Israel has a population of 8.95 million people (Nov 2018), spoken languages are Hebrew and Arabic. Designated capital is Jerusalem, the country's largest and most populous city.
However, Morrison also announced that Australia would not relocate its embassy to West Jerusalem until after the final status of Jerusalem was resolved. On 17 October 2022, Australia's foreign minister confirmed its reversal of the previous governments recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
On December 6, 2017, President Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stated that the American embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
History of Jerusalem Ownership
The last recognized holder of Jerusalem was the Ottoman Empire, which held the city for exactly 400 years. They lost it to the British in December 1917, and then the empire itself fell apart in 1923.
Bethlehem lies 10 kilometres south of the city of Jerusalem, in the fertile limestone hill country of the Holy Land. Since at least the 2nd century AD people have believed that the place where the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born.
Read a brief summary of this topic. Jerusalem, Hebrew Yerushalayim, Arabic Bayt al-Muqaddas or Al-Quds, ancient city of the Middle East that since 1967 has been wholly under the rule of the State of Israel.
Plan a Trip to Israel: Places Where Jesus Walked
Jesus chose this little piece of land to spend His years on earth. In order to bring us salvation, He became fully human and lived a normal (for the most part) life among the Jews. The Gospels give us a pretty good idea of where He spent His days.
Tel Aviv is located on Israel's central coastal plain along about 9 miles (15 km) of shoreline. The old city of Jaffa is situated on a promontory bounded by the Mediterranean coastline to the west and north; its small bay was the location of a port in ancient times.
The oldest fossils of anatomically modern humans found outside Africa are the Skhul and Qafzeh hominids, who lived in northern Israel 120,000 years ago. Around 10th millennium BCE, the Natufian culture existed in the area.
Israel is masculine, and Zion/Jerusalem is feminine. The difference between the two is more visible in Hebrew which distinguishes masculine and feminine in the verbs as well as in the adjectives.
Today, Jerusalem is called Yerushalayim (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם) and Al-Quds (Arabic: اَلْـقُـدْس).
In order of size (and probable importance) to the traveller / pilgrim, countries associated with the term "Holy Land" are as follows: Israel - holds the vast majority of sites sacred to Judaism (especially Jerusalem) and Christianity (Nazareth, and the Old City of Jerusalem, scene of the crucifixion and resurrection)
Jerusalem is governed by a Municipal Council that is composed of 31 members who are elected every four years. The council is headed by the mayor, who since 1975 has been elected by direct popular vote. Israeli Jews form the largest and most politically active section of the population.
Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.
Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues.
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources, but most biblical scholars generally accept a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC, the year in which King Herod died.
We often refer to Jesus as Jesus Christ, and some people assume that Christ is Jesus's last name. But Christ is actually a title, not a last name. So if Christ isn't a last name, what was Jesus's last name? The answer is Jesus didn't have a formal last name or surname like we do today.
Jesus died at the age of 33. For us that seems rather early and at the prime of life for many.
Jerusalem is a city located in modern-day Israel and is considered by many to be one of the holiest places in the world.
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the birth of major nationalist movements among the Jews and among the Arabs, both geared towards attaining sovereignty for their people in the Middle East.
Israel still occupies the West Bank, and although it pulled out of Gaza the UN still regards that piece of land as occupied territory. Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.