Page 64 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

Gaza Strip in December-January of 2008-2009 to stop terrorist attacks. Another 50-day effort to stop
terroristic activity against Israel came in 2015. Despite the wide-scale destruction inside Gaza, violent
protests and terroristic activity continues against Israel from the Gaza Strip.

There have been other wars or large-scale military operations since 1967, most notably the Yom Kippur
War, October 9-25, 1973. Israel was caught by surprise by this two-sided attack. Egypt came from the
southwest and Syria attacked from the north. Though initially caught off-guard by the attack on the
holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Israeli forces rallied to take control of the fighting. At one point,
Israel was within 60 miles of Cairo and 20 miles of Damascus.

Israel has not had a major conflict with Egypt, Syrian or Jordan since 1973, though the current Syrian
Civil War has led to some military action on Israel’s part.

Israel has also had to endure terrorist attacks from the West Bank in recent decades. Beginning in 2000,
Israel built a 440-mile security fence along the border of the West Bank and Israel. Some of the fence
(less than 10 percent) is a solid wall, 26 feet high. The concrete security walls stand only in high-
population areas or where there had been problems with snipers.

Though random acts of violence continue, suicide bombings in Israel decreased from 73 from 2000-2003
to 12 over the next three years. Today Israel remains one of the most stable countries in the Middle
East. Part of the reason for this success can be credited to its deep-rooted commitment to the rules of
the parliamentary democracy. Israel ranks among the top 20 nations in the world economically. Tourism
is one of Israel’s major sources of income in the country, attracting
3.6 million foreign tourists in 2017, yielding a 25 percent growth
since 2016 and contributing NIS 20 billion to the Israeli economy.

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Israel today

The total area of the State of Israel is 8,630 sq. miles (22,145
sq.km.), of which 8,367 sq. miles (21,671 sq. km.) is land area. Israel
is some 470 km. (290 miles) in length and about 85 miles (135 km.)
across at the widest point. The country is bordered by Lebanon to
the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the
southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Mountains and plains, fertile land, and desert are often minutes
apart. The width of the country, from the Mediterranean Sea in the
west to the Dead Sea in the east, can be crossed by car in about 90
minutes; and the trip from Metulla, in the far North, to Eilat at the
country's southern tip takes about nine hours.

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