Portal:Israel

Welcome to the Israel Portal
מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It borders Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. Israel occupies the Palestinian territories of the West Bank in the east and the Gaza Strip in the southwest, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights in the northeast. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, the southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and the east includes the Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre.

The Land of Israel is synonymous with Palestine or the Holy Land. In antiquity it was home to the Canaanites and later the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Its location at a continental crossroads brought demographic shifts under various empires. Nineteenth-century European antisemitism fuelled the Zionist movement for a Jewish homeland. Britain endorsed this goal in the 1917 Balfour Declaration and ruled Mandatory Palestine from 1920. Jewish immigration and British policies intensified Arab-Jewish tensions, and the 1947 United Nations (UN) Partition Plan led to a civil war. (Full article...)

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Operation Bayonet was a covert operation directed by Mossad to assassinate individuals they accused of being involved in the 1972 Munich massacre. The targets were members of the Palestinian armed militant group Black September and operatives of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Authorised by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the autumn of 1972, the operation is believed to have continued for over twenty years. While Mossad killed several prominent Palestinians during the operation, they never managed to kill the mastermind behind Munich, namely Abu Daoud.

The operation was depicted in the television film Sword of Gideon (1986) and Steven Spielberg's film Munich (2005). (Full article...)

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This is a Featured picture that the Wikimedia Commons community has chosen as one of the highest quality on the site.

Image 1Paratroopers at the Western Wall, an iconic photograph taken on June 7, 1967 by David Rubinger.
Image 2Northeast exposure of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Considered to be the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina.
Image 3Southern aerial view of the Temple Mount, a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem that for thousands of years has been venerated as a holy site, in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Image 4"The Nile and the Sinai, to Israel and beyond. One sweeping glance of human history." Caption by astronaut Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.
Image 5Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur, an 1878 painting by Maurycy Gottlieb
Image 6Reading Power Station, built in Tel Aviv in 1938, was named for Rufus Isaacs, the 1st Marquess of Reading. Reading Light is pictured on the left.
Image 7Dead Tree in Sea of Life is an installation artwork from 2017 by Amiram Dora, a travel guide from the nearby city Arad. The work consists of a tree planted on a salt pile in the Dead Sea. The purpose of the work is to show that as opposed to its common name, the Dead Sea is actually a place of rich tourist activity, healing and relaxation.
Image 8Ceramic tile on the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem
Image 9An aerial view of Masada in the Judaean Desert, with the Dead Sea and Jordan in the distance
Image 10David Ben-Gurion's room at Ben-Gurion's Hut, the retirement home of Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula (Pola) from the years 1953 until Ben-Gurion's death in 1973.
Image 11A view of Jerusalem from southeast, showing the Walls of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This image was taken sometime between 1900 and 1940.
Image 12A view of Jaffa, from the beachfront of Tel Aviv
Image 13The Jerusalem Railway Station c. 1900. The locomotive on the turntable is "Ramleh" (J&J No. 3), a Baldwin 2-6-0. The station was the terminus of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998. Today, the station is abandoned and suffering from neglect and vandalism, although it is one of 110 buildings selected for preservation in Jerusalem.
Image 14Young Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) on a stone wall by the edge of Makhtesh Ramon in Mitzpe Ramon.
Image 15A more recent section of the Israel-Egypt barrier fence, north of Eilat, June 2012. It is a border barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. It was originally an attempt to curb illegal migrants from African countries.^[1] Construction was approved on 12 January 2010^[2] and began on 22 November 2010.^[3]
Image 16Diving tourism site on the southern coast of Eilat, around a horseshoe-shaped reef. Many animal species are found in the area, including dolphins.
Image 17An aerial view of Makhtesh Ramon, a geological feature of Israel's Negev desert. Located some 85 km south of the city of Beersheba, the landform is not an impact crater from a meteor nor a volcanic crater formed by a volcanic eruption, but rather is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (steephead valley or box canyon).

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...that Motza (pictured), founded in 1859, was the first modern village established near Jerusalem?
...that Mickey Marcus is the only person buried at the United States Military Academy who died fighting under a foreign flag?
...that the tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly has been resumed more times than any other?

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WikiProject Israel – WikiProject Jewish history – WikiProject Judaism – WikiProject Jewish culture – WikiProject Hebrew

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Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, כַּשְׁרוּת‎) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish religious law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher (/ˈkoʊʃər/ ^ⓘ in English, Yiddish: כּשר), from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the term that in Sephardi or Modern Hebrew is pronounced kashér (כָּשֵׁר‎), meaning "fit" (in this context: "fit for consumption"). Food that may not be consumed, however, is deemed treif (/treɪf/ in English, Yiddish: טרײף), also spelled treyf (Yiddish: טריף). In case of objects the opposite of kosher is pasúl (/pəˈsul/ in English, Yiddish: פָּסוּל).

Although the details of the laws of kashrut are numerous and complex, they rest on a few basic principles: (Full article...)

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Kugel (Yiddish: קוגל kugl, pronounced [ˈkʊɡl̩] or [ˈkɪɡl̩]) is a baked casserole, most commonly made from egg noodles (lokshen) or shredded potato. It is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on Sabbath and Jewish holidays. American Jews also serve it for Thanksgiving dinner. In Hungary it is known as "vargabéles" and served as a sweet dish. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Israel-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Bahri Mamluk dynasty 1250–1382 (from History of Israel)
Image 2Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem (from Culture of Israel)
Image 3Skhul Cave (from History of Israel)
Image 4Neo-Assyrian Empire at its greatest territorial extent (from History of Israel)
Image 5Portion of the Temple Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes (from History of Israel)
Image 6Menahem Zion synagoge, Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (from Culture of Israel)
Image 7The Merneptah Stele, dated c. 1209 BCE, is the earliest textual reference to Israel (from History of Israel)
Image 8Remains of the Roman theatre in Caesarea Maritima (from Culture of Israel)
Image 9Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, 1918 (from History of Israel)
Image 10Painting of the siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade (1099) (from History of Israel)
Image 11Aerial view of the Temple Mount showing the Dome of the Rock in the center and the al-Aqsa mosque to the south (from History of Israel)
Image 12Breads in Mahane Yehuda market (from Culture of Israel)
Image 13Habimah Theatre in Tel Aviv (from Culture of Israel)
Image 14Jewish Brigade headquarters under both Union Flag and Jewish flag (from History of Israel)
Image 15Illustration for the Song of Songs. Along with the Book of Esther, the ancient poem is an example of an ancient Israeli literature with no mention of God, and is traditionally read as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel (from Culture of Israel)
Image 16Ofek-7 satellite launch through Shavit vehicle (from Culture of Israel)
Image 17Sermon on the Mount. The New Testament was authored by Christian Jews during Roman-ruled Judea (from Culture of Israel)
Image 18Ecclesiastes is known for its incipit vanity of vanities; all is vanity and concepts of Vanitas (from Culture of Israel)
Image 19David dictating the Psalms. The practice of psalms is referred to as a philosophical and theological problem (from Culture of Israel)
Image 20Detail of the Siloam inscription (from History of Israel)
Image 21"Hezekiah ... king of Judah" – Royal seal written in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet, unearthed in Jerusalem (from History of Israel)
Image 22Jewish symbols in Israeli artworks (from Culture of Israel)
Image 23Tiles in the Bezalel style, 1920s (from Culture of Israel)
Image 24Obverse of Yehud silver coin (from History of Israel)
Image 25Intel core i7-940. Intel developed its dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in Haifa. (from Culture of Israel)
Image 26Jewish youth dancing the Horah in the kibboutz Ein Harod in 1936 (from Culture of Israel)
Image 27Hebrew ulpan in Dimona, 1955 (from Culture of Israel)
Image 28Gal Fridman, winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal (from Culture of Israel)
Image 29Jewish Settlement Police members watching the settlement Nesher during 1936–1939 Arab revolt (from History of Israel)
Image 30First modern art exhibition in Israel at the Ohel Theatre 1926, organized primarily by the Histadrut art studio (from Culture of Israel)
Image 31Silver coin (gerah) minted in the Persian province of Yehud, dated c. 375–332 BCE. Obv: Bearded head wearing crown, possibly representing the Persian Great King. Rev: Falcon facing, head right, with wings spread; Paleo-Hebrew YHD to right. (from History of Israel)
Image 32Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006 (from Culture of Israel)
Image 33Tel Aviv Cinematheque (from Culture of Israel)
Image 34Jewish workers in Kerem Avraham neighbourhood of Jerusalem (c. 1850s) (from History of Israel)
Image 35The Arch of Titus in Rome depicts the Roman triumph celebrating the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE (from History of Israel)
Image 36Simulated view of a black hole. Jacob Bekenstein predicted and co-discovered black hole entropy (from Culture of Israel)
Image 37Jewish Yemenite bride in traditional bridal vestment, adorned with a henna wreath, 1958 (from Culture of Israel)
Image 38The route of the exiles to Babylon (from History of Israel)
Image 39A Bookplate done for Martin Buber; The plate is adorned with the walls of Jerusalem in the shape of a Shield of David, viewed from above (from Culture of Israel)
Image 40Israeli breakfast (from Culture of Israel)
Image 41Cultural map of the world according to the World Values Survey, describing Israel as a whole at parity in "Rational-Secular Values" and also at parity in "Self-expression values". (from Culture of Israel)
Image 42Buchenwald survivors arrive in Haifa to be arrested by the British, 15 July 1945 (from History of Israel)
Image 43Supply convoy on its way to besieged Jerusalem, April 1948 (from History of Israel)
Image 44United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, 1947 (from History of Israel)
Image 45The opening ceremony of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited by Arthur Balfour, 1 April 1925 (from History of Israel)
Image 46Hiking near Lake Kinneret (from Culture of Israel)
Image 47Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv (from Culture of Israel)
Image 48A portion of the Isaiah Scroll. One of the earliest known manuscripts of biblical literature (from Culture of Israel)
Image 49David Ben-Gurion proclaiming the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 (from History of Israel)
Image 50Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, 15th-century painting by Miguel Ximénez (from History of Israel)

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3 December 2025 – Gaza war: Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, Gaza hostage crisis; After Hamas returns the remains of an unidentified person to Israeli authorities yesterday, the Israeli government announces it will reopen the Gazan Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt, allowing Palestinians to leave the enclave. (BBC News) (PBS); Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip; Five Palestinians, including two children, are killed by Israeli drone strikes near Khan Younis, according to Palestinian media. This comes after the Israeli army announced that four of its soldiers were wounded in a Hamas attack in Rafah. (Al Jazeera) (The Times of Israel)

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Israel}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.