Is ‧ rael /ˈɪzreɪl/ BrE AmE
a country on the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. Population: 7,112,359 (2007). Capital: Jerusalem. Israel was established in 1948 as a home for the Jewish ↑ diaspora , out of land that was part of Palestine. Many Arab countries do not want Israel to exist, and there have been several wars since 1948. The Arab Palestinians who live in Israel have tried to improve their position, sometimes using violence. Following a peace agreement in 1993, the Palestinian people have become partly independent of Israel through the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority.