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Israel-Command Structure THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES

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Figure 14. Organization of National Defense, 1988

The IDF had no commander in chief designated as such. The Basic Law: The Army, 1976, vested command in the government. In fact, the minister of defense acted as the highest authority over the IDF and was its link to civilian political authorities. The minister of defense was a civilian (although usually a retired military officer). The cabinet was required to give prior approval to major military policies and operations. Under normal circumstances, the standing Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the cabinet exercised this responsibility. The invasion of Lebanon in 1982 demonstrated, however, that a domineering minister of defense could, by misleading the cabinet or withholding information, act contrary to the government's wishes. Periodic reports on the status of the military were provided to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, through its Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee and on budgetary matters through the Finance Committee.

The highest ranking IDF officer, the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant general, was the chief of staff, who was chairman of the general staff and was responsible to the minister of defense. The general staff was in charge of "professional" matters, such as organization, training, and the planning and execution of military operations. The chief of staff in late 1988, Lieutenant General Dan Shomron, had held the position since April 1987. He was appointed by the minister of defense for a term that was nominally three years but that could be shortened or extended. Within the Ministry of Defense, the senior civilian officer beneath the minister was the director general, who supervised defense production, infrastructure, the budget, and other administrative and technical matters. As the supreme commander of the IDF, however, the minister of defense could intervene in all IDF matters (see fig. 14).

The general staff had as its members the chief of general staff branch (operations), the chiefs of manpower, logistics, and intelligence; the three area commanders; and the commanding officers of the air force, navy, and ground corps. The ground corps commander was responsible for training, doctrine, and development of equipment for the four combat corps of paratroop/infantry, armor, artillery, and engineers. Operational control of the ground forces went through a separate chain of command from the chief of staff directly to the three area commanders--Northern (forces facing Syria and Lebanon); Central (forces facing Jordan); and Southern (forces facing Egypt)--who in turn exercised command over divisions and brigades.

The navy and air force were not, nor had ever been, designated as separate services. Officially known as the Sea Corps (Hel Yam) and the Air Corps (Hel Avir), the navy and air force, however, enjoyed more autonomy within the IDF structure than their official designations would suggest. Their commanders had the status of senior advisers to the chief of staff. Along with the ground force area commanders, the commanders of the air force and navy held two-star rank.

Data as of December 1988

Command Structure

Figure 14. Organization of National Defense, 1988

Data as of December 1988

Background		Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. In the summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in March 2006 and presided over a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006 and a 23-day conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip during December 2008 and January 2009. OLMERT, who in June 2007 resumed talks with PA President Mahmoud ABBAS, resigned in September 2008. Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU formed a coalition in March 2009 following a February 2009 general election. Peace talks are currently stalled.
Location		Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Area(sq km)		total: 22,072 sq km land: 21,642 sq km water: 430 sq km
Geographic coordinates		31 30 N, 34 45 E
Land boundaries(km)		total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline(km)		273 km
Climate		temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Elevation extremes(m)		lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources		timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use(%)		arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005)
Irrigated land(sq km)		1,940 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources(cu km)		1.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)		total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%) per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards		sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues		limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements		party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note		there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank - as well as 42 sites in the Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.); Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source
Population		7,233,701 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2009 est.)
Age structure(%)		0-14 years: 27.9% (male 1,031,629/female 984,230) 15-64 years: 62.3% (male 2,283,034/female 2,221,301) 65 years and over: 9.9% (male 311,218/female 402,289) (2009 est.)
Median age(years)		total: 29.1 years male: 28.4 years female: 29.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate(%)		1.671% (2009 est.)
Birth rate(births/1,000 population)		19.77 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population)		5.43 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population)		2.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Urbanization(%)		urban population: 92% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio(male(s)/female)		at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births)		total: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth(years)		total population: 80.73 years male: 78.62 years female: 82.95 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate(children born/woman)		2.75 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Nationality		noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups(%)		Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)
Religions(%)		Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Languages(%)		Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Country name		conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el
Government type		parliamentary democracy
Capital		name: Jerusalem geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions		6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Constitution		no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft constitution
Legal system		mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage		18 years of age; universal
Executive branch		chief of state: President Shimon PERES (since 15 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 31 March 2009) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition election results: Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21; PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)
Legislative branch		unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 23.2%, Likud-Ahi 22.3%, YB 12.1%, Labor 10.2%, SHAS 8.8%, United Torah Judaism 4.5%, United Arab List 3.5%, NU 3.4%, Hadash 3.4%, The Jewish Home 3%, The New Movement-Meretz 3%, Balad 2.6%; seats by party - Kadima 28, Likud-Ahi 27, YB 15, Labor 13, SHAS 11, United Torah Judaism 5, United Arab List 4, NU 4, HADASH 4, The Jewish Home 3, The New Movement-Meretz 3, Balad 3
Judicial branch		Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee - made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory retirement age is 70)
Political pressure groups and leaders		B'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors human rights abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General] supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; YESHA Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise
International organization participation		BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OECD (accession state), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), Paris Club (associate), PCA, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Flag description		white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
Economy - overview		Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial, though diminishing, government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable trade deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, its major source of economic and military aid. Israel's GDP, after contracting slightly in 2001 and 2002 due to the Palestinian conflict and troubles in the high-technology sector, has grown by about 5% per year since 2003. The economy grew an estimated 3.9% in 2008, slowed by the global financial crisis. The government's prudent fiscal policy and structural reforms over the past few years have helped to induce strong foreign investment, tax revenues, and private consumption, setting the economy on a solid growth path.
GDP (purchasing power parity)		$203.4 billion (2008 est.) $195.2 billion (2007 est.) $185.6 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)		$202.1 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate(%)		4.2% (2008 est.) 5.2% (2007 est.) 5.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)		$28,600 (2008 est.) $27,900 (2007 est.) $27,000 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector(%)		agriculture: 2.6% industry: 32.4% services: 65% (2008 est.)
Labor force		2.957 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation(%)		agriculture: 2% industry: 16% services: 82% (30 September 2008)
Unemployment rate(%)		6.1% (2008 est.) 7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line(%)		21.60% note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%)		lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 24.2% (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index		38.6 (2005) 35.5 (2001)
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP)		18.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget		revenues: $59.98 billion expenditures: $64.21 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%)		4.6% (2008 est.) 0.5% (2007 est.)
Stock of money		$NA (31 December 2008) $15.36 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money		$NA (31 December 2008) $154.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit		$NA (31 December 2008) $113.4 billion (31 December 2006)
Market value of publicly traded shares		$134.5 billion (31 December 2008) $236.4 billion (31 December 2007) $173.3 billion (31 December 2006)
Economic aid - recipient		$240 million from US (FY06)
Public debt(% of GDP)		76.8% of GDP (2008 est.) 104.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products		citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products
Industries		high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear
Industrial production growth rate(%)		3.5% (2008 est.)
Current account balance		$2.213 billion (2008 est.) $4.185 billion (2007 est.)
Exports		$57.16 billion (2008 est.) $50.07 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities(%)		machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - partners(%)		US 32.5%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 6.7% (2008)
Imports		$64.4 billion (2008 est.) $55.93 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities(%)		raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods
Imports - partners(%)		US 12.3%, Belgium 6.5%, China 6.5%, Switzerland 6.1%, Germany 6% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold		$42.51 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $28.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external		$86.08 billion (31 December 2008) $89.58 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home		$56.93 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $55.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad		$54.55 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $48.47 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates		new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
Currency (code)		new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS
Telephones - main lines in use		2.9 million (2008)
Telephones - mobile cellular		8.902 million (2008)
Telephone system		general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular service providers with countrywide coverage international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2008)
Internet country code		.il
Internet users		2.106 million (2008)
Airports		47 (2009)
Pipelines(km)		gas 176 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2008)
Roadways(km)		total: 17,870 km paved: 17,870 km (includes 146 km of expressways) (2007)
Ports and terminals		Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
Military branches		Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), Israel Air Force (IAF) (2009)
Military service age and obligation(years of age)		18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2008)
Manpower available for military service		males age 16-49: 1,717,362 females age 16-49: 1,636,574 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service		males age 16-49: 1,474,966 females age 16-49: 1,404,712 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually		male: 61,223 female: 58,219 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures(% of GDP)		7.3% of GDP (2006)
Disputes - international		West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Refugees and internally displaced persons		IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2007)
Electricity - production(kWh)		50.41 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source(%)		fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption(kWh)		46.15 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports(kWh)		2.081 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports(kWh)		0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production(bbl/day)		5,246 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption(bbl/day)		235,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - exports(bbl/day)		69,580 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports(bbl/day)		318,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves(bbl)		1.94 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
Natural gas - production(cu m)		1.19 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - consumption(cu m)		1.19 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - exports(cu m)		0 cu m (2008)
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m)		30.44 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%)		0.1% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS		5,100 (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths		fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
Literacy(%)		definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.1% male: 98.5% female: 95.9% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years)		total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures(% of GDP)		6.9% of GDP (2004)