Overview:
Israel is a semi-arid, narrow and small country situated on the southeast coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital, is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the north by Lebanon, on the west by Egypt and on the east by Jordan and Syria. The most important river of Israel is Jordan. It flows from Lake Hule, also known as the Waters of Merom and Lake Kinneret in the north and finally enters the Dead Sea, which is almost four hundred meters below the sea level. The Dead Sea is known for having the lowest land elevation in the world.
Israel is basically a country comprising of immigrants. The population comprises of eight billion people. 75% of her population is comprised of Jews. Among the remaining non-Jewish population, 20% of them are Arabs and the others made up 25% of the remaining population.
Key Highlights of Israel:
- History:
Palestine is considered as the homeland of modern Israel and is regarded as a holy land by Christians, Muslims, and Jews. It was known as Cannan to the Hebrews. The word Palestine means the group of people who acquired the southern coastal part of the nation during twelfth century BC.
- Places to visit:
There are many places to visit in Israel. The old city of Jerusalem is the most important place in this country which is worth a tour. For understanding the history of Jews, one can visit the Yad Vashem Museum of Jerusalem. One can also enjoy floating on the surface of the water of the Dead Sea. One can also enjoy greenery and a cool weather on the mountains of Galilee. Other places that are worth seeing are Caesarea Harbour National Park and Old Jaffa.
Military Details:
The IDF or Israel Defense Forces are the military forces of the independent nation of Israel. The Israel Defense Forces are also called Tzahal. They consist of navy, air force, and ground forces.
The structure of the IDF is different from the armed forces of other countries of the world. Its structure is different. Also, conscription of women is mandatory. This leads to the emphasis on the close relations between air force, navy, and army. IDF has been designed in such a way that it match the unique security situation of Israel. It greatly influences the country's political scene, culture, and economy.
Israel consists of six war reserve stocks. These are maintained by the United States of America. These reserve stocks are at Airway 7 air bases and it consists of military equipment that are worth three hundred million dollars. The United States own these equipment and are present there so that the American forces can use them in the Middle East.
The bomber and fighter aircraft are also kept by the United States at these sites. One of the bases also contains a hospital of five hundred beds for Special Forces and US Marines. All the military equipment, vehicles, munitions and the hospital for the US marines, along with aircraft are at six different sites in Israel. Some of these sites are located at the Ovda air base, Herzliya Pituah, Nevatim and Ben Gurion Airport. Some of them are underground depots, whereas others are made as open hangars. The site, located at Ben Gurion Airport holds equipment and ammunitions in the underground depots. The site, located at Nivatim is basically a munitions storage and contains war reserve vehicles at the Air Force Bases of Israel. The site, located at the Ovda air base comprises of an emergency military hospital, whereas, the site at Herzliya Pituah serve as an ammunition depot.
An American radar facility called Dimona Radar Facility is located in the Negev desert of Israel. It consists of two towers of four hundred feet, whose main function is tracking ballistic missiles and providing ground-based missiles along with the targeting data. This facility is owned and maintained by the US military.
Martin Wynn
