Israel (/ˈɪzreɪəl/ or /ˈɪzriːəl/), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [mediˈnat jisʁaˈʔel] ( listen); Arabic: دولة إِسرائيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a country in West Asia, si…
The Knesset (Hebrew: הַכְּנֶסֶת [haˈkneset]; lit. the gathering or assembly; Arabic: الكنيست al-K(e)neset) is the unicameral national legislature of Israel. As the legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects th…
Mossad (Hebrew: הַמוֹסָד, IPA: [ha moˈsad]; Arabic: الموساد, al-Mōsād; literally meaning "the Institute"), short for HaMossad leModiʿin uleTafkidim Meyuḥadim (Hebrew: המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, meaning "Institute for Intelligence and Speci…
Tel Aviv (Hebrew: תֵּל־אָבִיב, Arabic: تل أبيب) or Tel Aviv-Yafo, is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 414,600 and a land area of 20 square miles (52 km2). Tel Aviv forms part of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, also know…
Masada (Modern Hebrew מצדה metzadá "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa, on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the…
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Latin: ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri; Hebrew: כנסיית הקבר הקדוש, Knesiyat HaKever HaKadosh) also called the Church of the Resurrection by Orthodox Christians (Arabic: كنيسة القيامة, kanīssat al Qi'yāma; Armenian: Սուր…
Calvary, also Golgotha /ˈɡɒlɡəθə/, was, according to the Gospels, a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified. Golgotha(s) (Γολγοθάς) is the Greek transcription in the New Testament of an Aramaic term that has traditionall…
The Golan Heights (Arabic: هضبة الجولان Haḍbatu 'l-Jawlān or مرتفعات الجولان Murtafaʻātu l-Jawlān, Hebrew: רמת הגולן, Ramat ha-Golan (audio) ), or simply the Golan or the Syrian Golan, is a region in the Levant.
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias (Hebrew: יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, Arabic: بحيرة طبريا), is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately 53 km (33 mi) in circumference, abo…
The Jordan River (in traditional English River Jordan) (Hebrew: נהר הירדן Nahar haYarden; Arabic: نهر الأردن Nahr al-Urdun) is a 251-kilometre (156 mi)-long river in West Asia flowing to the Dead Sea. Israel and Palestine border the river to the w…
Theodor Herzl (Hebrew: תאודור הֶרְצֵל, Theodor Hertzel; Hungarian: Herzl Tivadar; May 2, 1860 – July 3, 1904), born Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין זְאֵב הֶרְצֵל, also known in Hebrew as חוֹזֵה הַמְדִינָה, Khozeh HaMedinah, lit. "Visionary…
The Battle of Hattin (also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin because of a nearby extinct volcano of the same name) took place on July 3 and 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Salah ad-Din…
Jaffa (/ˈdʒæfə/, /ˈdʒɑːfə/; Hebrew: יָפוֹ, Yāfō ; Arabic: يَافَا), also called Japho, is the southern, oldest part of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (since 1950), an ancient port city in Israel.
Ben Gurion Airport (Hebrew: נמל התעופה בן גוריון) (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG) is the main international airport of Israel. Named after Israel's first prime minister David Ben-Gurion, the airport serves as a hub for El Al, Israir Airlines, and Arkia Isr…
The Negev (Hebrew: הַנֶּגֶב, Tiberian vocalization: han-Néḡeḇ , Arabic: على النقب an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. 196,000), in the north. At its…
Mount Zion (Hebrew: הַר צִיוֹן, Har Tsiyyon; Arabic: جبل صهيون, Jabel Sahyoun) is a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City. Mount Zion has been historically associated with the Temple Mount.
The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin took place on November 4, 1995 (12th of Marcheshvan, 5756 on the Hebrew calendar) at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv.
Yad Vashem (Hebrew: יָד וַשֵׁם) is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
The King David Hotel bombing was a terrorist attack carried out on Monday July 22, 1946 by the militant Zionist underground organization, the Irgun, on the British military and administrative headquarters for Palestine, which was housed in the south…
The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at (31°30′N34°45′E) at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia. It is bounded to the north by L…
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Hebrew: האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים, ha-Universita ha-Ivrit B'irushalayim; Arabic: الجامعة العبرية في القدس, al-Ǧāmiʻah al-ʻIbriyyah fil-Quds; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Te…
Mount Carmel (Hebrew: הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har HaKarmel ISO 259-3 Har ha Karmell (lit. God's vineyard); Greek: Κάρμηλος, Kármēlos; Arabic: الكرمل, Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israe…
Meir David Kahane (Hebrew: הרב מאיר דוד כהנא) (/kəˈhɑːnə/; August 1, 1932 – November 5, 1990) was a controversial American-Israeli rabbi, ultra-Zionist political figure, and writer, whose work became either the direct or indirect foundation of most…
Capernaum (/kəˈpɜrniəm/ kə-PUR-nee-əm; Hebrew: כְּפַר נַחוּם, Kfar Nahum, "Nahum's village") was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological…
Lod (Hebrew: לוֹד; Arabic: الْلُدّ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin: Lydda, Diospolis, Ancient Greek: Λύδδα / Διόσπολις - city of Zeus) is a mixed Jewish-Arab city 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel.
Caesarea Maritima (Greek: Parálios Kaisáreia, Παράλιος Καισάρεια) is a national park on the Israeli coastline, near the town of Caesarea. The ancient Caesarea Maritima (or Caesarea Palestinae) city and harbor was built by Herod the Great about 25–13…
Petah Tikva (Hebrew: פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, IPA: [ˈpetaχ tikˈva], "Opening of Hope") known as Em HaMoshavot ("Mother of the Moshavot"), is a city in the Central District of Israel, 10.6 km (6.59 mi) east of Tel Aviv.
Netanya (Hebrew: נְתַנְיָה, lit., "gift of God") is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located 30 km (18.64 mi) north of Tel Aviv, and 56 km (34.80 mi) south of Haifa, between…
Tel Aviv University (TAU) (Hebrew: אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל-אָבִיב Universitat Tel Aviv) is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ramat Gan (Hebrew: רָמַת גַּן (audio) ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of Tel Aviv.
Sammy Ofer Stadium, also known as Haifa International Stadium, is a 30,820-seat [1] multi-purpose stadium in Haifa, Israel, that began construction in late 2009. Construction was completed in 2014 and the stadium is currently in use mostly for footb…
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Hebrew: הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912, the Technion is the oldest university in Israel. The university offers degrees in science …
Holon (Hebrew: חוֹלוֹן (audio) ) is a city on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv, Israel. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area.
Herzliya (Hebrew: הֶרְצֵלִיָּה, Arabic: هرتسيليا) is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the Northern part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of more than 110,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism,…
The Lod Airport massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred on May 30, 1972, in which three members of the Japanese Red Army recruited by the Palestinian group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-External Operations (PFLP-EO),…
Ramla (Hebrew: רַמְלָה, Ramla; Arabic: الرملة, ar-Ramlah) (also Ramlah, Ramle, Remle and sometimes Rama) is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 CE by the Umayy…