The State of Israel is a parliamentary democracy on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Bordering the Arab-majority countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, Israel is the world’s only Jewish-majority nation, defining itself as both a Jewish and democratic state. The politics and history of this tiny nation form a complex web of international conflict, as arguably no other nation in the world has been plagued with as much controversy. After being a people without a country for almost 2,000 years, Israel began its journey toward statehood with the passing of the British Mandate for Palestine in July of 1922. This mandate was later superseded by the establishment of the State of Israel in May of 1948. Israel’s modern birth as a nation came not with decisive finality, but as the beginning to further regional conflicts and wars with its Arab neighbors. Though it presently has peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, it has yet to come to terms with Lebanon and Syria, and a resolution for the Palestinian conflict seems evasive, at best. Beyond its political problems, Israel is a highly developed country with one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Even with a small population, its economy is the world’s forty-third largest, and its standard of living is the highest in the Middle East and the third highest in all of Asia. Depending on who you ask, Israel’s capital and largest city is either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

Though Israel was the birthplace of Jesus and the home of the first Christians, professing Christians comprise only 2 percent of the population, with evangelicals making up only 0.4 percent. The professing church is grossly fragmented and complicated by the unending barrage of religious noise and confusion produced by the convergence of every creed under Christendom. In spite of this, the church remains very hopeful in the power of the Gospel to subdue adverse spiritual forces and bring the State of Israel under the peace of the Messiah. Pray for the church in Israel; it must take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel with Jews, Muslims, and professing Christians.

Sources: Wikipedia and Operation World