Israel
The month of May ended with a proposal from American President Joe Biden for a plan aimed at the release of hostages and a ceasefire. After days of discussion and negotiations, the issue remained unresolved: Netanyahu remains firm on his decision not to end the war in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, while the Palestinian Islamist movement demands the end of the war in exchange for the release of the hostages. June, however, saw a positive moment after the IDF managed to free four hostages held in the town of Nuseirat, in the center of the Gaza Strip. The intervention was made possible thanks to intelligence provided by the USA. Nonetheless, the operation did not dissipate the concern for the men and women still in the hands of Hamas and other Palestinian groups, nor did it mitigate social and governmental tensions. Throughout the month, demonstrations continued for the release of prisoners and calls for Netanyahu's resignation, often followed by arrests and excesses by the police.
Meanwhile, as threatened in May, Benny Gantz resigned from the war cabinet due to the lack of a plan for the post-Gaza period. The resignation, however, did not affect the executive, which retains the majority. There are also turbulent waters within the coalition. Netanyahu accused Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister for National Security and leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, of leaking state secrets, and members of Likud, the ultra-Orthodox parties, and the national-religious parties had heated exchanges over a law on the appointment of rabbis that was supposed to be discussed in the Knesset. Netanyahu withdrew it and urged his colleagues to "behave" and avoid partisan positions.
Tensions also exist between the Prime Minister and the IDF. The armed forces granted Rafah 11 hours of pause in combat per day to allow more humanitarian aid to enter, but it seems neither Netanyahu nor Defense Minister Gallant were aware of it and had not given the green light. Tensions between the Prime Minister and the armed forces seemed to have intensified further when IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that thinking of destroying Hamas is a mistake. Netanyahu, however, clarified that it is the army's "duty" to do so, since the government ordered it. The Prime Minister also decided, after Gantz's resignation, to dissolve the war cabinet. Meanwhile, the IDF announced that it needs another 7,000 soldiers, while the combat periods for reservists are getting longer.
As a result of this situation, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously decided that even the ultra-Orthodox must be conscripted and that yeshivas, the religious schools, will not receive government funds if their students do not comply with the decision. The nine judges of the Court declared that, amid such a difficult war, the inequality of treatment among citizens is more burdensome than ever and needs to be remedied. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara therefore ordered the defense establishment to immediately conscript 3,000 religious school students, a number that, however, "does not fully meet the current needs of the army" and does not ensure that the burden of war is equally distributed among citizens. This is a blow for the government, whose ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism have harshly criticized the decision.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing about the risk of a total war between Israel and Hezbollah. The exchange of fire on the border between the Jewish state and Lebanon continues unabated, and in an Israeli airstrike, Taleb Abdullah, a senior commander of Hezbollah forces, was killed. The reaction was immediate. US envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to Jerusalem for talks. Although no details of the discussions have been disclosed, it is well known that the entire international community fears an escalation in the region and calls for a diplomatic solution.
Download the June 2024 report
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| Head of state | Isaac Herzog |
| Head of Government | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Institutional Form | Parliamentary Republic |
| Capital | Jerusalem (the capital city is recognised by United States, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Guatemala and Honduras. The other countries of the United Nations have their embassies in Tel Aviv) |
| Legislative Power | Unicameral Knesset (120 Members of Parliament) |
| Judicial Power | Supreme Court |
| Ambassador to Italy | Alon Bar |
| Total Area kmq | Around 22.000 km2 |
| Land | 21.643 km2 |
| Weather | Temperate-tropical climate, very sunny with two different seasons: a rainy winter period from November to May, and a dry summer season for the other six months. |
| Natural resources | wood, potassium, copper, natural gas, phosphates, clay and sand |
| Economic summary | An economy based on a free and technologically advanced market, but It’s a bit restricted by an unequal income and a high price of housing and necessities |
| GDP | $487 billion (December 2021) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $39.913 (December 2021) |
| Exports | $113.87 billion (2020 est.) |
| Export partner | US 27.7%, China 9.12%, Palestine 6.57%, India 3.23%, Turkey 2.96% (2020) |
| Imports | $96.53 billion (2020 est.) |
| Import partner | China 13.2%, Turkey 6.86%, Germany 7.52%, Italy 4.08%, Netherlands 3.74% (2020) |
| Trade With Italy | $4.61 billion (2021) |
| Population | 8.914.885 |
| Population Growth | +1,44% (2022 est.) |
| Ethnicities | Jewish 74.9%, and an Arabic minority about 20% |
| Languages | Hebrew (the official language) and Arabic (with a special status) |
| Religions | Jewish 73.4%, Islam 17.8%, Christianity 1.9%, Druze 1.4%, other religions 4.4% |
| Urbanization | 92,8% (2022 est.) |
| Literacy | 97,8% |
Established in 1948, Israel is located at the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. The country is bordered to the west by the Mediterranean Sea, to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east by Egypt and the Gulf of Aqaba, to the east by the West Bank and to the southwest by the Gaza Strip. With a population of over 9 million living on a territory measuring 22,072 sq. Km, Israel is one of the most densely populated countries in the Mediterranean Basin. The official language is Hebrew, while Arabic has a special status.
Since its creation and until the early 2000, Israel has been involved in various conflicts with neighbouring countries. Relations with some of these remain complex to this day. The signature of the 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan has normalized relations between the five countries. Israel had previously signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, in 1979 and 1994 respectively.
Israel is a key state in the Near East, both from a geopolitical and economic point of view. It has a very developed market economy, with a strong specialization in the high-tech sector, and deep relations with Western and European countries.
Total trade with Italy stood at about $ 4.6 billion in 2021. The recent discovery of offshore gas fields in the Israeli territorial waters has heightened the country’s relevance in the regional energy market. As a consequence, the main Italian companies in the sector are exploring possibilities to establish partnerships with Israel. The two countries also share an interest in the space sector. As part of the Israeli-Italian Initiative, the space agencies of both countries are developing an innovative observation satellite that will operate in the field of environmental protection.
