1986 Edition

Agriculture

70% of agricultural area used for permanent hay and pasture; main products— livestock and dairy products, turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; 85% self-sufficient; food shortages — grains, fruits, vegetables

main products — citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef and dairy products, poultry products

Airfields

103 total, 94 usable; 56 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with runways over 3,659 m, 50 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

41 total, 37 usable; 16 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

66 total, 52 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 11 with runways 1 ,220-2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Force, mobile police force

elected President; bicameral parliament (Seanad, Dail) reflecting proportional and vocational representation; judiciary appointed by President on advice of government

Army, Naval Service, Army Air Corps

president has largely ceremonial functions, except for the authority to decide which political leader should try to form a ruling coalition following an election or the fall of a previous government; executive power vested in Cabinet; unicameral parliament (Knesset) of 120 members elected under a system of proportional representation; legislation provides fundamental laws in absence of a written constitution; two distinct court systems (secular and religious)

Israel Defense Forces; historically there have been no separate Israeli military services; ground, air, and naval components are part of Israel Defense Forces

Budget

(1985 est.) expenditures, $7.98 billion; revenues, $6.69 billion; deficit, $1.29 billion

public revenue $1 1.5 billion, expenditure $15.5 billion (FY82/83)

Capital

Dublin

Jerusalem; not recognized by US, which maintains the Embassy in Tel Aviv

Civil air

16 major transport aircraft

23 major transport aircraft

26 major transport aircraft

Coastline

1,448 km People

273 km (before 1967 war) People

Communists

under 500

RAKAH (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership) has some 1,500 members

Crude steel

200,000 metric tons produced (1984); 330,000 metric ton capacity (1984)

Elections

Dail (lower house) elected every five years — last election November 1982; President elected for seven-year term — last election October 1983 Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail, Charles Haughey; Labor Party, Richard Spring; Fine Gael, Garret FitzGerald; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'Riordan; Workers' Party, Tomas MacGiolla; Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'Malley

held every four years unless required by dissolution of Knesset; last election held in July 1984; next scheduled for November 1988 Political parties and leaders: Israel currently has a national unity government comprising 8 parties that hold 97 of the Knesset's 120 seats; members of the unity government — Labor Alignment, Prime Minister Shimon Peres; Likud Bloc, Yitzhak Shamir; Shinui Party, Minister of Communications Amnon Rubenstein; National Religious Party, Minister of Religious Affairs Yosef Burg; SHAS, Minister of Interior Yitzhak Peretz; Agudat Israel, Menachem Porush; Morasha, Chaim Druckman; Ometz, Yigael Hurwitz; opposition parties — Tehiya-Tzomet, Yuval Ne'eman; MAPAM, Eliezer Granot, Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit Aloni; RAKAH (Communist party), Meir Wilner; Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad Mi'ari; TAMI, Aharon Abuhatzeira; Kakh, Meir Kahane

Electric power

4,087,000 kW capacity (1985); 11.938 billion kWh produced (1985), 3,325 kWh per capita

4,750,000 kW capacity (1985); 15.504 billion kWh produced (1985), 3,755 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

Celtic, with English minority

83% Jewish, 17% non-Jewish (mostly Arab)

Exports

$9.64 billion (1982); foodstuffs (primarily dairy products), computers, live animals, machinery, chemicals, clothing

$6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1984); major items — polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products, electronics; tourism is important foreign exchange earner

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

1 April-31 March Communications

Fishing

catch 197,000 metric tons (1983); exports of fish and fish products $97 million (1982), imports of fish and fish products $36 million (1982)

GNP

$16.0 billion (1984), $4,440 per capita; 64.5% consumption, 23.3% investment, 21.0% government, 2.4% inventories; — 11.0% net foreign demand; 2.4% real GNP (1984)

$25.9 billion (1985, in 1985 prices), $6,270 per capita; 1985 growth of real GNP 2.0%

Government leaders

Dr. Patrick J. HILLERY, President (since 1976); Dr. Garret FITZGERALD, Prime Minister (since 1982); Richard SPRING, Deputy Prime Minister (since 1982)

; Chaim HERZOG, President (since May 1983); Shimon PERES, Prime Minister (since September 1984); in October 1986 Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR and Peres are to trade government positions

Highways

92,294 km total; 87,422 km surfaced, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone

4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced

Imports

$9.58 billion (c.i.f., 1984); machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, semifinished goods, cereals

$8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1984); major items — military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, and aircraft

Infant mortality rate

11/1,000(1983)

14.1/1,000(1983)

Inland waterways

1,015 km; Shatt al Arab navigable by maritime traffic for about 104 km (closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war); Tigris and Euphrates navigable by shallow-draft steamers (of little importance); Shatt al Ba$rah canal navigable by shallow-draft vessels

limited for commercial traffic

none

Labor force

about 1,314,000(1984); 27.5% manufacturing and construction; 16.4% agriculture, forestry, fishing; 20.4% services; 6.6% government; 6.2% transportation; other 22.9%; 17.0% unemployment (October 1985)

est. 1,400,000 (1984); 29.5% public services; 22.8% industry, mining, and manufacturing; 12.8% commerce; 9.5% finance and business; 6.8% transport, storage, and communications; 6.5% construction and public works; 5.5% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 5.8% personal and other services; 1.0% electricity and water (1983); unemployment about 6.7% (1985)

Land boundaries

360 km Water

1,036 km (before 1967 war) Water

Language

Irish (Gaelic) and English (official); English is generally spoken

Hebrew official; Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most commonly used foreign language

Legal system

based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; constitution adopted 1937; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

mixture of English common law, British Mandatory regulations, and, in personal area, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; commercial matters regulated substantially by codes adopted since 1948; no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the Knesset (legislature) — relating to the Knesset, Israeli lands, the president, the government— and the Israel citizenship law; no judicial review of legislative acts; legal education at Hebrew University of Jerusalem; in December 1985 Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Life expectancy

73

72. 1

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (fishing 200 nm)

6 nm

Literacy

99%

88% Jews, 70% Arabs

Major ground units

4 infantry brigades and 2 independent battalions

Major industries

food products, brewing, textiles and clothing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery and transportation equipment

food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining, high-technology electronics

Major trade partners

exports — 68.7% EC (34.4% UK, 10.2% FRG, 8.4% France), 9.8% US, 1.0% Communist (1984); imports— 64.6% EC (43% UK, 7.4% FRG, 4.8% France), 16.5% US, 1.8% Communist (1984);

exports — US, UK, FRG, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy; imports— US, FRG, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg

Member of

Council of Europe, EC, EMS, ESRO (observer), FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICES, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG Economy

FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOOC, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, OAS (observer), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO Economy

Military budget

estimated for fiscal year ending 31 December 1983, $14.0 billion ighan Irish Sea North Atlantic Ocean Land 70,282 km2; larger than West Virginia; 51% meadow and pasture, 27% waste or urban, 17% arable, 3% forest, 2% inland water

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1985, $256.955 million; about 2.5% of the central government budget Israel (West Bank and Gaza Strip listed at end of table) Haifa. Naiar Mediterranean Sea T.I Aviv Ya' Ashdod Boundary feptts«ntal nol necessarily author See refional map X' Late Tiberias 'dead Sit

for fiscal year ending 31 March 1985, $4. 1 billion; about 24% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 3,662,000; 2,105,000 fit for military service; about 177,000 reach military age (18) annually

males 15-49, 852,000; 698,000 fit for military service; about 27,000 reach military age (17) annually

eligible 15-49, 1,999,000; of 1,008,000 males 15-49, 635,000 fit for military service; of 991,000 females 15-49, 621,000 fit for military service; 38,000 males and 36,000 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes liable for military service

Monetary conversion rate

0.8541 Irish pound=US$l (October 1985)

the Israeli pound was allowed to float on 31 October 1977; the shekel became the unit of account on 1 October 1980(1 shekel = 10 Israeli pounds); 293.2 shekels=US$l (average conversion rate for 1984); 1, 500 shekels= US$1 (official exchange rate year end 1985); new shekel introduced in September 1985 (1,000 old shekels=l new shekel)

National holiday

St. Patrick's Day, 17 March

National holidays

Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948; because the Jewish calendar is lunar, however, the holiday varies from year to year; all major Jewish religious holidays are also observed as national holidays

Nationality

noun — Irishman(men), Irish (collective pi.); adjective — Irish

noun — Israeli(s); adjective — Israeli

Natural resources

zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver

copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, bitumen, manganese

NOTE

the Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below; as stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by the President's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties; Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries; pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza Strip "Factsheet"); on 25 April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to Egypt; statistics for the Israelioccupied Golan Heights are included in the Syria "Factsheet." Land 20,720 km2; the size of Massachusetts; 40% pasture and meadow; 29% unsurveyed (mostly desert); 20% cultivated; 4% forest; 4% desert, waste, or urban; 3% inland water

Official name

Ireland, Eire (Gaelic)

State of Israel

Organized labor

36% of labor force Government

90% of labor force Government

Other political or pressure groups

Black Panthers, a loosely organized youth group seeking more benefits for oriental Jews; Gush Emunim, Jewish rightwing nationalists pushing for freedom for Jews to settle anywhere on the West Bank; Peace Now critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies

Pipelines

crude oil, 3,950 km; 725 km refined products; 1,360 km natural gas

natural gas, 225 km

crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural gas, 89 km

Political subdivisions

26 counties

six administrative districts

Population

3,624,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 1.0%

4,208,000, excluding West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem (July 1986), average annual growth rate 1.9%

Ports

3 major (Al Ba$rah [closed], Umm Qa$r, Al FSw); none in operation due to war

2 major, 6 secondary, 38 minor

3 major (Haifa, Ashdod, Elat), 5 minor

Railroads

Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,942 km 1.600meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double; 38 km electrified track

516 km 1.435-meter gauge single track; diesel operated

Religion

94% Roman Catholic, 4% Anglican, 2% other

83% Judaism, 13. 1 % Islam, 2.3% Christian, 1.6% Druze

Suffrage

universal over age 18

universal over age 18

Supply

UK and France are the principal suppliers of army materiel; UK provides 105-mm light guns and Scorpion light tanks, and France provides MILAN antitank missiles and Panhard reconnaissance vehicles; Sweden also provides weapon systems, including RBS-70 surface-to-air missiles, recoilless rifles, and armored personnel carri-

Telecommunications

good network consists of coaxial cables, radio-relay links, and radiocommunication stations; about 632,000 telephones (4.3 per 100 popl.); 9 AM, no FM, 81 TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean, and 1 Intersputnik satellite station; coaxial cable and radio-relay to Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey Defense Forces

small, modern system using cable and radio-relay circuits; 824,000 telephones (23.5 per 100 popl.); 24 AM, 20 FM, 84 TV stations; 4 coaxial submarine cables; 1 satellite ground station Defense Forces

most highly developed in the Middle East though not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,500,000 telephones (34. 7 per 100 popl.); 11 AM, 24 FM, 54 TV stations; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite stations; 1 Indian Ocean satellite station Defense Forces

Type

republic

republic

Voting strength

(1982 election) Dail— Fianna Fail, 75 seats; Fine Gael, 70 seats; Labor Party, 16 seats; independents, 3 seats; Workers' Party, 2 seats

Labor Alignment, 40 seats; Likud, 41 seats; MAPAM, 6 seats; TehiyaTzomet, 5 seats; Citizens' Rights Movement, 4 seats; RAKAH, 4 seats; SHAS, 4 seats; National Religious Party, 4 seats; Shinui Party, 3 seats; Morasha, 2 seats; Agudat Yisrael, 2 seats; Progressive List for Peace, 2 seats; Ometz, 1 seat; Kakh, 1 seat; TAMI, 1 seat