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  • Israel’s right wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was just reelected for the fourth

  • time. His party’s war hawk ideology has been a source of severe tension between Israel,

  • Palestine and their neighbors. But those strained, and often violent relations go back the entirety

  • of Israel’s 67-year history. In the middle of one of the world’s most controversial

  • disputes, we wanted to know, just how powerful is Israel?

  • Well, since it’s foundation, Israel has been growing in size. The original 1947 UN

  • partition allocated 5,500 square miles for about a million inhabitants. Today, nearly

  • 8 million live within 8,000 square miles. Israel’s population density rivals that

  • of India and surpasses Japan. This is unsurprising, as Israel holds religious significance not

  • only for the 75% of Jews who live there, but also the Muslims and Christians who populate

  • the area as well. So, how does Israel fare economically?

  • Although theyre on the smaller side, Israel’s GDP is around 300 billion, ranking them 37th

  • worldwide, and 19th on the UN’s Human Development Index. Israel is a high-tech start-up hotspot.

  • It’s nicknamedSilicon Wadi”, after the Arabic word forValley”. Some have

  • pointed to their cultural emphasis on education, and disproportionate number of scientists

  • and engineers, as the leading cause of the ongoing technological boom. Many wealthy American

  • figureheads have praised and invested in Israel’s economy as well, including Bill Gates and

  • Warren Buffett. Israel is also home to one of the largest diamond cutting and polishing

  • industries, although the land itself is low on natural resources. Additionally, Israel

  • attracts millions of tourists every year, a significant source of income.

  • However, when discussing Israel’s worldwide influence, it is their military and defense

  • technology that brings them the most attention. Israel is one of the world’s largest arms

  • producers, supplying 10% of all military equipment, mostly to the US and EU. More than 60% of

  • drones come from Israel. With such a large arms supply, it is probably unsurprising that

  • Israel has the most powerful military in the Middle East and ranks 11th worldwide. They

  • are able to maintain this lead by devoting as much as 6% of their GDP on defense spending.

  • They are also helped by their special and significant relationship with the United States.

  • The US sends Israel more than 3 billion dollars a year in military aid. This partnership gives

  • the US a strong foothold in the Middle East. In return, the US uses its international might

  • to defend Israel from UN resolutions in their ongoing dispute with Palestine. Israel is

  • also protected by it’s position as a major non-NATO ally. However, during Barack Obama’s

  • presidency, tensions between the two countries have grown over Iran’s attempts for nuclear

  • power, and Israel’s continued settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan

  • Heights.

  • All in all, despite their vulnerable position in the Middle East, Israel has been able to

  • hold it’s own for over half a century. Their mixture of military dominance, international

  • support, and economic strength makes Israel one of the world’s most powerful countries.

  • But what they do with that power is the source of much debate.

  • It’s impossible to talk about the situation in Israel without looking at the bigger picture.

  • If you want to learn more about Palestine’s quest to become a state, here’s our in-depth

  • video. Thanks for watching TestTube, please make sure to subscribe!

Israel’s right wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was just reelected for the fourth

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