
55	Armenia	55
56	Macedonia	55
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013) Lower is better34
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
109	Qatar	3286
110	Panama	3295
111	Montenegro	3297
112	Israel	3297
113	UAE	3349
114	Nigeria	3411
115	Macedonia	3427
116	Venezuela	3444
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries

10. Divisions: Arabs Versus Jews₄₁

#israel #judaism #USA

Conflicts between Arabs and Jews in Israel and Palestine are one of the world's worst causes of violence and sectarianism, stemming from the creation of Israel after World War 2. There have been many attempts to normalize relations, but so far all have failed.

“The fact that the Arabs rejected the UN's partition plan of 60 years ago has long given ideological comfort to Israel and its supporters. Abba Eban, an Israeli foreign minister, quipped that the Palestinians 'never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity'. Israel's story is that the Arabs have missed at least four chances to have a Palestinian state. They could have said yes to partition in 1947. They could have made peace after the war of 1947-48.They had another chance after Israel routed its neighbours in 1967 ('We are just waiting for a telephone call,' said Moshoe Dayan [...]). They had yet another in 2000 when Ehud Barak, now Israel's defence minister and then its prime minister, offered the Palestinians a state at Bill Clinton's fateful summit at Camp David. [...]

This is the Israel side of the argument - that the Palestinians have rejected all chances at peace, which Israel keeps offering. The other side is that when Israel's population was 600,000 Jews of Palestine, and the Arabs of Palestine almost twice that, an offer of partition didn't seem fair. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Israel wanted all of the West Bank, and 'Israeli prime ministers such as Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir asserted a God-given right to a 'greater Israel' that included the West Bank and Gaza Strip [...].

If rejection of the other side's national claims is one of the things that make this conflict so hard to end, the other is religion. The two are tied together. Hamas is a religious movement, and its formal creed is to reject the possibility of Jewish statehood not only because of Israel's alleged sins but also because there is no place for a Jewish state in a Muslim land.”

The Economist (2009)₄₂

“Discussion of the Jerusalem issue continued in the Iraeli-Palestinian talks held in the United States under American auspices in late 2000. In his last meeting with the negotiators from both sides, on 26 December, President Clinton proposed the 'general principal' that .”

"Israel & Palestine" by Bernard Wasserstein (2003)₄₃

Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians their own state in 2000 at Camp David in a prolonged meeting with leaders of both sides (which they rejected, again), orchestrated by American president Bill Clinton₄₂. He himself also proposed that in Jerusalem 'Arab areas are Palestinian and Jewish ones are Israeli', ₄₃. It may seem wise on the surface, but, the ramifications and symbolism is dark. The president of the USA, the "leader of the free world" is recommending a solution that divides up a city into respective parts based on the religion of most of the inhabitants of each part. The best improvements in the human condition across the world have occurred when we stop dividing people up according to their beliefs. When faiths intermingle, it is hard to maintain hatred.