<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article contains Hebrew and Arabic text . Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article contains Hebrew and Arabic text . Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols . </Td> </Tr> <P> Israel (/ ˈɪzreɪəl /; Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל ‎, Arabic: إِسْرَائِيل ‎ ‎), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל ‎, Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل ‎ ‎), is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea . It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest . The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area . Israel's economy and technology center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not recognised internationally . </P> <P> The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah emerged during the Iron Age . The Neo-Assyrian Empire destroyed Israel around 720 BCE . The Jewish--Babylonian war resulted in the Babylonian conquest of Judah in 586 BCE and the formation of the province of Yehud . During the Persian rule, the Jewish autonomous province, Yehud Medinata, had existed for two centuries until the conquest of Alexander the Great . The successful Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire led to an independent Jewish kingdom in 110 BCE, which came to an end in 63 BCE when Judea became a client state of the Roman Republic under the Herodian dynasty . Judea lasted as a Roman province until the subsequent failed Jewish revolts resulted in widespread destruction, the sack of Jerusalem, expulsion of Jewish population and the renaming of the region from Iudaea to Syria Palaestina . Jewish presence in the Land of Israel has persisted over the centuries . During the 19th century, national awakening among Jews led to the establishment of the Zionist movement followed by waves of immigration to Ottoman and later British Palestine . </P>

Where is israel located on the world map