The Country

Geography:
Israel was located in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It's neighbours are Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Israel is a long narrow country, being less than 50 miles wide at it's mid-point. The eastern boundary is defined by a deep trough, an extension of the East African Rift Valley, which contains the River Jordan, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the Dead Sea - the latter being the lowest point on the Earth's surface at 395 m (1,296 ft) below the level of the Mediterranean. The western coastline borders a narrow coastal plain, where a large portion of the population resides. In the north, the Galilee highlands rise to Israel's highest mountain (Mt Meron) at 1,208 m (3,963 ft). In the south, the triangular-shaped Negev region is a desert region extending to the Gulf of Aqaba, which links to the Red Sea.
Since 1949 irrigation schemes have added over 153,000 hectares (378,000 acres) to the agricultural land available. Forests have increased tenfold since 1948. The area of Israel is 20,700 sq km (7,992 sq m). The population of the territory has grown rapidly since 1948, with substantial immigration including more than 2.2 million Jews and over 300,000 non-Jews. The total population numbered 5.9 million in 2000. In that year the ethnic groups comprised Jews 82% and Others 18% (mostly Arabs). Religious faith comprised 82% Jewish, 14% Moslem, 2% Christian and 2% other. The capital city is Jerusalem.

Note: Aviation in the territory now under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority, comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip, is to be described separately.

National History:
Summary Narrative History

Timeline - Key Dates in Israeli History

Further National Information:
BBC News Profile: Israel
Yahoo Israel page
wikipedia: Israel page
wikipedia: History of Israel

Civil Aircraft Registrations:
From 1930, civil aircraft operated in Palestine under the British Mandate used the registration sequence VQ-PAA onwards. The Israeli civil aircraft registration prefix 4X-xxx has been used since 1948.

An incomplete all-time Israeli civil aircraft register listing is here.

Military Air Arms:
Air Force (Israel Air and Space Force - IASF)

Central Government Agencies:
None known.

Public Service Aviation:
Medical Aviation (Magen David Adom)
Police Aviation

Commercial Aviation:
El AL
Arkia - Israel Airlines
Israir

wikipedia: Airlines of Israel
The World's Airlines: Israel

Private Aviation:
To be added

Aircraft Manufacturers:
Guide to the aviation industry in Israel (to be added).

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-
Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv
Eilat Airport
Ovda Airport Sde Dov, Tel Aviv
Airports in Israel

Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing

Aviation Museums:
Israeli Air Force Museum

Other preserved aircraft-
Holtz Technical High School, Tel Aviv
Mitzpeh Revivim
IAF Technical School, Haifa

Airshow Dates:
Key Airshow Dates

Aviation-Related Magazines:
Magazines Guide

Magazine Dealers:
Recommended second hand magazine dealers

Aviation Bibliography:
Israeli Aviation Bibliography - to be added

Aviation Bookshops:
On-line bookshops

Web Links:

Israel Aircraft Industries
(Official webpage of the Israeli aerospace company)

Aviation Safety Network
(Israeli aircraft accidents and incidents)

AOPA Israel
(Israeli branch of light aviation organisation)

Civil Rotorcraft Register of Israel
(Listing of Israeli civil helicopters)

Civil Aircraft of Israel
(Comprehensive VQ-PA and 4X- listing)