Since I did not include basic facts about my country, Israel, in last week’s post, I will dedicate my post this week to giving some general information about the state of Israel. All of my information was gleaned from the CIA World Fact Book online. After WWII, the United Nations separated the area into Jewish states and Arab states. Israel lies between Egypt and Lebanon. Interestingly enough, Israel is only the size of New Jersey – it is very small! The government functions on a parliamentary democracy. With its capital in Jerusalem, Israel became an independent nation in 1948. Israel is well known for its advanced technology and its strong military force – the Israel Defense Force (IDF). At the age of 18, the IDF requires every Jewish person to join the military to show their support for their country. Most of Israel’s conflicts with other countries derive from the dispute over land in the West Bank and Gaza strip. This information should give a better frame of reference for my last post about Israel’s record of human rights.