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Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza ...
Netanyahu criticizes ICC, vows to press on in Rafah
CBS News Videos7 hours agoHundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled for safety to Gaza's southern city of Rafah are again being displaced as Israel vows to expand its military offensive there. CBS News' Imitaz Tyab breaks down the latest moves in the Israel-Hamas war.
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- 4:34Netanyahu criticizes ICC, vows to press on in RafahCBS News VideosHundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled for safety to Gaza's southern city of Rafah are again being displaced as Israel vows to expand its military offensive there. CBS News' Imitaz Tyab breaks down the latest moves in the Israel-Hamas war.7 hours ago
- 0:36ICC's arrest requests 'wrong-headed' -BlinkenReuters VideosSTORY: :: Blinken blasts ICC move seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders :: Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State "The extremely wrong-headed decision by the ICC prosecutor yesterday. The shameful equivalence implied between Hamas and the leadership of Israel, I think that only complicates the prospects of getting such an agreement. We'll continue to forge ahead to do that. But that decision, as you said, on so many levels is totally wrong-headed. And we'll be happy to work with Congress, with this committee on an appropriate response." :: Washington :: May 21, 2024 Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Blinken said the Biden administration would be happy to work with Congress to formulate an appropriate response to the ICC's request to issue arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. "We'll be happy to work with Congress, with this committee, on an appropriate response" to the ICC move, Blinken said on Tuesday. He did not say what a response to the ICC move might include. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he had reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's defense chief and three Hamas leaders "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity." Washington roundly criticized Khan's announcement, arguing the court does not have jurisdiction over the Gaza conflict and raising concerns over process. The United States is not a member of the court, but has supported past prosecutions, including the ICC's decision last year to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.10 hours ago
- 1:35Eye Opener: Judge clears court in Donald Trump's hush money trialCBS News VideosA stunning day in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial: The judge clears the court over the behavior of a witness. Also, International Criminal Court prosecutors seek arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel, alleging war crimes. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener.15 hours ago
- 0:31ICC announcement 'deeply unhelpful' says UK's SunakReuters VideosSTORY: :: The UK's Prime Minister says the ICC prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders is 'unhelpful' :: May 21, 2024 :: Vienna, Austria Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister "Well, this is a deeply unhelpful development. Of course, it's still subject to a final decision, but it remains deeply unhelpful nonetheless. There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas. And it's wrong to conflate and, as I said, equivocate between those two different entities. And what I'm very clear (on) is that this will make absolutely no difference in getting a pause in the fighting, getting aid into the region, or indeed the hostages out." The ICC's prosecutor said on Monday (May 20) he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. A panel of pre-trial judges will determine whether the evidence supports the arrest warrants. But the court has no means to enforce such warrants, and its investigation into the Gaza war has been opposed by the United States and Israel. Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of war crimes, and representatives for both sides criticized Khan's decision.17 hours ago
- 2:22Biden defends Israel after ICC warrants requestReuters VideosSTORY: U.S. President Joe Biden strongly defended Israel on Monday after the International Criminal Court's prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. Biden was speaking at an event for Jewish American Heritage Month at the White House. “Let me be clear, we reject the ICC's application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. Whatever these warrants may imply, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas, and it's clear Israel wants to do all we can to ensure civilian protection. Let me be clear. Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what's happening is not genocide." ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. He said evidence his office collected showed Israel had systematically deprived civilians of "objects indispensable to human survival", including food, water, medicine and energy. Netanyahu on Monday called the charges ‘absurd’. “I reject with disgust the comparison of the prosecutor in the Hague between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas. This is a complete distortion of reality.” The Hamas leaders are accused of bearing responsibility for crimes committed by the militant group, including extermination and murder, the taking of hostages, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence. Many Gazans were also angry over news of the warrants: "We are against this decision because they have equated the victim with the executioner. We have a right to our homeland. How can it be that those who resist and call for the liberation of their homeland become criminal? And the criminal become the protector?!" The ICC is the world's first permanent international war crimes court. It steps in only when a state is unwilling or genuinely unable to do so itself. Israel has said alleged war crimes in Gaza are being investigated domestically. It and key ally the United States are not members of the ICC, along with China and Russia.22 hours ago
- 0:47Biden denies 'genocide' happening in GazaReuters VideosSTORY: :: Biden says Israeli forces are not committing genocide in their campaign against Hamas :: “Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what's happening is not genocide. We reject that and we'll always stand with Israel and the threats against its security." :: May 20, 2024 :: Washington, D.C. :: The US President spoke at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House :: "We stand with Israel to take out Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas. We want Hamas defeated. We'll work with Israel to make that happen and consistent with Jewish values and compassion, kindness and dignity and human life. My team also is providing critical humanitarian assistance to help innocent Palestinian civilians who are suffering greatly because of the war Hamas has unleashed." In remarks at the White House event, Biden stressed his belief that Israel was the victim dating back to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages. He said U.S. support for the safety and security of Israelis is "ironclad." Negotiations have stalled between Israel and Hamas in trying to gain the freedom of sick, elderly and wounded hostages still held by the militants, but Biden vowed not to give up trying to gain their release.24 hours ago
- 1:07UN 'running out of words' to describe Gaza: officialReuters VideosSTORY: :: A UN official says they're 'running out of words' to describe Gaza's situation :: Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs "We are running out of words to describe what is happening in Gaza. We have described it as a catastrophe, a nightmare, as hell on earth. It is all of these and worse." :: May 20, 2024 :: Meanwhile the Palestinian envoy insists the killing of civilians must stop :: Riyad Mansour, Palestinian UN envoy "Gaza will haunt the conscience of the world long after this genocide stops. And stop it must and it must now." :: Israel's envoy condemns ICC arrest warrants for top leaders that include Israel's Netanyahu :: Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the UN "This morning, in an act of outrageous absurdity and moral bankruptcy, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he will seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and Hamas leaders. This is despicable. An unforgettable day on which an immoral equivalence is being made between a terror organization and the leaders of a vibrant democracy. This is a dark day for the international community and a dark day for international institutions." Food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza are piling up in Egypt because the Rafah crossing remains closed and there has been no aid delivered to a U.N. warehouse from a U.S.-built pier for two days, U.N. officials warned on Monday. Israel is retaliating against Hamas in Gaza - an enclave of 2.3 million people - over a brutal Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militants. Aid access into southern Gaza has been disrupted since Israel stepped up military operations in Rafah, a move that the U.N. says has forced 900,000 people to flee.1 day ago
- 2:08Biden rebukes ICC for seeking arrest warrant for Israeli leadersCBS News VideosThe International Criminal Court's lead prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders, including for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both Israel and Hamas have separately denounced the charges, while President Biden was highly critical of the decision to include Israeli officials. CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab has details.1 day ago
- 2:32Biden rebukes ICC request for Netanyahu arrest warrantCBS News VideosPresident Biden sharply criticized the request for a war crimes arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with the leaders of Hamas. The president called the move by the International Criminal Court "outrageous," saying there's no equivalence between Israel and the militant group. Imtiaz Tyab has details.1 day ago
- 1:06Netanyahu condemns ICC war crimes prosecutor for seeking his arrest over Israel's actions in GazaAssociated Press VideosIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the move by ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan to seek his arrest as an “outrageous decision” and "an attempt to deny Israel the basic right of self-defense." In his statement, Netanyahu also vowed to press ahead with Israel’s war against Hamas militants.1 day ago
- 1:03ICC may seek more Israeli arrest warrants -analystReuters VideosSTORY: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. "It may later decide it wants to issue arrest warrants against other people, more people, we don't know. If the judges agree those arrest warrants should be issued, then those people should be handed over," said Nice, referring to the signatories to the ICC. Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of committing war crimes, and representatives of both sides criticized Khan's decision.1 day ago
- 2:59ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli, Hamas leadersReuters VideosSTORY: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement on Monday that he had reasonable grounds to believe that all "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Hamas leaders' arrest warrants were for the group's chief Yahya Sinwar; Mohammed Al-Masri, the commander-in-chief of its military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, head of its Political Bureau. "Those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my office takes action based on solid evidence. That day has come. Today, we underline in the clearest possible fashion that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to everyone. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader - no one - can act with impunity." Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said accepting the ICC prosecutors' decision, quote, "would harm the ability of any country to defend its citizens and will constitute a crime of historic proportion." Gallant and Netanyahu have overseen Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group's deadly October 7 raid on Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the rampage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, at least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry. And aid agencies have also warned of widespread hunger, a risk of famine, and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies. Israeli and Palestinian leaders have both previously dismissed allegations of committing war crimes. Khan said evidence collected by his office showed Israel had systematically deprived civilians of "objects indispensable to human survival," including restricting food, water, medicine and energy. Netanyahu and Gallant bore responsibility, he said, for Israel wilfully causing great suffering and for killing as a war crime. The Hamas leaders face allegations of bearing responsibility for crimes committed by the militant group, including extermination and murder, the taking of hostages, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence. It will now be up to a panel of pre-trial judges to determine whether the evidence from the ICC prosecutors' office supports the issuing of arrest warrants. The ICC's 124 member states are obliged to immediately arrest the wanted person if they are on a member state's territory. However, it has no means to enforce arrest warrants - and its investigation into the Gaza war has been opposed by the United States and Israel, neither of whom are members of the ICC.1 day ago
- 1:58ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including NetanyahuAssociated Press VideosKarim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders — Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.1 day ago
- 1:49ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders for alleged war crimesCBS News VideosThe International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC's chief prosecutor says the leaders are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Israel. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is facing pressure to come up with a post-war plan for Gaza. CBS News foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has more.2 days ago
- 2:17ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli PM, Hamas leadersReuters VideosSTORY: :: The Hague, the Netherlands :: May 20, 2024 Karim Khan, ICC prosecutor "I can also confirm today that I have reasonable grounds to believe, on the basis of evidence collected and examined by my office, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the following international crimes committed on the territory of the state of Palestine from at least the 8th of October 2023. The crimes include starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, wilfully causing great suffering, serious injury to body or health, or cruel treatment, wilful killing or murder and intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population; as well as crimes against humanity of extermination and/or murder, persecution and allegation of crimes committing other inhumane acts." "I have reasonable grounds to believe the three senior leaders of Hamas - Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab (Al-Masri) and Ismail Haniyeh - bear criminal responsibility for the following international crimes committed on the territory of Israel and the state of Palestine from at least the 7th of October 2023: extermination as a crime against humanity, murder as a crime against humanity and as a war crime, the taking of hostages as a war crime, rape and other acts of sexual violence during captivity as crimes against humanity and as war crimes, torture during captivity as a crime against humanity and as a war crime, other inhumane acts during captivity as a crime against humanity, cruel treatment during captivity as a warcrime, and outrageous upon personal dignity during captivity as a war crime." Prosecutor Karim Khan's office said it suspected all five - Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Al-Masri and Ismail Haniyeh - bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel or the Gaza Strip. Israel has denied committing war crimes in the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. The ICC's decision "equates the victim with the executioner," a senior Hamas official told Reuters. It will be up to the court's pre-trial judges to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue warrants.2 days ago
- 1:43Biden calls Israel-Hamas war 'heartbreaking', says Gaza is in a 'humanitarian crisis'Yahoo News VideoSpeaking at the commencement at Morehouse College on Sunday, President Biden said, "What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking." Biden also called the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian crisis."2 days ago
- 0:50Drone shows Israelis marching to protest NetanyahuReuters VideosSTORY: :: Drone footage shows Israelis marching to Jerusalem to protest against Netanyahu's government :: March 20, 2024 :: Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, Israel Israeli police said they had detained several protesters on suspicion of attempting to block the road. They were taken for questioning. Protesters are set to join others outside Israel's parliament, the Knesset, as the summer session begins later on Monday. Anger has mounted in Israel against Netanyahu's government, with weekly demonstrations calling for a deal to bring hostages back, and for Netanyahu's resignation over criticism of his handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza.2 days ago
- 2:15Iran's president Raisi killed in helicopter crashReuters VideosSTORY: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The charred wreckage of the aircraft was found early on Monday after an overnight search. Raisi's death was confirmed by Iran's vice president on X, and on state television. A senior Iranian official told Reuters "President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash." Rescue teams fought blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach the crash site in East Azerbaijan province in the early hours of Monday. Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate a joint dam project. There has been no official word yet on the cause of the crash. State TV halted regular programming on Sunday to show prayers for Raisi being held across the country. The 63-year-old was elected president in 2021. Since taking office Raisi had ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers. Iran's dual political system is split between the clerical establishment and the government, and it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies. But for years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his 85-year-old mentor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has strongly endorsed Raisi's main policies. “I mean, I think a lot of people might celebrate or might be happy, but also a lot of people, I think naturally would be very worried as to, you know, the potential political instability and what it could have.” A contest to replace Raisi may already be in the works, according to Arash Azizi, an Iran political analyst at the Center for Middle East and Global Order. “We all expected a ferocious struggle for power to begin after Khamenei dies. It might have already begun with this incident.” The crash comes as Iran faces pressure over its nuclear programme, its military ties to Russia, and its connections to Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza. Countries including China expressed concern over Raisi, while the White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.2 days ago
- 1:08Father speaks at funeral held in Israel for Shani Louk, German-Israeli hostage killed by HamasAssociated Press VideosHundreds of mourners attended the funeral on Sunday of a German-Israeli hostage who was killed by Hamas, according to the Israeli military. (AP Video shot by Alon Bernstein)2 days ago
- 2:14Israel launches strikes across Gaza, US envoy in regionReuters VideosSTORY: Residents said Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Over two dozen Palestinians were killed in the enclave, most of them in a strike on a house in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health officials and Hamas. Abu Khaled Moenes lives near the house that was hit. “...the house was flattened to earth and the entire square around it, where we are, has been destroyed. We have martyrs, the entire house with everyone inside (has been killed). No one survived except a young boy aged eight or nine months." The strikes came as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid U.S. calls for a more focused military campaign. Washington worries for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. And has cited a need not just to evacuate them but also to ensure adequate alternative accommodation. Israel has been pushing into the city that it says is the last bastion of Hamas forces. For many, it was one of their few remaining places of refuge. Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Rafah resident Majid Omran said his family had fled, and returned to what was left of their home in the southern city of Khan Younis. "Across the Gaza strip there is no safety," he said. "We took our children, grandchildren and daughters and we came and lived above the rubble of our home. Because there is no place to take refuge here.” Israeli forces also pushed deeper into the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza overnight and into Sunday. The Israeli military has said its operations in Jabalia - the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps - are precise and meant to stop Hamas from reestablishing its grip there. According to Israeli tallies, the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel that sparked the war killed 1,200 people. More than 35,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since then, according to the enclave's health ministry. Aid agencies have warned of widespread hunger in Gaza, and shortages of fuel and medical supplies.2 days ago
- 1:38Open: This is "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 19, 2024CBS News VideosThis week on "Face the Nation," Margaret Brennan speaks to former Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the war between Israel and Hamas, campus protests in the U.S. and the ongoing congressional debate on providing aid to Ukraine. Plus, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joins.2 days ago
- 1:00Smoke billows over Gaza as efforts to deliver desperately needed aid appear to falterAssociated Press VideosSmoke was seen rising over the Gaza Strip early on Sunday as the war between Israel and Hamas continued.3 days ago
- 0:31Protesters and Israeli police clash in Tel AvivReuters VideosSTORY: :: Israeli police scuffle with anti-government protesters blocking a highway in Tel Aviv :: May 18, 2024 Protesters had been calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and trigger new elections, as well as for an immediate ceasefire in order to release the hostages held in Gaza since October 7. In the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 1,200 people died in Israel and 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. About 125 people are still being held in Gaza.3 days ago
- 2:25Israel says it recovered bodies of 3 hostagesABC News VideosAll of them, Israel says, were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.4 days ago
- 0:19Israeli army video claims to show aid arriving in Gaza via pierReuters VideosSTORY: :: The Israeli army releases a video it says shows aid arriving in Gaza via a U.S.-built pier :: Israeli Army Handout :: Released May 18, 2024 :: Gaza :: The pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved to Gaza on Thursday Reuters verified the location of the footage based off the terrain layout and buildings which match satellite imagery of the area. This delivery takes place as Israel comes under growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave, where it is at war with Palestinian militants Hamas and a famine looms. The temporary floating pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved into place on Thursday on the shore of Gaza, which lacks port infrastructure of its own. No U.S. troops went ashore, the Pentagon's Central Command said. The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza accused Washington of "trying to improve its ugly image" with the pier. In line with comments by the U.N., humanitarian groups and Washington itself, Hamas said the U.S. pier wasn't enough to meet the humanitarian needs and demanded greater aid shipments to the enclave by land.4 days ago
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Israel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition.
Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.
The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century ce. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations.
Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.
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Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates.
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The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs.
In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa.
The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Eilat.
The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that f...
The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 millio...
1 day ago · Get the latest news and updates on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world from The Times of Israel. Read about the ongoing conflict with Hamas, the International Criminal Court, the Iran nuclear deal and more.
May 15, 2024 · Learn about Israel's location, climate, natural resources, population, and conflicts from the CIA's comprehensive online reference. Find out how Israel became a regional powerhouse and what challenges it faces in the Middle East.
Israel, officially State of Israel, Country, Middle East, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Area (excludes the West Bank and Gaza Strip): 8,522 sq mi (22,072 sq km). Population (2024 est.) 9,177,000 (excludes Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip ). Capital (proclaimed): Jerusalem (the city’s status as capital has not received ...
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza ...
Oct 13, 2023 · 13 October 2023. A country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is the only state in the world with a majority Jewish population. It has been locked in conflict with the...