Israel

The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל (help·info); Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrā'īl) is a country in Asia, (specifically the Middle East), on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state.

Name and flag

The name "Israel" is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, where Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a mysterious adversary ("a man", and later "God" according to Genesis 32:24–30; or "the angel", according to Hosea 12:4). Israel means "he who has wrestled with God". The nation fathered by Jacob, were then called "the children of Israel" or the "Israelites". The people are commonly called Jews after Jacob's son Judah, the ancient father of the tribe of King David's dynasty.

The Israeli flag is rooted in Jewish tradition. The white background symbolizes purity. The symbols on the flag are two stripes—one on the top and one on the bottom—and the Star of David emblem adorning the center. The stripes and blue color are inspired by the techeileth dye of the tallit (Jewish prayer shawl).

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