Israel

The notion of the ten lost tribes of Israel arose after the Assyrian destruction of Israel in 722 BCE. The Assyrians exiled many of the Israelites who were unable to flee south into Judah or Egypt. The exiles gradually assimilated into their host communities, adopted thel local religious cults and lost their separate ethnic identity. However, some are unwilling to accept the possibility that the Israelites so readily assimilated, when two hundred years later the Jews managed to retain their identity. Thus the notion that somewhere out there, there must still be the descendants of the Israelite exiles.

Since the Israelites assimilated into the various nations of the Assyrian empire, their descendants, the "lost tribes", will be some of the people among modern Assyrians, Iraqis, Syrians and so on. Occasionally some scholars try to investigate Middle Eastern family groups whose names suggest a possible Hebrew origin.

Religion, terrorism, belif that the other side started it first and politicians wanting more.

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Also, in addition to the major issues listed above, there are also

the minor issues of the security of Israel's citizenry, and the

categorical rejection of the existence of a Jewish country in

the Middle East.

Israel lies in the coastal plain of the Eastern Mediterranean and extends inland to an arid desert region. It's eastern border is defined by the Jordan valley which is an extension of the African Rift valley. 8,367 sq mi (21,671 sq km)

Most Jews believe that Israel is the land of their forefathers and Prophets; the land promised to them by God (Genesis 28:10-13), to which they have a historic, emotional and spiritual attachment.

As concerns Israeli politics and policy, there are as many opinions as there are Jews. There are positions like those of Neturei Karta who vigorously oppose any Jewish settlement of Israel (and believe the area should be given to the Palestinians) and those like the Religious Zionists who refuse to follow Israeli settlement laws because they believe Jewish settlement of Israel is a divine mandate (and believe that most if not all Palestinians should be evicted) and just about every opinion in between.

Germany and the USA, no doubt.

The Modern State of Israel has not been conquered by the Arabs.

If the term "Israel" is being used to refer to land in general, Caliph 'Omar conquered Israel in 634 C.E. from the Byzantine Empire which held it at that period of time.

as the bird flys from the middle of israel to the middle of England its about 2200 miles

Yes, with Lebanon and Syria intervening.

It is the river Jordan.

They were generally made of stones overlayed with mortar. Wooden beams held up the ceiling/roof.

well palistine owns the country not israeel so israeel was looking for a country in the Arab world so they chose palistine they said we want this country all for our selfs palistine said no so they started war and now every country sais its not called palistine its called israeel now palistineans say curse israeel

To try to win votes from Jewish people in the USA. To gain the support of AIPAC, a powerful lobby group.

Rebellion

Retribution

Repentance

Redemption

Restoration

US dollars are 'accepted' everywhere in the world.

The US dollar buys approximately 3.69 New Israeli Shekels, as of March 2010.

Israel was not invented. It is an alternate name for Jacob of the Old Testament. His descendants were called "the children of Israel."

Israel was also the name of one of two ancient Jewish kingdoms, the other being Judah. The ancient Kingdom of Israel existed as an independent entity form about 1050 BC until about 930 BC.

Because the ancient Kingdom of Judah lasted until the Babylonian conquest, and was afterward a province of Babylon, Macedon and then Rome under the names of Yehud or Judea, modern efforts to found a Jewish state preferred the name Israel.

The modern State of Israel was founded in 1948.

The Old City of Jerusalem is known for its sacred sites in the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith, solidifying each group's historical claim to the land. Both the Palestinians and Israelis want Jerusalem as their capital.

The 'Holy Land', comprising sites mentioned in the Bible and the routes traveled

by several Biblical characters, covers territory that is now in Iraq, Jordan, Syria,

Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, and Egypt, as well as territory that will eventually be

part of a Palestinian state.

Israel's major commercial seaport is in Haifa (in the north). Another port is in Ashdod (in the south).

The Negev, and the Judean Desert (or Wilderness).

A direct flight from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to Logan Airport in Boston would theoretically be around 11 hours long. However, there are few non-stop flights that do that route and a connection will probably be necessary.

Because the US has no choice; it is not free to choose otherwise.

Note on "Acquisition"
It's important to note beforehand that Israel did not "acquire" the territories on two counts. Firstly, Israel fought and shed blood to gain those territories, they were not just awarded or gifted to Israel. Secondly, no one can "acquire" territories without a formal peace treaty awarding territories to one country or another. The Arab-Israeli Conflict has only had partial treaties and none of them have awarded territory conquered during the Six Day War to Israel. (1979 Peace with Egypt returned the Sinai to Egypt and confirmed follow-up discussions on the Gaza Strip and 1994 Peace with Jordan required Israel to cede the West Bank to a future Palestinian State.)

In addition to the new territories, Israel also gained a fundamental shift in Middle Eastern policy. It would now be negotiating with Arab countries from a position of strength, being able to return tracts of Arab land to the Arab States for peace as opposed to merely just asking for peace. This is the main reason that Egypt and Jordan eventually were willing to sue for peace even though no other Arab country has done so.

Territories
To see the list of territories for which Israeli occupation was legitimated subject to a future peace treaty according to UNSC Resolution 242, see the list below:

East Jerusalem: Considered by many Israelis to be the greatest success of winning the Six-Day War, Israel was able to unite the city of West New Jerusalem with the Old City and East New Jerusalem to create a united municipality and capital (although unrecognized internationally as such). Of the territories here considered it is the smallest and most controversial as Palestinians want East Jerusalem and the Old City to be part of their eventual capital city.

West Bank: From 1949-1967, this area was a province of Jordan and included all areas within the Mandate of British Palestine along the Jordan River which Israel did not control prior to 1967. It represents roughly 18% of the total area of the British Mandate of Palestine, making it the largest Palestinian territorial acquisition in the War. It is home to many Ancient Jewish and Christian sites/cities like Nablus (Shchem), Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho.

Gaza Strip: This is a very small strip of territory that Egypt held from 1949-1967. It remained under Israeli military control until 1993 when it was given to the Palestinian Authority as part of the Oslo Accords.

Sinai Peninsula: Easily the largest piece of territory (60,000 km square) that Israel acquired during the Six-Day War, the Sinai Peninsula is larger than the entire British Mandate of Palestine. It was used by Israelis as a resort area and for its oil reserves until the territory was returned to Egypt over the course of three years (1979-1982) for peace and a continuous stream of oil.

Eastern Bank of the Sea of Galilee: This is the smallest peace of land (5 km square) that Israel recaptured and is the only territory from the British Mandate of Palestine that the Palestinians have never explicitly claimed. From 1949-1967, Syria held this piece of land, giving Syria direct access to a small portion of the Sea of Galilee and thus Israel/Palestine's main water source.

Golan Heights: This is a Syrian Mountain Range just north of western Jordan. This territory is small, but strategic, giving Israel a position where Syria cannot take military advantage of it. Currently, UNDOF monitors the border between the Golan Heights and Syria.