The U.S. Department of State regularly updates its country notes and send out the changes via email. Those country notes are worth perusing, as they provide a quick snapshot into countries’ cultures, economies, and political systems.
The State Department just updated their Israel notes and they can be found here. The bulk of the notes are unchanged, but there are a few interesting tidbits that are worth noting nonetheless (consider this your cliff notes to the cliff notes on Israel). The State Department Israel guide:
- People: Of the approximately 7.59 million Israelis in 2010, about 76% were counted as Jewish, though some of those are not considered Jewish under Orthodox Jewish law. Since 1989, nearly a million immigrants from the former Soviet Union have arrived in Israel, making this the largest wave of immigration since independence. In addition, an estimated 105,000 members of the Ethiopian Jewish community have immigrated to Israel, 14,000 of them during the dramatic May 1991 Operation Solomon airlift; 32.9% of Israelis were born outside of Israel.
- Today, Israel has diplomatic relations with 163 states. Following the signing of the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993, Israel established or renewed diplomatic relations with 36 countries. Israel has full diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan. In addition, on October 1, 1994, the Gulf States publicly announced their support for a review of the Arab boycott, in effect abolishing the secondary and tertiary boycotts against Israel. Israel has diplomatic relations with nine non-Arab Muslim states and with 32 of the 43 Sub-Saharan states that are not members of the Arab League. Israel established relations with China and India in 1992 and with the Holy See in 1993.
- Economic: Trade: Exports (2009 est.)–$50.015 billion. Exports include polished diamonds, electronic communication, medical and scientific equipment, chemicals and chemical products, electronic components and computers, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, rubber, plastics, and textiles. Imports (excluding defense imports, 2009 est.)–$55.2 billion: raw materials, diamonds, energy ships and airplanes, machinery, equipment, land transportation equipment for investment, and consumer goods. Major partners–U.S., U.K., Germany; exports–U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong; imports–U.S., Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, U.K.
- More economic: The United States is Israel’s largest single trading partner. In 2009, bilateral trade totaled $22.3 billion, a decline of about 20% over 2008, victim of the slowdown in global trade. The U.S. trade deficit with Israel was $11.1 billion in 2009. The principal goods exported from the U.S. include civilian aircraft parts, telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, civilian aircraft, electrical apparatus, and computer accessories. Israel’s chief exports to the U.S. include diamonds, pharmaceutical preparations, telecommunications equipment, medicinal equipment, electrical apparatus, and cotton apparel. The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in 1985 that progressively eliminated tariffs on most goods traded between the two countries over the following 10 years. An agricultural trade accord signed in November 1996 addressed the remaining goods not covered in the FTA but has not entirely erased barriers to trade in the agricultural sector. Israel also has trade and cooperation agreements in place with the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and other countries.
