History UsefulNotes / Israel

Israel is a popular tourist destination, especially for Abrahamic religious tourists,[[note]] But not Muslims.[[/note]] as it contains many holy sites. However, most Israeli business is conducted in TelAviv due to being safer and more politically stable than the capital Jerusalem.

* [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking A tendency to go barefoot]] (as Kibbutzniks do) or in open-toed sandals known as Biblical sandals. Definitely {{justified}} by the country's hot climate, but what makes it unusual is that Israelis tend to wear these sandals even abroad. The reason is that they see the sandals as a sign of succession with ancient Jews and as something that distinguishes a Jew from a non-Jew.

Israel ('''Hebrew:''' יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yīsrāʾēl; '''Arabic:''' إِسْرَائِيل, ʾIsrāʾīl), also known as the '''State of Israel''' ('''Hebrew:''' מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el; '''Arabic:''' دولة إِسرائيل‎, Dawlat ʾIsrāʾīl) is a West Asian country whose constituents comprise primarily of Jews, but also has a minority Arab population.

Israel ('''Hebrew:''' יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yīsrāʾēl; '''Arabic:''' إِسْرَائِيل, ʾIsrāʾīl), also known as the '''State of Israel''' ('''Hebrew:''' מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el; '''Arabic:''' دولة إِسرائيل‎, Dawlat ʾIsrāʾīl) is a Western Asian country whose constituents comprise primarily of Jews, but also has a minority Arab population.

* [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking A tendency to go barefoot]] (as Kibbutzniks do) or in open-toed sandals known as Biblical sandals. Definitely {{justified}} by the country's hot climate, but what makes it unusual is that Israelis tend to wear these sandals even abroad, making it a mild example of DoesNotLikeShoes. The reason is that they see the sandals as a sign of succession with ancient Jews and as something that distinguishes a Jew from a non-Jew.

In 1897, the early cause for providing the Jews with a homeland coalesced into the Zionist Movement, led by the World Zionist Council which had been founded by Jewish intellectuals Theodor Herzl and Nathan Birnbaum, partly in response to the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_Affair Dreyfus Affair]], with the official aim of peacefully settling Palestine with Jewish refugees (thoug there was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Scheme a scheme for a possible settlement in Uganda]] that was briefly considered, weirdly enough) as well as to keep the Jewish traditions, culture, and language alive (the language, Hebrew, was dead as a language of everyday speech, and was revitalized with the founding of the Zionist state). However, as they were unable to get the permission of the Ottoman empire to do this on a large scale, they were initially able to only continue and support the small scale immigration.

Perhaps more importantly for Zionists was a declaration by the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour in 1917, known as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration_of_1917 Balfour Declaration]], which promised to allow larger scale Jewish settlement in Palestine. This was a major breakthrough for the Zionist movement, as not only had a previously hostile ruler of Palestine been removed, but the nation which supplanted it was both liberal towards the Jews (relatively speaking) and had also promised to let them settle, so long as it was peaceful and that the native Palestinian Arabs[[note]]reffering to them as just "Palestinians" before 1948 is incorrect - The Jews and Arabs of Mandatory Palestine, and even the Jordanians, were all "Palestinians" to the British who ruled the place.[[/note]] were respected. All in all it seemed that things were looking pretty good.

** Prime Minister: Yair Lapid

In 1897, the early cause for providing the Jews with a homeland coalesced into the Zionist Movement, led by the World Zionist Council which had been founded by Jewish intellectuals Theodor Herzl and Nathan Birnbaum, partly in response to the infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_Affair Dreyfus Affair]], with the official aim of peacefully settling Palestine with Jewish refugees (though there was briefly considered a possible settlement in Uganda weirdly enough) as well as to keep the Jewish traditions, culture, and language alive (the language, Hebrew, was dead as a language of everyday speech, and was revitalized with the founding of the Zionist state). However, as they were unable to get the permission of the Ottoman empire to do this on a large scale, they were initially able to only continue and support the small scale immigration.

World War I changed all of this. By 1918, the Ottoman Turkish empire had lost control of its territory in Palestine to the French (who had a mandate over what is now Syria and Lebanon) and Palestine to the British who took control as mandated by the League of Nations. It should be mentioned here that even while WWI still was being fought the British and French reached the secret [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement Sykes–Picot Agreement]] where they would divide the Middle East as loot between themselves, abandoning [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussein%E2%80%93McMahon_Correspondence earlier support]] promising Arabs in the region recognition of Arab independence. Note the secret part meant the British in particular were essentially lying through their their teeth to the same [[Film/LawrenceOfArabia Arabs they had encouraged to revolt against the Ottoman Empire]].

You might be familiar with the [[RareGuns Desert Eagle]], go-to massive pistol for all occasions. Israel is also noted for its unique culture, being a mix of Jewish traditions from Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Africa, as well as non-Jewish European, American, and Arab culture.[[note]]The latter particularly in the area of cuisine--no matter how much the country looks to the West, the Israeli kitchen is very firmly Middle Eastern--to the annoyance of many Arabs[[/note]]

** Prime Minister: Naftali Bennett

Israel ('''Hebrew:''' יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yīsrāʾēl; '''Arabic:''' إِسْرَائِيل, ʾIsrāʾīl), also known as the '''State of Israel''' ('''Hebrew:''' מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el; '''Arabic:''' دولة إِسرائيل‎, Dawlat Isrāʼīl'') is a Western Asian country whose constituents comprise primarily of Jews, but also has a minority Arab population.

Israel, also known as the '''State of Israel''' ('''''Hebrew:''' מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el; '''Arabic:''' دولة إِسرائيل‎, Dawlat Isrāʼīl'') is a Western Asian country whose constituents comprise primarily of Jews, but also has a minority Arab population.

* '''Highest point:''' Mount Hermon (2236 m/7,336 ft) (127th)

[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment We shall leave it at that]].