1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Districts of Israel
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There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mehozot and Arabic as mintaqah and fifteen sub-districts known as nafot. Each sub-district is further divided into Cities, municipalities, and Regional councils it contains, the Judea and Samaria Area, however, is not included in the number of districts and sub-districts as Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction in that part of the West Bank. Population,1,358,600 District capital, Nazareth Safed – population,113,700 Kinneret – population,110,500 Yizreel – population,482,300 Akko – population,605,700 Golan – population,46,400. Population,966,700 District capital, Haifa Haifa – population,560,600 Hadera – population,406,000 Central District. Population,2,024,500 District capital, Ramla Sharon – population,446,500 Petah Tikva – population,685,000 Ramla – population,326,400 Rehovot – population,566,600 Tel Aviv District. Population,1,350,000 District capital, Tel Aviv Southern District, currently only the Coordination and Liaison Administration operates there. Jewish Population,407,118, Palestinian population, roughly 1.8 million, largest city, Modiin Illit The name Judea and Samaria for this geographical area is based on terminology from the Hebrew and other sources relating to ancient Israel and Judah/Judea. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War but not annexed by Israel, in Jewish religious terms, it is part of the Land of Israel, which leads to politically contentious issues. However, it is not considered part of the State of Israel by the UN, urban Israel, Details and pictures about many cities in Israel
3.
Southern District (Israel)
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The Southern District is one of Israels six administrative districts, and is the largest in terms of land area as well as the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arava valley, the population of the Southern District is 1,086,240 and its area is 14,185 km2. It is 79. 66% Jewish and 12. 72% Arab and 7. 62% Others, the district capital is Beersheba, while the largest city is Ashdod. Beershebas dormitory towns of Omer, Meitar, and Lehavim are all relatively affluent, while the development towns, some villages do not fall under the jurisdiction of a regional council. These include, Mahane Yatir Umm al-Hiran List of cities in Israel Arab localities in Israel Gaza Strip
4.
Local council (Israel)
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There are 265 local councils in Israel. Local councils should not be confused with local committees, which are lower-level administrative entities, Local council status is determined by passing a minimum threshold, enough to justify operations as independent municipal units, although not large enough to be declared a city. In general this applies to all settlements of over 2,000 people, the Israeli Interior Minister has the authority of deciding whether a locality is fit to become a municipal council. Local councils also have an important role in town planning, the Union of Local Authorities in Israel is the umbrella organization of local councils in Israel. The union represents the local councils vis a vis the national government, ULAI was established in 1938, under the British Mandate, as the League of Local Councils. Regional council City council List of cities in Israel Local Government in Israel
5.
Hebrew language
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Hebrew is a language native to Israel, spoken by over 9 million people worldwide, of whom over 5 million are in Israel. Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors, the earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date from the 10th century BCE. Hebrew belongs to the West Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family, Hebrew is the only living Canaanite language left, and the only truly successful example of a revived dead language. Hebrew had ceased to be a spoken language somewhere between 200 and 400 CE, declining since the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Aramaic and to a lesser extent Greek were already in use as international languages, especially among elites and it survived into the medieval period as the language of Jewish liturgy, rabbinic literature, intra-Jewish commerce, and poetry. Then, in the 19th century, it was revived as a spoken and literary language, and, according to Ethnologue, had become, as of 1998, the language of 5 million people worldwide. After Israel, the United States has the second largest Hebrew-speaking population, with 220,000 fluent speakers, Modern Hebrew is one of the two official languages of the State of Israel, while premodern Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world today. Ancient Hebrew is also the tongue of the Samaritans, while modern Hebrew or Arabic is their vernacular. For this reason, Hebrew has been referred to by Jews as Leshon Hakodesh, the modern word Hebrew is derived from the word Ivri, one of several names for the Israelite people. It is traditionally understood to be a based on the name of Abrahams ancestor, Eber. This name is based upon the root ʕ-b-r meaning to cross over. Interpretations of the term ʕibrim link it to this verb, cross over, in the Bible, the Hebrew language is called Yәhudit because Judah was the surviving kingdom at the time of the quotation. In Isaiah 19,18 it is called the Language of Canaan, Hebrew belongs to the Canaanite group of languages. In turn, the Canaanite languages are a branch of the Northwest Semitic family of languages, according to Avraham ben-Yosef, Hebrew flourished as a spoken language in the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah during about 1200 to 586 BCE. Scholars debate the degree to which Hebrew was a vernacular in ancient times following the Babylonian exile. In July 2008 Israeli archaeologist Yossi Garfinkel discovered a ceramic shard at Khirbet Qeiyafa which he claimed may be the earliest Hebrew writing yet discovered, dating around 3000 years ago. The Gezer calendar also dates back to the 10th century BCE at the beginning of the Monarchic Period, classified as Archaic Biblical Hebrew, the calendar presents a list of seasons and related agricultural activities. The Gezer calendar is written in an old Semitic script, akin to the Phoenician one that through the Greeks, the Gezer calendar is written without any vowels, and it does not use consonants to imply vowels even in the places where later Hebrew spelling requires it
6.
Arabic
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Arabic is a Central Semitic language that was first spoken in Iron Age northwestern Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. Arabic is also the language of 1.7 billion Muslims. It is one of six languages of the United Nations. The modern written language is derived from the language of the Quran and it is widely taught in schools and universities, and is used to varying degrees in workplaces, government, and the media. The two formal varieties are grouped together as Literary Arabic, which is the language of 26 states. Modern Standard Arabic largely follows the standards of Quranic Arabic. Much of the new vocabulary is used to denote concepts that have arisen in the post-Quranic era, Arabic has influenced many languages around the globe throughout its history. During the Middle Ages, Literary Arabic was a vehicle of culture in Europe, especially in science, mathematics. As a result, many European languages have borrowed many words from it. Many words of Arabic origin are found in ancient languages like Latin. Balkan languages, including Greek, have acquired a significant number of Arabic words through contact with Ottoman Turkish. Arabic has also borrowed words from languages including Greek and Persian in medieval times. Arabic is a Central Semitic language, closely related to the Northwest Semitic languages, the Ancient South Arabian languages, the Semitic languages changed a great deal between Proto-Semitic and the establishment of the Central Semitic languages, particularly in grammar. Innovations of the Central Semitic languages—all maintained in Arabic—include, The conversion of the suffix-conjugated stative formation into a past tense, the conversion of the prefix-conjugated preterite-tense formation into a present tense. The elimination of other prefix-conjugated mood/aspect forms in favor of new moods formed by endings attached to the prefix-conjugation forms, the development of an internal passive. These features are evidence of descent from a hypothetical ancestor. In the southwest, various Central Semitic languages both belonging to and outside of the Ancient South Arabian family were spoken and it is also believed that the ancestors of the Modern South Arabian languages were also spoken in southern Arabia at this time. To the north, in the oases of northern Hijaz, Dadanitic and Taymanitic held some prestige as inscriptional languages, in Najd and parts of western Arabia, a language known to scholars as Thamudic C is attested
7.
Negev
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The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The regions largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba, in the north, at its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin cities, including Rahat and Tel as-Sabi and Lakyah. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker, the origin of the word negev is from the Hebrew root denoting dry. In the Bible, the word Negev is also used for the direction south, during the British Mandate it was called Beersheba sub-district. The Negev covers more than half of Israel, over some 13,000 km² or at least 55% of the land area. It forms a triangle shape whose western side is contiguous with the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. The Negev has a number of interesting cultural and geological features, among the latter are three enormous, craterlike makhteshim, which are unique to the region, Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol, and Makhtesh Katan. The Negev is a rocky desert and it is a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis and deep craters. It can be split into five different ecological regions, northern, western and central Negev, the high plateau, the northern Negev, or Mediterranean zone, receives 300 mm of rain annually and has fairly fertile soils. The western Negev receives 250 mm of rain per year, with light, sand dunes can reach heights of up to 30 metres here. The high plateau area of Ramat HaNegev stands between 370 metres and 520 metres above sea level with temperatures in summer and winter. The area gets 100 mm of rain per year, with inferior, the Arabah Valley along the Jordanian border stretches 180 km from Eilat in the south to the tip of the Dead Sea in the north. The Arabah Valley is very arid with barely 50 mm of rain annually and it has inferior soils in which little can grow without irrigation and special soil additives. Vegetation in the Negev is sparse, but certain trees and plants there, among them Acacia, Pistacia, Retama, Urginea maritima. A small population of Arabian leopards, an animal in the Arabian peninsula. The Negev Tortoise is a endangered species that currently lives only in the sands of the western. The Negev shrew is a species of mammal of the family Soricidae found only in Israel, hyphaene thebaica or doum palm can be found in the Southern Negev
8.
Desert
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A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation, about one third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the regions where little precipitation occurs. Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation falls, by the temperature that prevails. Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks which consequently break in pieces, although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter and the resulting fragments and this picks up particles of sand and dust and wafts them aloft in sand or dust storms. Wind-blown sand grains striking any solid object in their path can abrade the surface, rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes, other deserts are flat, stony plains where all the fine material has been blown away and the surface consists of a mosaic of smooth stones. These areas are known as desert pavements and little further erosion takes place, other desert features include rock outcrops, exposed bedrock and clays once deposited by flowing water. Temporary lakes may form and salt pans may be left when waters evaporate, there may be underground sources of water in the form of springs and seepages from aquifers. Where these are found, oases can occur, plants and animals living in the desert need special adaptations to survive in the harsh environment. Plants tend to be tough and wiry with small or no leaves, water-resistant cuticles, some annual plants germinate, bloom and die in the course of a few weeks after rainfall while other long-lived plants survive for years and have deep root systems able to tap underground moisture. Animals need to cool and find enough food and water to survive. Many are nocturnal and stay in the shade or underground during the heat of the day and they tend to be efficient at conserving water, extracting most of their needs from their food and concentrating their urine. Some animals remain in a state of dormancy for long periods and they then reproduce rapidly while conditions are favorable before returning to dormancy. People have struggled to live in deserts and the surrounding lands for millennia. Nomads have moved their flocks and herds to wherever grazing is available, the cultivation of semi-arid regions encourages erosion of soil and is one of the causes of increased desertification. Many trade routes have been forged across deserts, especially across the Sahara Desert, large numbers of slaves were also taken northwards across the Sahara
9.
Israel
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Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. The country contains geographically diverse features within its small area. Israels economy and technology center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine, next year, the Jewish Agency declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied territories including the West Bank, Golan Heights and it extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank. Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories is the worlds longest military occupation in modern times, efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace. However, peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been signed, the population of Israel, as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was estimated in 2017 to be 8,671,100 people. It is the worlds only Jewish-majority state, with 74. 8% being designated as Jewish, the countrys second largest group of citizens are Arabs, at 20. 8%. The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims, including significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins, other minorities include Arameans, Armenians, Assyrians, Black Hebrew Israelites, Circassians, Maronites and Samaritans. Israel also hosts a significant population of foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia, including illegal migrants from Sudan, Eritrea. In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish, Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature, Israel is a developed country and an OECD member, with the 35th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product as of 2016. The country benefits from a skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. The country has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the third highest in Asia, in the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term Israeli to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett. The names Land of Israel and Children of Israel have historically used to refer to the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The name Israel in these phrases refers to the patriarch Jacob who, jacobs twelve sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel or Children of Israel. The earliest known artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt. The area is known as the Holy Land, being holy for all Abrahamic religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam
10.
Makhtesh Ramon
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Makhtesh Ramon is a geological feature of Israels Negev desert. The crater is 40 km long, 2–10 km wide and 500 meters deep, the only settlement in the area is the small town of Mitzpe Ramon located on the northern edge of the crater. Today the crater and surrounding area forms Israels largest national park, hundreds of millions of years ago, the Negev desert was covered by an ocean. Slowly, this started to recede northwards leaving behind a hump-shaped hill, the hump was slowly flattened by water and climatic forces. Approximately five million years ago, the Arava Rift Valley was formed, with changing their courses. The crater bottom continued to deepen at a faster rate than the surrounding walls. As the crater deepened, more layers of ancient rock were exposed with rocks at the bottom of the crater being up to 200 million years old, Makhtesh Ramon contains a diversity of rocks including clay hills known for their fantastic red and yellow colors and forms. Limestone covered by basalt can also be found in smaller hills in the southern part of the makhtesh. Shen Ramon is a made of magma which hardened whilst underground. It later rose up through cracks in the Earths surface, and today stands in striking contrast with the nearby creamy coloured southern wall of the crater, as a black sharp-edged rock. In the centre of the makhtesh is HaMinsara, a low hill made up of columnar jointed sandstone - polygonal prismatic columns of quartzite, the pterioid bivalve Family Ramonalinidae is found in early Middle Triassic rocks of Makhtesh Ramon and was named after this feature. The Asian wild ass has been reintroduced to Makhtesh Ramon, in 1995 the population had increased to 40 adults in the area. The animals are hybrids of two different subspecies of the Asian Wild Ass and it is derived from the Turkmenian kulan and the Persian onager. The original subspecies, the Syrian wild ass, is completely extinct, other larger mammals of the area include Nubian ibexes, Dorcas gazelles, striped hyenas and few Arabian leopards. The ruins of a prehistoric stone structure known as Khan Saharonim are found in the makhtesh, as it lies along the ancient Incense Route. These ruins acted as a way station for the traders and their animals as they proceeded further westwards to the Mediterranean seaport city of Gaza, mazor, Emanuel and Krasnov, Boris, editors The Makhteshim Country - a Laboratory of Nature. Birds eye view of Ramon Crater
11.
Highway 40 (Israel)
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Highway 40 is a north-south intercity road in Israel. At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, the highway runs from Kfar Saba in the center of Israel to the Arabah in the south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and Beer Sheva. The highway starts at an intersection with Highway 90 near Ketura and it then continues north, winding through the mountains of the southern Negev. This section includes the Meishar, which is a completely straight, the highway descends into the Ramon Crater, crosses it and then ascends 250 meters along Maale HaAtzmaut to reach Mitzpe Ramon. From Mitzpe Ramon the highway continues past Ramon Air Force Base, from Sde Boker the highway continues past numerous Bedouin settlements and the Ramat Hovav industrial area. Between Nokdim Junction and Goral Junction the highway forms a bypass of Beer Sheva, also passing Omer. From Goral Junction the highway continues as a four lane road, passing Lehavim. North of Kiryat Malakhi, the highway merges with Highway 3 for 4 km to Reem Junction and this short section has six lanes. It then continues as a four lane road, passing through Gedera and past Tel Nof Air Force Base, between Matzliah Junction and Gesher Lod Junction it forms an eastern bypass of Ramle and Lod. At El Al Junction the highway turns left towards Ben Gurion International Airport and it is then downgraded in size to two lanes until IAI Junction, where it becomes a four lane divided carriageway once again. The highway then continues through Petah Tikva and bypasses Hod HaSharon before terminating at an intersection with Highway 55 in Kfar Saba
12.
Development town
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The towns were designated to expand the population of the countrys peripheral areas and to ease development pressure on the countrys crowded centre. The towns are the results of the Sharon plan – the master plan of Israel, the majority of such towns were built in the Galilee in the north of Israel, and in the northern Negev desert in the south. In addition to the new towns, Jerusalem was also given development town status in the 1960s, the sudden arrival of over 130,000 Iraqi Jews in Israel in the early 1950s meant that almost a third of Maabarah dwellers were of Iraqi Jewish origin. At the end of 1949 there had been 90,000 Jews housed in Maabarot, by the end of 1951 this population rose to over 220,000 people, Maabarot residents were housed in tents or in temporary tin dwellings. Over 80% of the residents were Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries of Middle East, the number of people housed in Maabarot began to decline in 1952, and the last Maabarot were closed sometime around 1963. Over time, the Maabarot metamorphosed into Israeli towns, or were absorbed as neighbourhoods of the towns they were attached to, most of the Maabarah camps transformed into development towns. Maabarot, which became development towns, include Kiryat Shmona, Sderot, Beit Shean, Yokneam Illit, Or Yehuda, the first development town was Beit Shemesh, founded in 1950 around 20 km from Jerusalem. The newly established towns were populated by Jewish refugees from Arab and Muslim countries – Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Yemen. Development towns were populated by Holocaust survivors from Europe and Jewish immigrants. A high proportion of the population is religious or traditional, with a 2003 survey showing that 39% of residents would rather Israel be run more by halakhic law. In 1984, the Development Towns project was awarded the Israel Prize for its contribution to society. Many towns gained a new influx of residents during the immigration from former Soviet states in the early 1990s. 11 points in the Negev List of Israel Prize recipients
13.
1990s Post-Soviet aliyah
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The 1990s Post-Soviet aliyah began en masse in late 1980s when the government of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the borders of the USSR and allowed Jews to leave the country for Israel. Between 1989 and 2006, about 1.6 million Soviet Jews and their relatives and spouses, as defined by the Law of Return. About 979,000, or 61%, migrated to Israel, another 325,000 migrated to the United States, and 219,000 migrated to Germany. The group successfully integrated economically into Israel, in 2012, the salary of FSU immigrants was comparable to that of native-born Israeli Jews. Following the Six-Day War, many Soviet Jews began applying for exit visas and this was accompanied by a worldwide campaign calling on the Soviet government to allow Jews to emigrate. Individual citizens of the Soviet Union who wanted to emigrate had to obtain exit visas, many who sought exit visas were denied. Those who tried to escape the USSR and did not succeed were branded traitors, fired from their jobs and those who received exit visas lost their Soviet citizenship and had to pay an exit tax. Under the Communist regime, real estate such as apartments usually belonged to the state. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the establishment of capitalism in Russia and other former Soviet republics, emigrants who left Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union were able to keep their citizenship and assets. In response to growing pressure, the Soviets began allowing Jews to emigrate in limited numbers annually starting in 1968. Initially, most went to Israel, but after 1976, the majority began immigrating to the United States, which had a policy of treating Soviet Jews as refugees under the Jackson-Vanik amendment. In total, some 291,000 Soviet Jews were granted exit visas between 1970 and 1988, of whom 165,000 immigrated to Israel and 126,000 to the United States, in 1989, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev decided to lift restrictions on emigration. That same year,71,000 Soviet Jews emigrated, of whom only 12,117 immigrated to Israel, in Vienna, a major transit point for immigration to Israel, some 83% chose to go to the United States. However, in October 1989, the US government stopped treating Soviet Jews as refugees, as another country, in 1990,183,400 Soviet immigrants arrived in Israel. Approximately 148,000 more arrived in 1991, between 1992 and 1995, immigration to Israel from the former Soviet Union averaged around 70,000 per year. After that, the wave began rapidly declining, although a spike occurred in 1999. Some Soviet immigrants also came by sea on chartered ships, direct flights from the Soviet Union to Israel carrying immigrants took place in January and February 1990. The first direct flight, which carried 125 immigrants, departed Moscow on January 1,1990, on February 22,1990, the Soviet government suspended the direct flights
14.
Amir Peretz
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Amir Peretz is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Zionist Union. He previously served as Minister of Defence, leader of the Labor Party, Peretz is the former chairman of the Histadrut trade union federation and defeated Shimon Peres in the primary elections for the Labor leadership on 9 November 2005. He led the Labor Party to a place showing in the 2006 elections. He was defeated by Ehud Barak for the Labor leadership on 12 June 2007 and he joined the Hatnuah party in December 2012, before rejoining the Labor Party in September 2015. Peretz was born as Armand Peretz in Boujad, Morocco, on 9 March 1952 during French colonial rule and his father David was head of the Jewish community in Boujad. He worked as an accountant and at a petrol station, the family emigrated to Israel when Morocco won independence in 1956. They were settled in the development town of Sderot, where Peretz lived until the age of 18 and he went to high school in a nearby kibbutz. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as the ordnance officer of the 202nd paratroopers brigade. On 22 April 1974, Peretz was badly wounded as a result of an accident at the Mitla Pass and he spent a year in the hospital recuperating. After leaving the hospital, he bought a farm in the village of Nir Akiva, still in a wheelchair, he began growing vegetables and flowers for export. During this period he met his wife Ahlama and they married, in 1983, answering a call made by friends, Peretz ran for the office of mayor of Sderot, as candidate of the Israel Labor Party. At only 31 years of age he won a victory that ended a period of dominance of the towns politics by the right-wing Likud party. It was the first in a series of councils that passed back to Labor control in the late 1980s. As mayor, he emphasized education and worked to improve previously fractious relations with the kibbutzim in the area. In 1988 he was elected a member of the Knesset, in 1994, after failing in a previous bid for Histadrut leadership, Peretz joined forces with Haim Ramon to contest control of the then powerful trade union federation. They ran on an independent list against the candidate of then Labor leader Yitzhak Rabin. They won, and Peretz became Ramons deputy at the Histadrut and he became chairman of the Histadrut in December 1995, when Ramon reentered the cabinet following Rabins assassination. During his early years at the helm of the Histadrut, Peretz was regarded as a militant firebrand, sometimes the pretext for declaring a general strike would be an inopportune statement by the finance minister, as had been the case with Yaakov Neeman in 1996
15.
Israeli Prison Service
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The Israel Prison Service, commonly known in Israel by its acronym Shabas or IPS in English, is the state agency responsible for overseeing prisons in Israel. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, in 2014, the IPS employed 8,800 workers. The IPS is divided into three blocs, North, Center, and South, the IPS is headed by the Commissioner of Prisons. In 2014, there were 33 correctional facilities, including five detention centers, 60% were serving time for criminal offenses and 40% for security offences. In December 2011, there were 307 administrative detainees held without trial, of these detainees seventeen had been detained for between two and four and a half years. One had been detained for more than five years, conditions in Israeli prisons generally meet international standards. Prison conditions are equal for male and female prisoners, and all prisoners are free to practice their religion, all Israeli citizens have the right to vote whilst in prison. Inmates are entitled to visits from their lawyers and family members, inmates who are married or in common-law relationships have the right to conjugal visits. In 2011, ICRC maintained a program that enabled Palestinians from the West Bank to visit relatives held in Israeli prisons, a similar scheme for the Gaza Strip was halted by the Israeli government following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Credible allegations of inhumane conditions are duly investigated by the authorities and this right was rescinded for those imprisoned for terrorism offenses in 2011. The Knesset passed a law allowing private prisons in 2004, the state hoped to save money by transferring prisoners to such facilities, which would eliminate the need to invest in more infrastructure and manpower. In 2009, the Israeli Supreme Court struck down the plans, following the decision, the state had to pay compensation to a company that had already completed construction of the first private prison, near Beersheba. Their military equivalent is shown in parentheses and they wear their rank insignia on their upper sleeves. Soher – Warder Rav Soher – Chief Warder Samal – Sergeant Rav Samal – Chief Sergeant They wear their insignia on their collars. Metzada unit is IPSs hostage rescue and special unit, one of five hostage rescue units in Israel. Nahshon is the IPSs main intervention and conveyance unit and deals with searches, silencing disturbances, guarding IPS staff, yamar Dror, founded at the end of 1993, is the IPS unit for fighting narcotics. It specializes in searches and interrogation, Official website Official website- Prisoner Care
16.
Makhtesh
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A makhtesh (Hebrew, מַכְתֵּשׁ, plural, מַכְתְּשִׁים is a geological landform considered unique to the Negev desert of Israel and the Sinai peninsula of Egypt. A makhtesh has steep walls of resistant rock surrounding a deep closed valley which is drained by a single wadi. The valleys have limited vegetation and soil, containing a variety of different colored rocks and diverse fauna, the best known and largest makhtesh is Makhtesh Ramon. Although commonly referred to as craters, these formations are erosion cirques, craters are formed by the impact of a meteor or volcanic eruption, whereas makhteshim are created by erosion. The word makhtesh is the Hebrew word for a mortar grinder, the geological landform was given this name, because of its similarity to a grinding bowl. Where a hard layer of rock covers softer rocks, erosion removes the softer minerals relatively quickly. The harder rocks eventually collapse under their own weight and a crater-like valley structure is formed, in Negev and Sinai makhteshim, the hard rocks are limestone and dolomite, while the inner softer rocks are chalk or sandstone. The center of the Negev is dominated by northeast-southwest anticlinal ridges, the crests of four ridges host five deep valleys surrounded by steep walls. The upper half consists of limestone and dolomite and the bottom of friable sandstone. Each valley, known as a makhtesh, is drained by a river bed. The Negev has five makhteshim, Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol, Makhtesh Katan, Makhtesh Ramon is exceptional as it is drained by two rivers. It is the largest makhtesh at over 40km long, 2–10km wide, the rocks in this makhtesh contain thousands of ammonite fossils, as well as volcanic and metamorphic rocks. Makhtesh Gadol At the time of naming, Makhtesh Ramon was uncharted and so this was thought to be the largest makhtesh, Makhtesh Katan is the smallest major makhtesh at 5km by 7km and was charted in 1942 by Jewish explorers. The two makhteshim in Sinai, Egypt, have no names for the basin, but their walls have several names including Jabal al-Manzur or Gebel Maghara, mazor, Emanuel and Krasnov, Boris, editors The Makhteshim Country - a Laboratory of Nature. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia,2001,411 pages
17.
Desert climate
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An area that features this climate usually experiences from 25 to 200 mm per year of precipitation and in some years may experience no precipitation at all. Averages may be even less such as in Arica, Chile, there are usually two or three variations of a desert climate, a hot desert climate, a cold desert climate and, sometimes, a mild desert climate. To determine whether a location has a climate, the precipitation threshold is determined. If the areas precipitation is less than half the threshold. Hot desert climates are found under the subtropical ridge where there is largely unbroken sunshine for the whole year due to the stable descending air. These areas are located between 30 degrees south and 30 degrees north latitude, under the subtropical latitudes called the horse latitudes, hot desert climates are generally hot, sunny and dry year-round. Hot desert climates also reach similar latitudes in the Middle East, North Africa, hot desert climates usually feature hot, sometimes exceptionally hot, periods of the year. In many locations featuring a hot climate, maximum temperatures of over 40 °C are not uncommon in summer. The world absolute heat records, over 50 °C, are generally in the hot deserts, some desert locations consistently experience very high temperatures all year long, even during wintertime. These locations feature some of the highest annual average temperatures recorded on Earth and this last feature is seen in some parts of deserts of Africa and Arabia. During colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing or below due to the radiation loss under the clear skies. However, very rarely do temperatures drop far below freezing, only one region in Europe has a hot desert climate, Province of Almeria, Province of Alicante and Province of Murcia in South Eastern Spain. Cold desert climates usually feature warm and dry summers, though summers typically are not quite as hot as summers in hot desert climates, unlike hot desert climates, cold desert climates tend to feature cold winters with rare snow. Cold desert climates are found at higher altitudes than hot desert climates. A cold desert climate is found in temperate zones, usually in the rain shadow of high mountains. A classic example of this is the Patagonian Desert in Argentina bounded by the Andes to its west, in the case of Central Asia, mountains restrict precipitation from the monsoon. The Gobi desert in Mongolia is an example of this. Though hot in summer, it shares the cold winters of the rest of Central Asia
18.
Highway 90 (Israel)
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The central section of the road traverses the West Bank, though while it passes near the city of Jericho, it does not enter areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. There are two checkpoints which separate this central section of the road from the northern and southern sections that are located inside the Green Line. The section of Route 90 passing the Dead Sea is named Dead Sea Highway and it is along this stretch of road that Masada, Ein Gedi nature reserve, Ein Gedi Spa, Qumran Caves, and Ahava are located. The section of Route 90 passing through the Arabah is named Arava Highway, until the 1960s, a series of separate roads existed where the highway is today. After the Six-Day War, a section in the northern Dead Sea area was completed, in the early 1980s, the road was assigned the number 90. The northernmost section of the highway, from Tiberias to Metula, is the oldest, having existed since the Ottoman period. Due to this, the National Roads Company is widening and reconstructing in stages a total of 170 km of the road through the Arabah to a four lane configuration with a barrier in the middle. The total cost of all stages of this effort is NIS2.3 billion. As of the fall of 2013,40 km of the highway just north of Eilat have been widened, the Arabah section of the proposed Railway to Eilat, if and when built, will be located nearby the Arava Highway in many places along the route. Route 90 has two checkpoints, One in the north near Sdei Trumot, and one in the south just north of Ein Gedi and it is between these two checkpoints that Route 90 intersects with Route 1. There is no actual four-way intersection with Route 1, when traveling south along 90 from the Jordan Valley, the road intersects the eastern end of Route 1 at Beit HaArava Junction. Route 90 continues by making a turn at the junction. A short distance later, Route 90 continues via a turn at Lido Junction. While in Israel blocking a route is an offense, some attempts to block the road had been made during the recent years. During March 2011 Israeli social workers demonstrations, an attempt was made to block route 90, on April 2011, a group of a few dozen right wing cyclists attempted to board on the road on route to Nablus. The demonstration was stopped by the police and the military near an entrance by Lt. Col. Eisner. On 14 April 2012, a group of approximately 200 cyclists tried to board on the road and were stopped by Lt. Col. Eisner, the incident became an international scandal resulting in Eisner being suspended
19.
Ecotourism
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It means responsible travel to natural areas conserving the environment and improving the well being of the local people. Since the 1980s, ecotourism has been considered a critical endeavor by environmentalists, several university programs use this description as the working definition of ecotourism. Generally, ecotourism deals with interaction with components of the natural environments. Ecotourism focuses on responsible travel, personal growth, and environmental sustainability. Ecotourism typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, Ecotourism is intended to offer tourists insight into the impact of human beings on the environment, and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats. Responsible ecotourism programs include those that minimize the negative aspects of tourism on the environment. For these reasons, ecotourism often appeals to advocates of environmental and social responsibility, the term ecotourism, like sustainable tourism, is considered by many to be an oxymoron. Like most forms of tourism, ecotourism generally depends on air transportation, additionally, the overall effect of sustainable tourism is negative, where, like ecotourism, philanthropic aspirations mask hard-nosed immediate self-interest. An ecotourist is different from a tourist in the sense that, he or she is mindful of his environment, Ecotourism is a responsible tourism which conserves the environment and sustains the well being of local people. For many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment, for example, in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar and territories such as Antarctica, ecotourism represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product and economic activity. Ecotourism is often misinterpreted as any form of tourism that involves nature, self-proclaimed practitioners and hosts of ecotourism experiences assume it is achieved by simply creating destinations in natural areas. According to critics of this commonplace and assumptive practice, true ecotourism must, above all, sensitize people to the beauty and these critics condemn some operators as greenwashing their operations, using the labels of green and eco-friendly”, while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways. Currently, there are moves to create national and international ecotourism accreditation programs. National ecotourism certification programs have been put in place in such as Costa Rica, Australia, Kenya, Estonia. Ecotourism is a late 20th-century neologism compounded from eco- and tourism, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, ecotour was first recorded in 1973 and ecotourism, probably after ecotour, in 1982. One source claims the terms were used earlier, claus-Dieter Hetzer, an academic and adventurer from Forum International in Berkeley, CA, supposedly coined ecotourism in 1965 and ran the first ecotours in the Yucatán during the early 1970s. The failure to acknowledge responsible, low-impact ecotourism puts legitimate ecotourism companies at a competitive disadvantage, many environmentalists have argued for a global standard of accreditation, differentiating ecotourism companies based on their level of environmental commitment, creating a standard to follow. The decisions of the board would be sanctioned by governments, so that non-compliant companies would be required to disassociate themselves from the use of the ecotourism brand
20.
Jerusalem stone
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Jerusalem stone is a name applied to various types of pale limestone, dolomite and dolomitic limestone, common in and around Jerusalem that have been used in building since ancient times. One of these limestones, meleke, has used in many of the regions most celebrated structures. Jerusalem stone continues to be used in construction and incorporated in Jewish ceremonial art such as menorahs, in 2000, there were 650 stone-cutting enterprises run by Palestinians in the West Bank, producing a varied range of pink, sand, golden, and off-white bricks and tiles. The highlands of Israel and the West Bank are primarily underlain by limestone, dolomite. The stone quarried for building purposes, ranging in color white to pink, yellow. Soft Senonian limestone is found to the east of Jerusalem, and has long used as an inexpensive building material. Stone of the Cenomanian layers, known in Arabic as mizzi ahmar and mizzi yahudi, is far more durable than Senonian limestone, turonian layers yield mizzi hilu or helu and meleke, the most prized building stones. The thin layered mizzi hilu is easily quarried and worked, Meleke is soft and easy to chisel, yet hardens with exposure to the atmosphere and becomes highly durable. It was used for the public buildings of antiquity, and for the construction of the Islamic period city walls. The mountains in and around Jerusalem offer mainly limestone, dolomite, the names in common use today have been adopted from the Arab masons of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is easy to quarry, but once it is exposed to air it hardens, mizzi hilu is a hard whitish micritic limestone, usually covering beds of meleke. It is a quality building stone, but in times when the royal stone was preferred. Mizzi ahmar, a dolomitic limestone, light-colored with reddish bands. In Jerusalem it was used for ablaq-style multi-colored masonry by the Mamluks, mizzi yahudi, a dark grey or yellow crystalline dolomite or dolomitic limestone, appreciated for its hardness which makes it an excellent building material. Deir yassini is a variety of mizzi named after the village of Deir Yassin, a reddish dolomitic limestone, it is quarried in slabs used for floor and roof tiles. Mizzi akhdar is a decorative green limestone quarried on a smaller scale and its high density means that it can be finely polished. At the beginning of the 20th century it was five times more expensive than other varieties of mizzi, kakuleh or kakula, a soft and light chalky limestone found on the Mount of Olives. These vessels were considered by strictly observant Jews to always be ritually pure, nari is the other softer type of stone used in the Jerusalem area
21.
Bed and breakfast
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A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have four and eleven rooms, with six being the average. Bed and breakfast is also used to describe the level of catering included in a hotels room prices, as opposed to room only, generally, guests are accommodated in private bedrooms with private bathrooms, or in a suite of rooms including an en suite bathroom. Some homes have private bedrooms with a bathroom which is shared with other guests, Breakfast is served in the bedroom, a dining room, or the hosts kitchen. B&Bs and guest houses may be operated as either a source of income or a primary occupation. Often the owners themselves prepare the breakfast and clean the rooms, properties with hired professional management are uncommon but may exist if the same owner operates multiple B&Bs. Some B&Bs operate in a niche market, floating bed and breakfasts are boats or houseboats which offer B&B accommodation, the CCGS Alexander Henry museum ship was one example. In some communities, former lighthouse keeper quarters have been turned into B&B rooms after the light has been automated or decommissioned, in China expatriates have remodelled traditional structures in quiet picturesque rural areas and opened a few rustic boutique hotels with minimum amenities. Most patrons are tourists but they are growing in popularity among the Chinese, in Hungary B&B is very popular. Usually is a small hotel, an intimate ambience and a pleasant atmosphere. It provides an alternate for the hotels. In Hungarian the B&B is called Panzió or Szálló, in India, the government is promoting the concept of bed & breakfast. The government is doing this to increase tourism, especially keeping in view the demand for hotels during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and they have classified B&B in 2 categories - Gold & Silver B&B. All B&B will be approved by the Ministry of Tourism who will then categorize it as Gold or Silver based upon the pre-defined criteria, charges for standard B&B is around $100 to $120 each head for a month and for premium B&B services starts from $180 and above. Registered Irish B&Bs are star rated by Fàilte Ireland and along with the majority unregistered B&Bs, generally, B&Bs in Ireland are family owned & run, with a small percentage being leased/managed but still with the personal service expected in this sector. Owners / Managers nearly always live on premises, Breakfast can mean a cooked Irish Fry or continental style buffet. The Israeli B&B is known as a zimmer, all over the country, but especially in northern Israel the zimmers has developed an extensive industry. Settlements belonging to families and rural settlements are rented for a short period
22.
Las Vegas
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The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment and it is the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World and it is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the worlds most visited tourist destinations. The citys tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature, films, television programs, Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, it was the most populated American city founded within that century, population growth has accelerated since the 1960s, and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85. 2%. Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century, and according to a 2013 estimate, perhaps the earliest visitors to the Las Vegas area were nomadic Paleo-Indians, who traveled there 10,000 years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs. Anasazi and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago, a young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, the area was named Las Vegas, which is Spanish for the meadows, as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as desert spring waters for westward travelers. The year 1844 marked the arrival of John C, frémont, whose writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas Fremont Street is named after him, eleven years later members of the LDS Church chose Las Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward, the remainder of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres of adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. In 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city,1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks and this year also witnessed the beginning of construction on nearby Hoover Dam. The influx of workers and their families helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression. The construction work was completed in 1935, in 1941, the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School was established. Currently known as Nellis Air Force Base, it is home to the team called the Thunderbirds
23.
Casino
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A casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. The industry that deals in casinos is called the gaming industry, casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. There is much debate whether or not the social and economic consequences of casino gambling outweigh the initial revenue that may be generated. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events, such as comedy, concerts. The term casino is a confusing linguistic false friend for translators, Casino is of Italian origin, the root casa originally meant a small country villa, summerhouse, or social club. In modern-day Italian, the term designates a bordello, while the gambling house is spelled casinò with an accent. Not all casinos were used for gaming, the Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, known for the mass public meetings often held in its hall during the 1848 Revolution, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. Until 1937, it was a well-known Danish theatre, the Hanko Casino in Hanko, Finland—one of that towns most conspicuous landmarks—was never used for gambling. Rather, it was a hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 19th century and is now used as a restaurant. In military and non-military usage in German and Spanish, a casino or kasino is an officers mess, in Italian—the source-language of the word—a casino is either a brothel, a mess, or a noisy environment, while a gaming house is called a casinò. The precise origin of gambling is unknown and it is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleons France and Elizabethan England and it was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry. In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons, the creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, during the early 20th century in America, gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, Americas first legalized casinos were set up in those places. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, now Americas second largest gambling city, most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age. Customers gamble by playing games of chance, in cases with an element of skill, such as craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack. Most games played have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an overall advantage over the players and this can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative
24.
Geography of Israel
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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′N 34°45′E at the end of the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, the northeast by Syria, the east by Jordan and the West Bank, to the west of Israel is the Mediterranean Sea, which makes up the majority of Israels 273 km coastline and the Gaza Strip. Israel has a coastline on the Red Sea in the south. Israels area is approximately 20,770 km2, which includes 445 km2 of inland water, Israel stretches 424 km from north to south, and its width ranges from 114 km to, at its narrowest point,15 km. The Israeli-occupied territories include the West Bank,5,879 km2, East Jerusalem,70 km2, geographical features in these territories will be noted as such. Southern Israel is dominated by the Negev desert, covering some 16,000 square kilometres, the north of the Negev contains the Judean Desert, which, at its border with Jordan, contains the Dead Sea which, at −417 m is the lowest point on Earth. The inland area of central Israel is dominated by the Judean Hills of the West Bank, whilst the central and northern coastline consists of the flat and fertile Israeli coastal plain. Inland, the region contains the Mount Carmel mountain range, which is followed inland by the fertile Jezreel Valley. The highest point in territory internationally recognized as Israeli is Mount Meron at 1,208 meters, Israel lies to the north of the equator around 31°30 north latitude and 34°45 east longitude. It measures 424 km from north to south and, at its widest point 114 km, at its narrowest point, however, this is reduced to just 15 km. It has a frontier of 1,017 km and a coastline of 273 km. It is ranked 153 on the List of countries and outlying territories by total area, prior to the establishment of the British Mandate for Palestine, there was no clear-cut definition of the geographical and territorial limits of the area known as Palestine. On the eve of World War I it was described by Encyclopædia Britannica as a geographical concept. The Sykes-Picot Treaty in 1916 divided the region later became Palestine into four political units. Under the British Mandate for Palestine, the first geo-political framework was created that distinguished the area from the countries that surrounded it. The boundary demarcation at this time did not introduce geographical changes near the frontiers, modern Israel is bounded to the north by Lebanon, the northeast by Syria, the east by Jordan and the West Bank, and to the southwest by Egypt. To the west of Israel is the Mediterranean Sea, which makes up the majority of Israels 273 km coastline, Israel has a small coastline on the Red Sea in the south
25.
Wildlife of Israel
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Species such as the Syrian brown bear and the Arabian ostrich have become extinct in Israel due to hunting and loss of habitat. As of May 2007,190 nature reserves have established in Israel. Israel contains a variety of mammals due to its geographical and climatic diversity, for many of the mammals, Israel is the border of their territory. The territories of species which originate in the Palearctic generally stop at the deserts, most of the mammals in Israel are of a Palearctic origin and about a tenth of the mammals are endemic to its general area. The Land of Israel once contained a variety of mammals, however in recent times many mammals such as the European water vole, the cheetah, in the modern age many mammal populations such as the Arabian leopard and the sand cat are in a high risk of extinction. In total there are 57 species of mammals which are endangered out of the total 104 species, the largest living predator in Israel is the Arabian leopard and its population too is endangered. There are 33 species of bats in Israel, the most species out of the ten mammalian orders currently in Israel, researchers from Tel Aviv University found 12 species of bat living in old army outposts in the Jordan Valley. Various animal species have become extinct due to unchecked hunting under Ottoman rule and to an extent under British Mandate rule. By the beginning of the 20th century, the oryx, the Syrian brown bear, the Asiatic lions, the Asiatic cheetah. Modern hunting laws prohibit all hunting of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, except those considered pests, however the packs of feral dogs that are taking over the countryside are an increasing threat to wildlife and domesticated animals. Rapid urbanization as well as overforestation have caused the destruction of natural habitats. One of the most famous examples of habitats destroyed is the drying of swamps including the Hula lake which caused the extinction of the European water vole and jungle cat. Some mammals that have gone locally extinct are being reintroduced, such as the Persian fallow deer, Israel has roughly 100 species of reptiles, of which almost a third live in its northern areas. The number of amphibians in Israel has decreased dramatically since the last century due to the drying of various swamps. The Hula painted frog was thought to be extinct until a specimen was found in November 2011. Environmental improvements in the Hula reserve have been cited as a reason for the frogs re-emergence. The amphibians of Israel include five from the order Anura and two from the order Urodela, the banded newt, the eastern spadefoot toad, and the Hula painted frog are critically endangered. The European green toad is the most widespread amphibian in Israel, while the toad is usually limited to areas with a constant supply of water, populations have begun to spread into drier places
26.
Wise Observatory
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The Florence and George Wise Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Tel Aviv University. It is located 5 km west of the city of Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev desert near the edge of the Ramon Crater, and it is the only professional astronomical observatory in Israel. Founded in October 1971 as a collaboration between Tel Aviv University and the Smithsonian Institution, and named after the late Dr. George S. Wise, the observatory is a research laboratory of Tel-Aviv University. Traditionally, the Wise Observatory Director is appointed by Tel-Aviv Universitys Dean of Exact Sciences from the academic staff of the Department of Astronomy. The number of nights, with part of the night cloud-free, is about 240. The best season, when practically no clouds are observed, is June to August, winds are usually moderate mainly from North-East and North. Storm wind velocities occur, but rarely, the wind speed tends to decrease during the night. Temperature gradients are small and fairly moderate, the average relative humidity is quite high with a tendency to decline during the night from April to August. The average seeing is about 2-3 seconds of arc, a few good nights have seeing of 1 or less while few show seeing larger than 5. An important advantage of the Wise Observatory at its location of ~35°E in the Northern Hemisphere is the possibility of cooperating with observatories at other longitudes for time-series studies. Such projects involve searches for stellar oscillations within the Whole Earth Telescope project, monitoring gravitational microlensing events, combined ground and space observing campaigns, a project to monitor photometrically and spectroscopically Active Galactic Nuclei is still running, following about 30 years of data collection. Other major projects include searches for supernovae and extrasolar planets, and investigations of star formation processes in galaxies through wide and narrow-band filter imaging. Lately, some emphasis is put on studies of Near Earth Objects, with the focus being the rotational properties of NEOs. As of 2016, the Wise Observatory is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 17 numbered minor planets during 1999–2007, moreover, another 8 minor planets were discovered at the Wise Observatory, but are now credited to the individual astronomers such as David Polishook. The observatory operates a one-metre-diameter Boller and Chivens telescope, which is a wide-field Ritchey-Chrétien reflector mounted on a rigid, off-axis equatorial mount. This telescope was originally a twin of the Las Campanas 1 m Swope telescope and it also has two CCD cameras, a two-star Nather-type photometer, a Faint-object spectrograph-camera, and an older Boller and Chivens spectrograph. The photoelectric photometer and the Boller and Chivens spectrograph have not been in use for more than a decade, however, this instrument never produced satisfactory images and its use was discontinued. Another camera was operated from the end of 2007 to about 2014 and this camera is composed of four 4096x4096 pixel non-butted Fairchild CCDs that are thick and front-illuminated, thus have a response peaking in the red with approximately 42% quantum efficiency
27.
Haaretz
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It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently still in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International New York Times, both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet. In North America, it out as a weekly newspaper. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic, as of 2016, the newspaper had a weekday exposure rate of 3. 9% in Israel, significantly lower than the countrys other national newspapers. Haaretz was first published in 1918 as a newspaper sponsored by the British military government in Palestine, in 1919, it was taken over by a group of socialist-oriented Zionists, mainly from Russia. The newspaper was established on 18 June 1919 by a group of businessmen including prominent philanthropist Isaac Leib Goldberg, later, the name was shortened to Haaretz. The literary section of the paper attracted leading Hebrew writers of the time, the newspaper was initially published in Jerusalem. From 1919 to 1922, the paper was headed by a succession of editors and it was shut down briefly due to a budgetary shortfall and reopened in Tel Aviv at the beginning of 1923 under the editorship of Moshe Glickson, who held the post for 15 years. The Tel Aviv municipality granted the financial support by paying in advance for future advertisements. Salman Schocken, a wealthy German Jewish Zionist who owned a chain of department stores in Germany and his son, Gershom Schocken, became the chief editor in 1939 and held that position until his death in 1990. Until August 2006, the Schocken family owned 100% of the Haaretz Group, the deal was negotiated with the help of former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor. This deal was seen as controversial in Israel as DuMont Schaubergs father, Kurt Neven DuMont, was member of the German Nazi party, while his publishing house promoted Nazi ideology. On 12 June 2011, it was announced that Russian-Israeli businessman Leonid Nevzlin had purchased a 20% stake in the Haaretz Group, buying 15% from the family and this means that the Schocken family now owns 60% and M. DuMont Schauberg and Leonid Nevzlin have 20% each. In October 2012, a union strike mobilized to protest planned layoffs by the Haaretz management, as a consequence, both the Haaretz newspaper and its TheMarker business supplement were not printed for one day. According to Israel Radio, it was the first time since 1965 that a newspaper did not go to press on account of a strike, the newspapers editorial policy was defined by Gershom Schocken, who was editor-in-chief from 1939 to 1990. Schocken was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Hanoch Marmari, in 2004 David Landau replaced Marmari and was succeeded by Dov Alfon in 2008. The current editor-in-chief of the newspaper is Aluf Benn, who replaced Alfon in August 2011, charlotte Halle became editor of the English Print Edition in February 2008. Haaretz describes itself as having a liberal outlook both on domestic issues and on international affairs
28.
UNESCO
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris. It is the heir of the League of Nations International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation, UNESCO has 195 member states and nine associate members. Most of its offices are cluster offices covering three or more countries, national and regional offices also exist. UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs, education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNESCO and its mandate for international cooperation can be traced back to a League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, on 18 December 1925, the International Bureau of Education began work as a non-governmental organization in the service of international educational development. However, the work of predecessor organizations was largely interrupted by the onset of World War II. On 30 October 1943, the necessity for an organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China, the United Kingdom, the United States. This was followed by the Dumbarton Oaks Conference proposals of 9 October 1944, a prominent figure in the initiative for UNESCO was Rab Butler, the Minister of Education for the United Kingdom. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, the Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946—the date when UNESCOs Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state. The first General Conference took place between 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Dr. Julian Huxley to Director-General and this change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the CICI, in how member states would work together in the organizations fields of competence. In 1956, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO claiming that some of the organizations publications amounted to interference in the racial problems. South Africa rejoined the organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, UNESCOs early work in the field of education included the pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, started in 1947. This project was followed by missions to other countries, including, for example. In 1948, UNESCO recommended that Member States should make free primary education compulsory, in 1990, the World Conference on Education for All, in Jomtien, Thailand, launched a global movement to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults. Ten years later, the 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, UNESCOs early activities in culture included, for example, the Nubia Campaign, launched in 1960. The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after construction of the Aswan Dam, during the 20-year campaign,22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including Mohenjo-daro, Fes, Kathmandu, Borobudur, the organizations work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Committee was established in 1976 and the first sites inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 and 2005
29.
City council (Israel)
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City councils - plural, (Hebrew, עִירִיּוֹת Iriyot / singular, (Hebrew, עִירִיָּה Iriya - are the official designations of the cities within Israels system of local government. City mayors and members of the city councils are elected every five years, list of cities in Israel Local council Regional council Local Government in Israel. 2009 Local Authorities on Israel Government portal City Council Ordinance
30.
Arad, Israel
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Arad is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It is located on the border of the Negev and Judean Deserts,25 kilometres west of the Dead Sea and 45 kilometres east of Beersheba. The city is home to a population of 24,436, including Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews. The city is notable for its clean, dry air and serves as an attraction to asthmatics worldwide. After attempts to settle the area in the 1920s, Arad was founded in November 1962 as an Israeli development town, Arads population grew significantly with the Aliyah from the Commonwealth of Independent States in the 1990s, and peaked in 2002 at 24,500 residents. Landmarks in Arad include the ruins of Tel Arad, Arad Park, the city is known for its annual summer music festival, The Arad Festival. Arad is named after the Biblical Canaanite town located at Tel Arad, however, Shoshenq Is chronicles seem to mention a settlement in Tel Arad. During the Byzantine period, the location was correctly identified by Eusebius. Ancient Arad became a Christian bishopric, no longer a residential bishopric, Arad is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Nine men and two women attempted the task, but after four months were forced to leave because water was not found in the area. On 15 November 1960, a team was appointed by the Israeli cabinet to examine the possibility of establishing a city in the northeastern Negev desert. An initial budget of 50,000 Israeli liras was granted for the project, on 31 January 1961, the final location was chosen, and plans were approved for roads and water connections. In March 1961, blueprints for a city of 10, 000-20,000 residents were drawn up, yona Pitelson was the chief architect and planner. The plan took into account topography and climate, with buildings constructed with large inner courtyards that offered protection from the desert sun. High density residential areas were built first in order to create an urban milieu, the oil company Nefta built a work camp in the area in July 1961, consisting of six temporary sheds, after oil was found there in commercial quantities. The town itself was established in 1962 by a group of young ex-kibbutz and ex-moshav members seeking an environment free of overcrowding, traffic, noise, the founding ceremony was held on 21 November, and attended by then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. It was one of the last development towns to be founded, according to the city website, Arad was the first pre-planned city in Israel. Until 1964 Arad had about 160 families, most of whom were natives
31.
Ashdod
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Ashdod is the sixth-largest city and the largest port in Israel accounting for 60% of the countrys imported goods. Ashdod is located in the Southern District of the country, on the Mediterranean coast where it is situated between Tel Aviv to the north and Ashkelon to the south, Jerusalem is 53 km to the east. The city is also an important regional industrial center and this article is dealing with both these historic towns and other ancient sites now located within the territory of modern Ashdod. The first documented settlement at Ashdod dates to the Canaanite culture of the 17th century BCE. Ashdod is mentioned 13 times in the Bible, during its pre-1956 history the city was settled by Philistines, Israelites, Greek colonists coming in the wake of Alexanders conquests, Romans and Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks. Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the hills near the site of the ancient town. Being a planned city, expansion followed a main development plan, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Ashdod had a population of 220,174 in 2015, with an area of 47,242 dunams. Three stone tools dating from the Neolithic era were discovered, but no evidence of a Stone Age settlement in Ashdod was found. The site of Ashdod in the Bronze Age and Iron Ages was at a tell just south of the modern city and it was excavated by archaeologists in nine seasons between 1962 and 1972. The effort was led during the first few years by David Noel Freedman of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the remaining seasons were headed by Dothan for the Israel Antiquities Authority. The earliest major habitation in Ashdod dates to the 17th century BCE, Ashdod is first mentioned in written documents from Late Bronze Age Ugarit, which indicate that the city was a center of export for dyed woolen purple fabric and garments. At the end of the 13th century BCE the Sea Peoples conquered and destroyed Ashdod, by the beginning of the 12th century BCE, the Philistines, generally thought to have been one of the Sea Peoples, ruled the city. During their reign, the city prospered and was a member of the Philistine Pentapolis, in 950 BCE Ashdod was destroyed during Pharaoh Siamuns conquest of the region. The city was not rebuilt until at least 815 BCE, asdûdu led the revolt of Philistines, Judeans, Edomites, and Moabites against Assyria after expulsion of king Ahimiti, whom Sargon had installed instead of his brother Azuri. Gath belonged to the kingdom of Ashdod at that time, assyrian king Sargon IIs commander-in-chief, whom the King James Bible calls simply Tartan, Isaiah 20,1 regained control of Ashdod in 712/711 BCE and forced the usurper Yamani to flee. Sargons general destroyed the city and exiled its residents, including some Israelites who were settled in Media. Mitinti was king at the time of Sargons son Sennacherib, psamtik I of Egypt is reported to have besieged the great city Azotus for twenty-nine years, the biblical references to the remnant of Ashdod are interpreted as allusions to this event. The city absorbed another blow in 605 BCE, when Nebuchadnezzar conquered it, in 539 BCE the city was rebuilt by the Persians
32.
Ashkelon
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Ashkelon is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast,50 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age, the Arab village of al-Majdal or al-Majdal Asqalan, was established a few kilometres inland from the ancient site by the late 15th century, under Ottoman rule. In 1918, it part of the British Occupied Enemy Territory Administration. Al-Majdal on the eve of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War had 10,000 Arab inhabitants and in October 1948, al-Majdal was the forward position of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force based in Gaza. The town was initially named Migdal Gaza, Migdal Gad and Migdal Ashkelon by the new Jewish inhabitants, most of the remaining Arabs were evicted by 1950. In 1953, the neighborhood of Afridar was incorporated and the name Ashkelon was readopted to the town. By 1961, Ashkelon was ranked 18th among Israeli urban centers with a population of 24,000, in 2015 the population of Ashkelon was 130,660. The name Ashkelon is probably western Semitic, and might be connected to the root š-q-l perhaps attesting to its importance as a center for mercantile activities, scallion and shallot are derived from Ascalonia, the Latin name for Ashkelon. Ashkelon was the oldest and largest seaport in Canaan, one of the five cities of the Philistines, north of Gaza, the Neolithic site of Ashkelon is located on the Mediterranean coast,1.5 km north of Tel Ashkelon. It is dated by Radiocarbon dating to ca.7900 bp and it was discovered and excavated in 1954 by French archaeologist Jean Perrot. In 1997–1998, a large scale salvage project was conducted at the site by Yosef Garfinkel on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a final excavation report was published in 2008. In the site over a hundred fireplaces and hearths were found and numerous pits, various phases of occupation were found, one atop the other, with sterile layers of sea sand between them. This indicates that the site was occupied on a seasonal basis, the main finds were enormous quantities of animal bones and 20,000 flint artifacts. Usually at Neolithic sites flints far outnumber animal bones, the bones belong to domesticated and non-domesticated animals. When all aspects of this site are taken into account, it appears to have used by pastoral nomads for meat processing. The nearby sea could supply necessary for the conservation of meat. The city was built on a sandstone outcropping and has a good underground water supply. It was relatively large as an ancient city with as many as 15,000 people living inside the walls, Ashkelon was a thriving Middle Bronze Age city of more than 150 acres
33.
Beersheba
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Beersheba also spelled Beer-Sheva is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Beersheba grew in importance in the 19th century, when the Ottoman Turks built a police station there. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. In 1947, Bir Seba, as it was known, was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, following the declaration of Israels independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base. In the Battle of Beersheba waged in October 1948, it was conquered by the Israel Defense Forces, Beersheba has grown considerably since then. Second and third waves of immigration have taken place since 1990, bringing Russian-speaking Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, the Soviet immigrants have made the game of chess a major sport in Beersheba and the city is now a developing technology center. The city is now Israels national chess center, with more chess grandmasters per capita than any city in the world. There are several etymologies for the origin of the name Beersheba, the oath of Abraham and Abimelech is the one stated in Gen.21,31. Others include the seven wells dug by Isaac though only three or four have been identified, the oath of Isaac and Abimelech, the seven lambs that sealed Abraham, Beer is the Hebrew word for well, sheva could mean seven or oath. In this case the meaning is probably oath, as the ancient Hebrews believed seven to be a number. The Arabic toponym can also be translated as Seven wells or as commonly believed Lions well. During Ottoman administration city was referred as بلدية بءرالسبع Birüsseb, Beersheba is mainly dealt with in the Hebrew Bible in connection with the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, who both dig a well and close peace treaties with King Abimelech of Gerar at the site. Hence it receives its name twice, first after Abrahams dealings with Abimelech, the place is thus connected to two of the three Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was founded when Abraham and Abimelech settled their differences over a well of water, Abimelechs men had taken the well from Abraham after he had previously dug it so Abraham brought sheep and cattle to Abimelech to get the well back. He set aside seven lambs to swear that it was he that had dug the well, Abimelech conceded that the well belonged to Abraham and, in the Bible, Beersheba means Well of Seven or Well of the Oath. Beersheba is further mentioned in following Bible passages, Isaac built an altar in Beersheba, jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Simeon and Judah, the sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba. Saul, Israels first king, built a fort there for his campaign against the Amalekites, the prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed
34.
Dimona
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Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert,36 kilometres to the south of Beersheba and 35 kilometres west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. In 2015 its population was 33,258, the citys name is derived from a biblical town, mentioned in Joshua 15, 21-22. Dimona was one of the development towns created in the 1950s under the leadership of Israels first Prime Minister, Dimona itself was conceived in 1953, and settled in 1955, mostly by new immigrants from Northern Africa, who also constructed the citys houses. The emblem of Dimona, adopted 2 March 1961, appeared on a stamp issued on 24 March 1965, in spite of a gradual decrease during the 1980s, the citys population began to grow once again with the beginning of the Russian immigration in the 1990s. Currently, Dimona is the third largest city in the Negev, due to projected rapid population growth in the Negev, the city is expected to triple in size by 2025. Dimona is described as mini-India by many for its 7, 500-strong Indian Jewish community and it is also home to Israels Black Hebrew community, formerly governed by its founder and spiritual leader, Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, now deceased. The Black Hebrews number about 3,000 in Dimona, with families in Arad, Mitzpe Ramon. Their official status in Israel was an issue for many years, but in May 1990, the issue was resolved with the issuing of first B/1 visas. Status was extended to August 2003, when the Israeli Ministry of Interior granted permanent residency, in the early 1980s, textile plants, such as Dimona Textiles Ltd. dominated the industrial landscape. Dimona Silica Industries Ltd. manufactures precipitated silica and calcium carbonate fillers, about a third of the citys population works in industrial workplaces, and another third in the area of services. Due to the introduction of new technologies, many workers have been made redundant in the recent years, Dimona has taken part of Israels solar transformation. Luz II, Ltd. plans to use the solar array to test new technology for the three new plants to be built in California for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Dimona is at an height of about 550–600 metres above sea level. It is in the Negev Desert, therefore it has a climate with low humidity for most of the year. Summers are hot with a max temperature of about 33 °C in August. Average annual precipitation is about 100 mm, mostly during the winter, in the early 1950s, an extension to Dimona and south was constructed from the Railway to Beersheba, designed for freight traffic. A passenger service began in 2005, after pressure from Dimonas municipality, Dimona Railway Station is located in the southwestern part of the city. The main bus terminal is the Dimona Central Bus Station, with lines to Beersheba, Tel Aviv, Eilat, and nearby towns
35.
Eilat
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Eilat is Israels southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The citys beaches, coral reef, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a destination for domestic. A concerted effort by the Israeli Government to populate Elat began in 1955, Eilats arid desert climate and low humidity are moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C in summer, and 21 °C in winter, Eilat averages 360 sunny days a year. With an annual rainfall of 28 millimetres and summer temperatures of 40 °C and higher, water resources. The main elements that influenced the history were the copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international roads that crossed the area. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the environmental conditions, like numerous other localities, Eilat is mentioned in the Bible both in singular and plural form. The original settlement was probably at the tip of the Gulf of Eilat. Ancient Egyptian records also document the extensive and lucrative mining operations, Eilat is mentioned in antiquity as a major trading partner with Elim, Thebes Red Sea Port, as early as the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt. In antiquity Eilat bordered the states of Edom, Midian and the territory of the Rephidim. Eilat is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Exodus, the first six stations of the Exodus are in Egypt. The 7th is the crossing of the Red Sea and the 9th–13th are in and around Eilat, after the exodus from Egypt, station 12 refers to a dozen campsites in and around Timna in Modern Israel near Eilat. When King David conquered Edom, which up to then had been a border of Edom and Midian, he took over Eilat. The commercial port city and copper based industrial center were maintained by Egypt until reportedly rebuilt by Solomon at a known as Ezion-Geber. In 2 Kings 14, 21–22 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old and he rebuilt Elath, and restored it to Judah, after his fathers death. And again in 2 Kings 16,6, At that time the king of Edom recovered Elath for Edom and it was a prosperous Judean trading port from the 9th through 7th centuries BCE. Naʾaman, Nadav. During the Roman period a road was built to link the area with the Nabataean city of Petra, in the writings of medieval Muslim scholars, such as Al-Waqidi, it is told that Muhammad made a treaty with Eilats population, Jews and Christians. In the treaty, Muhammad offered protection to the Jews and the Christians, preserving their self-rule over the city, another reference to the Eilat in Islamic texts is believed to appear in the Quran, sura 7, 163–169
36.
Kiryat Gat
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Kiryat Gat, is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies 56 km south of Tel Aviv,43 km north of Beersheba,45 km from Gaza, in 2015 it had a population of 51,483. Kiryat Gat is named for Gath, one of the five cities of the Philistines. In the 1950s, archaeologists found ruins at a tell which were mistaken for the Philistine city of Gath. The location most favored for Gath now is Tel es-Safi, thirteen kilometers to the northeast, Kiryat Gat was founded in 1954, initially as a maabara. The following year it was established as a development town by 18 families from Morocco and it was founded just west of the ruins of the Arab village of Iraq al-Manshiyya, which was depopulated in 1949 after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The former location of Iraq al-Manshiyya is now within the area of Kiryat Gat. By 1992, Kiryat Gat had grown and spread also on to the land belonged to the village of Al-Faluja. The population rose from 4,400 inhabitants in 1958 to 17,000 in 1969, the economy was initially based on processing the agricultural produce of the Lachish region, such as cotton and wool. In December 1972, Kiryat Gats municipal status was upgraded and it became Israels 31st city, during the 1990s, the mass immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel brought many new residents to the town and its population grew to 42,500 by 1995. The development of the Rabin industrial zone on the edge of the city. In 2012, the makeup of the city was 93.8 percent Jewish. In its early years, Kiryat Gat was populated mainly by Jews of Sephardi/Mizrahi origin, since the mass immigration of Soviet Jews, approximately one third of the inhabitants hail from the former Soviet Union. The Polgat textile factory was the employer in the town until it closed in the 1990s. In 1999, Intel opened a fabrication plant, known as Fab 18, to produce Pentium 4 chips. Intel received a grant of $525 million from the Israeli government to build the plant, in February 2006, the cornerstone was laid for Intels second Kiryat Gat plant, Fab 28. Despite this, Kiryat Gat has one of Israels highest unemployment rates, Kiryat Gat is served by the Kiryat Gat Railway Station on the Tel Aviv - Beer Sheva inter-city line of Israel Railways. Kiryat Gat is situated between two highways, Highway 40 to the west of the town and Highway 6
37.
Kiryat Malakhi
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Kiryat Malakhi is a city in the Southern District of Israel,17 kilometres from Ashkelon. In 2015 it had a population of 21,551, the name was chosen to honor the Jewish community of Los Angeles, which contributed much of the funding for its establishment. It was founded on the land belonging to the depopulated Arab village of Qastina, Kiryat Malakhi later became one of several development towns in the Negev. Moshe Katsav, later Israels eighth president, was elected mayor in 1969 at the age of 24 and his younger brother, Lior Katsav, was also mayor of Kiryat Malakhi, whilst Yosef Vanunu held the post from 1981 until the 1990s. The current mayor is Eliyahu Zohar, on 15 November 2012, rocket attacks from Gazan militants killed three Jewish residents of the city during Operation Pillar of Defense. The arrival of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and from Ethiopia in recent years has increased the population of Kiryat Malakhi by 40 percent, some 22,000 people now live in the city. In January 2012, Israeli television publicized a case of a seller in the municipality creating a restrictive covenant barring the sale or lease of property to Ethiopians, according to CBS figures for 2000, there were 5,692 salaried workers and 458 self-employed persons in Kiryat Malakhi. The mean monthly wage for a worker was 3,513 shekels. Salaried men earned an average of 4,558 shekels compared to 2,405 shekels for females, the mean income for the self-employed was 5,471. There were 472 people receiving unemployment benefits and 3,301 people eligible for income supplements, there is a 1000 people football stadium named Teddy Arena. The club Maccabi Kiryat Malakhi plays there, Kiryat Malakhis main transportation hub is Malakhi Junction. According to CBS, there are 15 schools and 4,909 students in the city and they are spread out as 10 elementary schools and 2,867 elementary school students, and 2 high schools and 2,042 high school students. 47. 9% of 12th grade students were entitled to a certificate in 2001. Kiryat Malakhi is twinned with, Piatra Neamț, Romania Rueil-Malmaison, France Media related to Kiryat Malakhi at Wikimedia Commons Official website
38.
Netivot
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Netivot is a city in the Southern District of Israel located between Beersheba and Gaza. In 2015 it had a population of 31,314, Netivot was founded in 1956 as a Negev development town. The first residents were immigrants from Morocco and Tunisia, in the 1990s, they were joined by immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia. For many years, Netivot suffered from high unemployment, since 2008, Netivot has been the target of Grad missile attacks from Gaza. In 2012, a rocket exploded near a school in the city, a major landmark is the tomb of the Baba Sali, a Moroccan-born kabbalist who is buried there. In 2001, the makeup of the city was 99. 9% Jewish, with no significant Arab population. The city ranked relatively low in the socioeconomic index In the wake of Operation Solomon, by the end of 2009 Netivot had a population of 26,700. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there were 22 schools and 4,243 students in the city,16 elementary schools with 3,053 students,43. 1% of 12th grade students were entitled to a Bagrut matriculation certificate in 2001. Netivot schools have chosen for a special pilot project in which elementary school children build their own mini-robots. In 2009, a school student from Netivot won first prize in the First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics competition. In 2011, Netivot hosted a festival sponsored by the international organization FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science. First, second and third graders at the Noam Eliyahu religious school in Netivot spend eight hours a week studying science and robotics at Lehava, the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev runs a two-year community-based leadership program in Netivot. Netivot is known for being the home of Jewish mystics and as a pilgrimage site. The growth of mysticism and sacred sites in Netivot led to it being dubbed the Varanasi of Israel, the most prominent rabbis in Netivot include Baruch Abuhateizra, Yaakov Israel Ifergan and Yoram Abergel. On the anniversary of the Baba Salis death, thousands of pilgrims come to Netivot to visit his tomb, eleven local newspapers are published in the city. Three successful nightclubs have opened in Netivot which also draw clientele from out of town, attracting people from Ashkelon, Beersheba, Omer, Lehavim, Ofakim. Two additional neighborhoods with a total of 3,600 new housing units are planned for Netivot and they are expected to double the citys population. Two large supermarkets are also planned for the city, in addition to the seven already built there, there are 24 plants and factories located in a nearby industrial park mostly in food processing, metals, plastics and construction sectors
39.
Ofakim
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Ofakim is a city in the Southern District of Israel,20 kilometers west of Beersheba. It achieved municipal status in 1955 and it has an area of 10,000 dunams. In 2015 it had a population of 25,638, Ofakim was established in 1955 as an urban center for the rural communities in the area. The early residents were Jewish immigrants from North Africa and India, in 2010, about one-fifth of the residents were ultra-Orthodox and one third were immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The rest are descendants of the generation, immigrants from North Africa. Ofakim also has a community of Ethiopian Jews. As in other development towns, the sector has historically played an important part in Ofakims economy. In 1972, 32% of the workers were in this sector. During this period, the textile industries consistently employed by far the most workers, the Of–Ar textile factory was a major employer. In 2001, there were 19 schools and 4,704 students in the city –13 elementary schools,43. 3% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate. One of Israels 14 tennis centers is located in Ofakim and it opened in 1990 and has six courts. The city also has a soccer stadium, a train station opened in 2015 with a car park for 1,000 cars, and an old industrial building is being converted into an art museum. The Nahal Shomriya cycling route around Ofakim was inaugurated in 2010, the 60-centimeter-wide single route winds through 1,500 dunams in Ofakim Forest, passing through Nahal Shomriya and Nahal Patish, and looping around eight local moshavim. Oren Smadja, judoka Robert Tiviaev, former Knesset member Works of communal art
40.
Rahat
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Rahat is a predominantly Bedouin city in the Southern District of Israel. In 2015 it had a population of 62,415, as such, it is the largest Bedouin settlement in the world, and the only one in Israel to have city status. In Arabic, rahat means relief or groups, the city has a total of 33 neighborhoods. All but one of the neighborhoods consist entirely of separate Bedouin clans, between each neighborhood there is a wadi. The city also has a market, public and commercial services, neighborhood parks, public areas, womens employment centers, childrens play areas, and several mosques. Members of several Bedouin family clans reside in Rahat, Al-Qrenawi, Tarabin, Al-Huzeil, Al-Tayaha, Al-Azazma, Al-Jubur, Al-Tawarah, Howeitat, Rahats society is considered a young one, as more than half of its residents are under the age of 18. According to the CBS, in 2001 there were 16,300 males and 16,100 females, the population growth rate in 2001 was 5. 9%. Also according to the CBS, at the end of 2010 there were 26,700 males and 26,400 females. Some 60. 4% of Rahats population were 19 years old or younger,15. 4% between 20 and 29,15. 3% between 30 and 44,5. 9% from 45 to 59, 1% from 60 to 64, and 2%65 years of age or older. The population growth rate has decreased significantly to 2. 7%, according to citys mayor the city is home to an estimated 7,000 illegal immigrants at any given time. The region of the city owned by Al-Tayaha tribe. Until the year 1972 the town was called Al-Hezeel before changing its name, in 1972 Rahat was considered by the government of Israel as a new settlement for Bedouin who lived in the surrounding area without permanent domicile. Until 1980, Rahat was part of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, in 1994 it was recognized as a city – the first Bedouin city in Israel. As a result of rapid and unexpected changes of the infrastructure, Bedouin faced many difficulties. The rate of unemployment remains high in Bedouin townships, as well as the crime level, school through age 16 is mandatory by law, but the vast majority of the population does not receive a high school education. Women are discriminated against in the patriarchal-type Bedouin society, there is another serious problem of trespassing on state lands and building of unrecognized Bedouin settlements, which have no municipal status and face demolition orders. Rahat is one of several projects aimed at improving life for the Negev Bedouin. Unlike illegal villages with access to water, electricity and other services
41.
Sderot
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Sderot is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In 2015 it had a population of 23,090, studies have found that air raid sirens and explosions have caused severe psychological trauma in some residents. At least 75 percent of children aged 4–18 in Sderot suffer from stress, including sleeping disorders. From mid-June 2007 to mid-February 2008,771 rockets and 857 mortar bombs were fired at Sderot and the western Negev, an average of three or four each a day. Notable for its many bomb shelters some of which are built in the form of Childrens Play areas in school playgrounds, Sderot is infamously referred to as The Bomb Shelter Capital of the World. Sderot was founded in 1951 on lands belonged to the Palestinian Arab village of Najd who were expelled to Gaza. On 13 May 1948, Najd was occupied by the Negev Brigade as part of Operation Barak, and the villagers were driven out to Gaza. It began as a camp called Gabim Dorot for Kurdish and Persian Jewish immigrants, numbering 80 families. Permanent housing was completed, three years later, in 1954, from the mid-1950s Moroccan Jews increasingly settled in the township. In 1956, Sderot was recognized as a local council, like many other localities in the Negev, Sderots name has a green motif that symbolizes the motto making the desert bloom, a central part of Zionist ideology. In the 1961 census, the percentage of North African immigrants, mostly from Morocco, was 87% in the town, in the 1950s, the city continued to absorb a large number of immigrants from Morocco and Romania. It reached local council status in 1958, Sderot absorbed another large wave of immigrants during the Aliyah from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, doubling its population. In 1996, it was declared a city, the population declined as families left the city in desperation. The mayor said in 2008 that the population had dropped by 10–15%, many of the families that remained were those who could not afford to move out or are unable to sell their homes. This situation that the children from this place and the place is because of the behaviour of the leaders of the terror organisations. We can create another quality of life, it is so close, in October 2013, Alon Davidi was elected as Mayor of Sderot. According to CBS, in 2010 the city had a population of 21,900, the national makeup of the city was 94% Jewish,5. 5% other non-Arabs, and Arabs less than 1%. There were 10,600 males and 10,500 females, the population growth rate in 2010 was 0. 5%
42.
Ar'arat an-Naqab
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Ararat an-Naqab or Arara BaNegev, previously called Aroer, is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. Its name stands for the tree in Negev. It is situated not far from the site of Aroer. Ararat an-Naqab was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements and it is one of seven Bedouin townships in the Negev desert with approved plans and developed infrastructure. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Ararat an-Naqab was 15,813 in 2015, prior to the establishment of Israel, the Negev Bedouins were a semi-nomadic society that had been through a process of sedentariness since the Ottoman rule of the region. Most researches agree that Bedouins arrived to the Negev around AD1800, during the British Mandate period the administration didnt provide a legal frame to justify and preserve lands’ ownership. In order to settle this issue, Israel’s land policy was adapted to an extent from the Ottoman land regulations of 1858 as the only preceding legal frame. Thus Israel nationalized most of the Negev lands using the state’s land regulations from 1969, Israel has continued the policy of sedentarization of Negev Bedouins imposed by the Ottoman authorities, and at first it included regulation and re-location. During the 1950s Israel re-located two-thirds of the Negev Bedouins into an area that was under martial law, but not all Bedouins agree to move from tents and structures built on the state lands into apartments prepared for them. In permanent planned villages like Ararat an-Naqab lives about 60% of Bedouin citizens of Israel, the rate of unemployment remains high in Bedouin townships, as well as crime level. School through age 16 is mandatory by law, but the vast majority of the population does not receive a school education. Women are discriminated in the patriarchal-type Bedouin society, there is another serious problem of trespassing on state lands and building unrecognized Bedouin settlements having no municipal status and facing demolition orders. Despite the fact that unemployment level among Negev Bedouins is high, several industrial parks are situated in the area - Ramat Hovav, Hura, there are industrial zones in Beersheba, Arad and Dimona, etc. Other job opportunities are, several chemical plants near the Dead Sea like the Dead Sea Works, different high-tech companies, there is a number of Bedouins working in the area of service. There are branches of several funds in Ararat an-Naqab, Leumit, Clalit, Maccabi. There is a number of schools in the township, until 2009, Ararat an-Naqabs sewage either went through an old purification facility or into one of several pools that were created in the 1980s and posed an environmental hazard
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Hura
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Hura, or Houra is a Bedouin village in the Southern District of Israel. It is located near Beersheba and beside the town Meitar, the village was established in 1989 as a part of solution offered by the state for the Negev Bedouin population, and was declared a local council in 1996. In 2015 it had a population of 19,371, Hura is one of seven Bedouin townships in the Negev desert with approved plans and developed infrastructure. Primarily members of three Bedouin family clans reside in Hura, Abu Alkian, Al-Atawneh and Al-Nabari, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Hura was 17,500 in December 2010, up from 16,600 at the end of 2009. Prior to the establishment of Israel, the Negev Bedouins were a society that had been through a process of sedentariness since the Ottoman rule of the region. Most researches agree that Bedouins arrived to the Negev around 1800 AD, during the British Mandate period, the administration did not provide a legal frame to justify and preserve lands’ ownership. In order to settle this issue, Israel’s land policy was adapted to an extent from the Ottoman land regulations of 1858 as the only preceding legal frame. It enabled Israel to nationalize most of the Negev lands using the state’s land regulations from 1969, all the more so the birth rate of the Bedouin population in Israel is among the highest in the world - it doubles its size every 15 years. Not all Bedouins agree to move from tents and structures built on the lands into apartments prepared for them. In permanent planned villages like Hura lives about 60% of Bedouin citizens of Israel, yet Israels attitude towards its Bedouin citizens has always been positive. The state uses all the means at her disposal to improve the life of the Negev Bedouin community, there are 8 schools in the village, among them Amal, Atid al-Nur and others. Members of different families study in schools due to conflicts between families. Village members have an opportunity for an education at an Ahad school that gives preparation for academic studies in the university. Girls living in Hura and studying at local schools show excellent results - a very large number of them pass school graduation exams successfully, overall,6. 5% percent of Huras residents have a college degree. There are branches of several funds in Hura, Leumit and Clalit as well as several perinatal care centers Tipat Halav. There is an industrial park in Hura with some 60 industrial plots giving jobs to hundreds village members. It is supposed to be extended in the coming years and this industrial park offers employment and output opportunities to the community members who decide to move to Hura. In March 2012, Bezeq have launched a women only call center which support its internet service division, the initial proposal was made by Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor and JDC-Israel
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Kuseife
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Kuseife is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. Kuseife was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements, in 1996 it was declared a local council, and in 2015 it had a population of 19,069. It is one of seven Bedouin townships in the Negev desert with approved plans, members of several Bedouin family clans reside in Kuseife, Abu Ajaj, Elamor, el-Zabarka, el-Nasasra, the biggest of them Abu-Rabia. Other families are, Azbarga, El-Dada, Abu Juda and Abu Anam, a part of el-Nasasra and Elamor clans lives outside Kuseife in a close proximity to the Nevatim Airbase. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Kuseife was 17,400 in December 2010 and its annual growth rate is 3. 6%. Prior to the establishment of Israel, the Negev Bedouins were a society that had been through a process of sedentariness since the Ottoman rule of the region. Most researches agree that Bedouins arrived to the Negev around 1800 AD, during the British Mandate period, the administration did not provide a legal frame to justify and preserve lands’ ownership. In order to settle this issue, Israel’s land policy was adapted to an extent from the Ottoman land regulations of 1858 as the only preceding legal frame. Thus Israel nationalized most of the Negev lands using the state’s land regulations from 1969, but not all Bedouins agree to move from tents and structures built on the state lands into apartments. In permanent planned villages like Kuseife lives about 60% of Bedouin citizens of Israel and this area appears as Kuseife in the military administration documents starting from the 1950s. One of them was a Nevatim Airbase, a township adjacent to the base appeared at the same time. The rate of unemployment remains high in Bedouin townships, school through age 16 is mandatory by law, but the vast majority of the population does not receive a high school education. Yet Israels attitude towards its Bedouin citizens has always been positive, the state uses all the means at her disposal to improve the life of the Negev Bedouin community, and Kuseife is considered to be one of several flagship projects in this sense. Unlike illegal villages with access to water, electricity and services. Only 43, 4% of grade twelve students are eligible to graduate high school. Despite the fact that unemployment level among Negev Bedouins is high, several industrial parks are situated in the area - Ramat Hovav, Hura and Dimona, but the closest industrial zone to Kuseife is situated in Arad. Other job opportunities are, several chemical plants near the Dead Sea like the Dead Sea Works, different high-tech companies, there is a number of Bedouins working in the area of service. They are primarily aimed at Bedouin women, there are branches of several health funds in Kuseife, Leumit, Clalit, Maccabi and several perinatal centers Tipat Halav
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Lakiya
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Lakiya, or Laqye is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. In 2015 it had a population of 11,781, Lakiya was founded in 1985 as part of a government project to settle Bedouins in permanent settlements. It is one of the seven original government-planned Bedouin townships in the Negev desert, in December 2009, the town was ranked lowest in socio-economic standing, with an average income of 4,360 shekels compared to the national averages of 7,070. Only 58. 2% of grade twelve students are eligible to graduate high school. In 1999 the first local elections were held, with Sheikh Ibrahim Abu Maharab elected as council head. Abu Maharab was later succeeded by Khaled al-Sana, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population of Lakiya was 9,943 in December 2010. Its annual growth rate is 3. 1%, there are several Bedouin clans residing in Lakiya, al-Sana being the largest among them. Other families are, Al-Assad, Abu Ammar and Abu Maharab, some clans dont live inside Lakiya, but on adjacent territory. The Lakiya Negev Weaving Project was founded in 1991, its aim is to empower Negev Bedouin women by applying their traditional weaving skills to the manufacture and it is based completely on the unique Bedouin heritage passed on from mother to daughter. Approximately 130 Bedouin women are involved in project in all the stages of the production from initial wool treatment, weaving the rugs, cushion covers and pouches. The projects aim was to make it a successful, profitable and it is about to succeed - several retailers and chains sell Bedouin traditional ground-looms all over Israel, including Haifa, and also abroad. A new visitors center will be soon but it has already become a tourist site. Another tourist site is the Desert Embroidery project, some 20 women completed their professional entrepreneurial and business training and guidance and initiated a project based on the design and production of the traditional Bedouin costume jewelry. They are producing this embroidery at home with traditional Bedouin motifs, the women also hold Bedouin embroidery workshops and events based on the Bedouin tradition. Their workshop is also a center and it is a famous tourist attraction in the area. There are branches of several funds in Lakiya, Leumit, Clalit. There are a number of schools in the township and an activity center. She established the first Arab Bedouin womens organization to improve the situation of Bedouin women at the age of 17
Mitzpe Ramon travel guide from Wikivoyage
