ABSTRACT
With a population of over 5.3 million in 1994, Israel has fewer or the same number of people as at least thirty-five of the world's largest cities, including London, Paris, Moscow, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Israel is the birthplace of the two Western monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, and it is also sacred to Islam. It has acquired prominence in Western consciousness because it shares similar values with the West. By the end of 1994, Israel had internationally agreed and fixed borders with only two neighbors: Egypt and Jordan. Although most citizens of Israel are Jews, about 18.5 percent of the population is non-Jewish. Since its inception, the Zionist movement and its organizations have been international in character, representing Jews from dozens of different countries and with headquarters and offices in several places. The Mandate for Palestine gave special recognition to Zionist claims and emphasized rights and privileges of the Jewish community.
