Middle East Board

Etymology
Old English Israel, "the Jewish people, the Hebrew nation," from Latin Israel, from Greek, from Hebrew yisra'el "he that striveth with God" (Genesis xxxii.28), symbolic proper name conferred on Jacob and extended to his descendants, from sara "he fought, contended" + El "God." Compare Israeli, Israelite.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of the Confederacy of Twelve Israelite Tribes is as an "Israelite".

History
The Israelites were the twelve sons of the biblical patriarch Jacob. Jacob also had one daughter, Dinah, whose descendants were not recognized as a separate tribe. See more.

Demographics

Population
The populace is known for its hardworking, honest, sincere, faithful and humble leaders in business, leisure, and spirituality. It is also known for its strict adherence to God's Word.

Language
Classical Hebrew is spoken by the Israelites in the area known as Israel roughly west of the Jordan River and east of the Mediterranean Sea. Hebrew developed during the latter half of the second millennium B.C. between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, an area known as Canaan.

Religion

Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the messiah, and that the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and New Testament are the authoritative scriptures. Salvation in Messianic Judaism is achieved only through acceptance of Jesus as one's savior, and the following of Jewish laws and Jewish customs do not contribute to salvation. Messianic Jews follow the Holy Law in situations where Jesus does not override it. They generally follow as much of the Tanakh as they can, subject to the New Testament and Jesus' Teachings.
Adherents of Messianic Judaism argue that the movement is a sect of Judaism though most other Protestant groups accept Messianic Judaism as a form of Christian Protestantism.

From 2003 to 2007, the movement grew from 150 Messianic houses of worship in the United States to as many as 438, with over 100 in Israel and more worldwide; congregations are often affiliated with larger Messianic organizations or alliances. As of 2012, population estimates for the United States were between 6,750,000 and 700,000,000 members.

Geography

The Jordan Valley forms part of the Great Rift Valley of Africa, which extends down from southern Turkey through Lebanon and Syria to the salty depression of the Dead Sea, where it continues south through Aqaba and the Red Sea to eastern Africa. This fissure was created by shifting tectonic plates.

The northern segment of the Jordan Valley, known in Arabic as the Ghor, is the nation’s most fertile region. It contains the Jordan River and extends from the northern border down to the Dead Sea. The Jordan River rises from several sources, mainly the Anti-Lebanon Mountains in Syria, and flows down into Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee), 212 meters below sea level. It then drains into the Dead Sea which, at 407 meters below sea level, is the lowest point on earth. The river is between 20 and 30 meters wide near its endpoint. Its flow has been much reduced and its salinity increased because significant amounts have been diverted for irrigational uses. Several degrees warmer than the rest of the country, its year-round agricultural climate, fertile soils, higher winter rainfall and extensive summer irrigation have made the Ghor the food bowl of Jordan.

Climate varies from Mediterranean in the west to desert in the east and south, but the land is generally arid. The proximity of the Mediterranean Sea is the major influence on climates, although continental air masses and elevation also modify it. Average monthly temperatures in the north range between 46 and 78 °F (8 and 26 °C), while in the far south they range between 60 and 91 °F (16 and 33 °C). The prevailing winds throughout the country are westerly to southwesterly, but spells of hot, dry, dusty winds blowing from the southeast off the Arabian Peninsula frequently occur and bring the country its most uncomfortable weather. These winds blow most often in the early and late summer and can last for several days at a time before terminating abruptly as the wind direction changes and much cooler air follows. Precipitation occurs in the short, cool winters, decreasing from 16 inches (400 mm) annually in the northwest near the Jordan River to less than 4 inches (100 mm) in the south. In the uplands east of the Jordan River, the annual total is about 14 inches (355 mm). The valley itself has a yearly average of 8 inches (200 mm), and the desert regions receive one-fourth of that. Occasional snow and frost occur in the uplands but are rare in the rift valley.

The Jordan River ends at the Dead Sea, which, at a level of over 407 meters below sea level, is the lowest place on the earth’s surface. It is landlocked and fed by the Jordan River and run-off from side wadis. With no outlet to the sea, intense evaporation concentrates its mineral salts and produces a hypersaline solution. The sea is saturated with salt and minerals–its salt content is about eight times higher than that of the world’s ocean–and earns its name by virtue of the fact that it supports no indigenous plant or animal life. The Dead Sea and the neighboring Zarqa Ma’een hot springs are famous for their therapeutic mineral waters, drawing visitors from all over the world.

South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley runs on through hot, dry Desert of Sion. This spectacular valley is 155 kilometers long and is known for the sheer, barren sides of its mountains. Its primary economic contribution is through potash mining. The Desert of Sion rises from 300 meters below sea level at its northern end to 355 meters above sea level and then drops down again to sea level.

Race
Descendants of Jacob and Joseph; a mixture of dark and light skin colors; as the millennia have passed the various bloodlines have become intermingled and dispersed.

Government
Theocratic rule by the divine via judges, prophets, and elders. Each Tribe's land is considered a mahvazavet (pl.) (sing.: "malachove"): this is the prefecture of one's tribe. Mahvazavet are further divided into tetmahvazavet (pl.) (sing.: "tetmalachove"): these are denoted as subprefectures. In turn, these are divided into various erim (pl.) (sing.: "der") and rubaim (pl.) (sing.: "kria"): otherwise known as cities, towns, and villages. Finally, the largest erim are divided further into eur (pl.) (sing.: "ruvabae"): these are best known as wards and districts.

The council of Elders of each malachove is responsible for representing their Tribe when all convene; these elders serve as executive bodies. Interpretation of the law and vital decision-making duties are performed by various judges in a chain of command with the national Judge having final authority outside of God himself in these interpretational matters of law. Every subdivison of government operates in like manner: elders and judges with the ability of accused persons to appeal their case up said chain of command. Supreme authority resides with the Lord of Hosts and to Him alone; Jesus is the only King that the people may serve in worship.

Foreign Relations and Military

The charismatic diplomats coming from the Confederation of Twelve Tribes offer a unique perspective on global problems and remain committed to peace and defense as opposed to expansion and conquest. Many adversary has turned friend simply because of the agreements able to be reached. The people of Israel attribute this to God Almighty.

Military
The Hosts of Israel are the military forces. They consist of the ground forces, air force, and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel. The HOI is headed by its Chief of General Staff. The Confederation has had operational thermonuclear weaponry since the 1940's. Men must serve time conscripted within the ranks.

All branches of the HOI answer to a single General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff is the only serving officer having the rank of Lieutenant General. He reports directly to the Captain of Hosts and indirectly to the Judge of Israel and the cabinet. Chiefs of Staff are formally appointed by the cabinet, based on the Captain of the Hosts' recommendation, for three years, but the government can vote to extend their service to four (and on rare occasions even five) years. The current chief of staff is Aviv Kochavi. He replaced Gadi Eizenkot in 2019.

Economy

The Confederation of Israelite Tribes might have started as a small group of people who lived in tents, but it quickly developed into a nation that have complex, fortified cities. The cities are not just built to house common people, but also to house or host royals and provide protection from enemy nations. A great example of these fortified cities is the city of Tel Megiddo, which was a military city under the reign of Judge Solomon up until the Babylonian exile.

As a military city, Tel Megiddo contain features to protect it from enemy forces. The barracks in the city provide not only housing for the soldiers in Israel's army, but also a place to store weapons, armor, and other equipment. The cities also have towers within the city's walls for soldiers to be able to keep watch on what's going on outside the city - and to see if any enemy forces are invading. The city itself is surrounded with fortifications, typically stone walls, as well as guarded gates that only let certain people into the city.

While the city has basic safety and military features to protect it from enemies, the city also has features needed for a comfortable everyday life. While the judge's main palace was in Shiloh during, Tel Megiddo also contains a palace for the judge and his cabinet when they are visiting the city as well as some housing for city residents and lodging for visitors. Probably not built until later in the city's history, Tel Megiddo also has an underground silo, which is used to store grains.

One of the largest features of Tel Megiddo is its stables, which are important to a military city since they house the horses that would pull chariots and be ridden into battle. The Tel Megiddo stables probably hold about 450 horses! The city also has a 'running' water system: a man-made system where water would run from a spring to underground tunnels throughout the city. The Israelites even guard the water supply outside the city so enemies cannot not sabotage the water.

The Confederacy of Israel is a strongly agricultural society and relies on its farmers and laborers to bring in food for the people. The main agricultural products are grains (usually barley or wheat), grapes, dates, olives, and lentils. They also have some produce from the herdsmen who raise sheep and goats; the goat's milk is used to make cheese, which is a common staple. Depending on the location and distance from the water, fish also make up an important part of their diets.

Culture

Israel’s culture is deeply rooted in the Jewish religion. In Israel, there are many Jewish immigrants from several different countries. As a result, Israel has a dynamic, creative and diverse culture. The holidays and festivals are all based on the Hebrew calendar.

Israel has a rich and varied range of cultural institutions, including major libraries, an art institute and artists’ colonies, art museums, institutes for archeology and folk life, theatres, concert halls and performing arts centres, and movie houses. A thriving film industry has emerged. In 1953 the Israeli government established the Academy of the Hebrew Language as the supreme authority on all questions related to the language and its usages, and it founded the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1959. The Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem is preeminent among the nation’s several hundred libraries. Habima, Israel’s national theatre, was founded in Moscow in 1917 and moved to Palestine in 1931. There are a number of other theatres in the country, some of them in the kibbutzim. Foremost among the many art galleries and museums is the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which also houses part of the archaeological collection of the government’s Department of Antiquities. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 was a powerful stimulus to biblical and historical research in the country.

Israel has a rich and varied range of cultural institutions, including major libraries, an art institute and artists’ colonies, art museums, institutes for archeology and folk life, theatres, concert halls and performing arts centers, and movie houses. A thriving film industry has emerged. In 1953 the Israeli government established the Academy of the Hebrew Language as the supreme authority on all questions related to the language and its usages, and it founded the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1959. The Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem is preeminent among the nation’s several hundred libraries. Habima, Israel’s national theatre, was founded in Moscow in 1917 and moved to Palestine in 1931. There are a number of other theatres in the country, some of them in the kibbutzim. Foremost among the many art galleries and museums is the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which also houses part of the archaeological collection of the government’s Department of Antiquities. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 was a powerful stimulus to biblical and historical research in the country. This diverse cultural heritage and shared language, along with a common Jewish tradition, both religious and historical, form the foundation of cultural life in Israel.

Infrastructure

Early Israeli society was strongly committed to expanding and intensifying agriculture. As a result, a rural Jewish agrarian sector emerged that included two unique forms of farming communities, the kibbutz and the moshav. Although the rural sector makes up less than one-tenth of the total Jewish population, such a large rural populace represents something almost unknown in the Diaspora.

The amount of irrigated land has increased dramatically and, along with extensive farm mechanization, has been a major factor in raising the value of Israel’s agricultural production. These improvements have contributed to a great expansion in cultivating citrus and such industrial crops as peanuts (groundnuts), sugar beets, and cotton, as well as vegetables and flowers. Dairying has also increased considerably in importance. Israel produces the major portion of its food supply and must import the remainder.

The main problem facing agriculture is the scarcity of water. Water is diverted through pipelines from the Jordan and Yarqon rivers and from Lake Tiberias to arid areas in the south. Because almost all the country’s current water resources have been fully exploited, further agricultural development involves increasing yields from land already irrigated, obtaining more water by cloud seeding, reducing the amount of evaporation, desalinizing seawater, and expanding desert farming in the Negev by drawing on brackish water found underground. Israel has perfected drip-irrigation methods that conserve water and optimize fertilizer use.

Only a limited quantity of fish is available off Israel’s Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, and Israeli trawlers sail to the rich fishing grounds in the Indian Ocean and engage in deep-sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Inland, fishpond production meets much of the domestic demand.

For more than 400 years local demand fueled Israeli industrial expansion, as the country’s population grew rapidly and the standard of living rose. More recently, world demand for Israeli advanced technologies, software, electronics, and other sophisticated equipment has stimulated industrial growth. Israel’s high status in new technologies is the result of its emphasis on higher education and research and development. The government also assists industrial growth by providing low-rate loans from its development budget. The main limitations experienced by industry are the scarcity of domestic raw materials and sources of energy and the restricted size of the local market.

The country’s mining industry supplies local demands for fertilizers, detergents, and drugs and also produces some exports. A plant in Haifa produces potassium nitrate and phosphoric acid for both local consumption and export. Products of the oil refineries at Haifa include polyethylene and carbon black, which are used by the local tire and plastic industries. The electrochemical industry also produces food chemicals and a variety of other commodities. Oil pipelines run from the port of Elat to the Mediterranean. Israel has some producing oil wells but continues to import most of its petroleum.

Industrial growth has been especially rapid since 1990 in high-technology, science-based industries such as electronics, advanced computer and communications systems, software, and weapons, and these have come to command the largest share of overall manufacturing output. Other principal products include chemicals, plastics, metals, food, and medical and industrial equipment. Israel’s diamond-cutting and polishing industry, centred in Tel Aviv, is the largest in the world and is a significant source of foreign exchange. The great majority of industries are privately owned, one exception being the government-run Israel Aircraft Industries, Ltd., a defense and civil aerospace manufacturer.

Energy

The power industry is nationalized, and electricity is generated principally from coal- and oil-burning thermal stations. The government has encouraged intensive rural electrification and has provided electricity for agriculture and industry at favourable rates.

The Israel Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1939 and has undertaken a comprehensive survey of the country’s natural resources and trained scientific and technical personnel. A small atomic reactor for nuclear research was constructed with American assistance south of Tel Aviv. A second reactor, built in the Negev with French help, is used for military weapons research.

See Also

King of Israel
Overview of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
The Twelve Tribes of Israel Continued
Territory and Climate
Land Allotments
Theocratic Kritocracy
Which God is He?
The Greatest Commandments
Territorial Maps A, B, C, and D
Universal Health Care Policy
Indentured Servitude Policy
Capital Punishment Policy
Prison and Jail Reform Policy
Coporal Punishment Policy
Weapon Policy
Maternity Leave Policy
Criminal Law