In B. It became the center of the Jewish religion. One called Israel, was located in the north of what is now Galilee and the West Bank. The second kingdom, called Judah, was located in the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is considered a holy city by Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. This city is the historical hub of all three religions and faithful followers of each religion have fought over it.
Jews believe the Messiah will one day appear here, Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to heaven from here, and Christians believe this is where Jesus Christ rose from the dead. After the Nazi takeover of many countries in Europe, the Jews who were able to leave needed a new home. Many went to Israel. The State of Israel was created after Israel fought six wars with its Arab neighbors and the British left Palestine in The areas became known as the Occupied Territories.
To secure peace, Israel in ended its occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and returned the land to Egypt. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in after capturing it in —Syria still claims this territory.
A Palestinian rebellion, called an intifada, began in and took hundreds of lives before negotiations resulted in a accord that granted Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Jericho. The Israeli military withdrew from all West Bank cities by —and also left southern Lebanon in After peace talks failed another intifada started in September , and most of the West Bank was reoccupied by All rights reserved.
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Now Playing. Up Next. North America. Populations fluctuate, so it is hard to record an exact amount that holds over time. In comparison to the rest of the world, Israel ranks as the th most populated country on the planet.
The population density of Israel is approximately 1, people per square mile. Based on this value, Israel ranks as the 35th most densely populated country of the countries in the world. Where is Israel in the World? Total Area, Population, and Density of Israel With a total area of approximately 8, square miles, Israel ranks as the th largest country on the planet.
World View: Continent View:. Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring. Much of the history of the area since that time has been one of conflict between Israel on one side and Palestinians - represented by the Palestine Liberation Organisation - and Israel's Arab neighbours, on the other.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs were displaced in the fighting in , during which Israel's Arab neighbours came to the aid of the Arab Higher Committee in Palestine. Israel lost one percent of its population in the fighting, which ended in a series of uneasy armistices.
Israel has developed from an agrarian state run along collectivist lines into a hi-tech economy in the past 60 years. Its political life has nonetheless been dominated by the conflict with its Arab neighbours, including full-scale regional wars in , and , and many smaller-scale conflicts including the invasion of Egypt and the Lebanon wars of and Relations with the Palestinians have been a major factor in foreign and security policy.
The Palestinians in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem have lived under Israeli occupation since The settlements that Israel has built in the West Bank are home to nearly , people and are deemed to be illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
Israel evacuated its settlers from the Gaza Strip in and withdrew its forces, ending almost four decades of military presence inside Gaza.
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