what region of the world is israel located
Israel Israel (/ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Arabic: إِسْرَائِيل‎), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل‎), is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip[8] to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.[2][9] Israel's economy and technology center is Tel Aviv,[10] while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not recognised internationally.[note 1][11][12] The population of Israel was estimated in 2017 to be 8,777,580 people,[3] of whom 74.7% were Jewish, 20.8% Arab and 4.5% others.[1]
History of Israel A Jewish national movement, Zionism, emerged in the late-19th century (partially in response to growing anti-Semitism) and Aliyah (Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel) increased. After World War I, Ottoman territories in the Levant came under British and French control and the League of Nations granted the British a Mandate to rule Palestine which was to be turned into a Jewish National Home. A rival Arab nationalism also claimed rights over the former Ottoman territories and sought to prevent Jewish migration into Palestine, leading to growing Arab–Jewish tensions. Israeli independence in 1948 was marked by massive migration of Jews from Europe, a Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries to Israel, and of Arabs from Israel, followed by the Arab–Israeli conflict.[2] About 43% of the world's Jews live in Israel today, the largest Jewish community in the world.[3]