World Factbook
Israel
Medinat Yisra'el
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Star of David or Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag history: the design resembles a traditional Jewish prayer shawl ( tallit ), which is white with blue stripes; the hexagram as a Jewish symbol dates back to medieval times
note: the Israeli flag proclamation states that the flag colors are sky blue and white, but the exact shade of blue has never been set and can vary
Capital
name
Jerusalem
note
note: the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty
etymology
the meaning of the ancient name is unclear; the city is called Ursalim or Urusalimmi in Egyptian texts from the 14th century B.C., which may come from the Western Semitic verb yaru , meaning "to establish," and the name Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk; another theory says the root letters s-l-m in the name refer to shalom , meaning "peace"
time difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October
geographic coordinates
31 46 N, 35 14 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections
Citizenship
note
note: Israeli law (Law of Return, 5 July 1950) provides for the granting of citizenship to any Jew - defined as a person being born to a Jewish mother or having converted to Judaism while renouncing any other religion - who immigrates to and expresses a desire to settle in Israel on the basis of the Right of aliyah; the 1970 amendment of this act extended the right to family members including the spouse of a Jew, any child or grandchild, and the spouses of children and grandchildren
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel
dual citizenship recognized
yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship
residency requirement for naturalization
3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization
Constitution
history
no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended)
amendment process
proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review
Country name
former
Mandatory Palestine
etymology
named after the ancient Kingdom of Israel; according to Biblical tradition, the Jewish patriarch Jacob received the name Israel (meaning "He who struggles with God") after he wrestled with an angel of the Lord
local long form
Medinat Yisra'el
local short form
Yisra'el
conventional long form
State of Israel
conventional short form
Israel
Independence
14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Legal system
mixed system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices; in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices
subordinate courts
district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts
judge selection and term of office
judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association; judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70
Executive branch
cabinet
Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset
chief of state
President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021)
election results
2021: Isaac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote in first round - Isaac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 7 2014: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4
head of government
Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022)
most recent election date
2 June 2021
election/appointment process
president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government
expected date of next election
June 2028
National holiday
Independence Day, 14 May (1948)
note: Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar, so the holiday can occur in April or May
National color(s)
blue, white
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
9 (all cultural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Masada; Old City of Acre; White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement; Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba; Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev; Bahá’i Holy Places; Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel; Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin; Necropolis of Bet She’arim
Political parties
Balad Blue and White Hadash Labor Party or HaAvoda Likud Meretz National Unity (alliance includes Blue and White and New Hope) New Hope Noam Otzma Yehudit Religious Zionist Party Shas Ta'al United Arab List United Torah Judaism or UTJ (alliance includes Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah) Yesh Atid Yisrael Beiteinu
Legislative branch
note
note 1: a 3.25% vote threshold is required to gain representation note 2: following the 1 November 2022 election, the Religious Zionism Alliance split into its three constituent parties in the Knesset: Religious Zionism 7 seats, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) 6, and Noam 1
term in office
4 years
number of seats
120 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
legislature name
Parliament (Knesset)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
11/1/2022
expected date of next election
October 2026
percentage of women in chamber
24.2%
parties elected and seats per party
Likud (32); Yesh Atid (24); Religious Zionism (14); National Unity (12); Shas (11); United Torah Judaism (Yahadut Hatorah) (7); Yisrael Beiteinu (6); Other (14)
National anthem(s)
title
"Hatikvah" (The Hope)
history
adopted 2004, unofficial since 1948; used as the anthem of the Zionist movement since 1897; the 1888 arrangement by Samuel COHEN is thought to be based on the Romanian folk song "Carul cu boi" (The Ox-Driven Cart)
lyrics/music
Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN
National symbol(s)
Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand)
Administrative divisions
6 districts ( mehozot , singular - mehoz ); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 364-5607
chancery
3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 364-5500
chief of mission
Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) LEITER (since 4 February 2025)
consulate(s) general
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
email address and website
consular@washington.mfa.gov.il https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[972] (2) 630-4070
note
note: on 14 May 2018, the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv; on 4 March 2019, Consulate General Jerusalem merged into US Embassy Jerusalem to form a single diplomatic mission
embassy
14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9378322
telephone
[972] (2) 630-4000
mailing address
6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20521-6350
branch office(s)
Tel Aviv
chief of mission
Ambassador Mike HUCKABEE (21 April 2025)
email address and website
JerusalemACS@state.gov https://il.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN, CICA, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002