---
title: "40 Interesting Facts About Israel"
url: https://www.kickassfacts.com/israel-facts/
date: 2017-05-04
modified: 2017-05-04
lang: en
author: "jazz"
description: "Here are 40 Interesting Israel facts. 1-5 Israel Facts 1. Every Passover, one Arab-Israeli man buys all of Israel's grain products, or 'chametz,' worth over $150 million for only $4,800...."
categories:
  - "Countries"
  - "Fact List"
image: https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/israel-article.jpg
word_count: 1451
---

# 40 Interesting Facts About Israel

Here are 40 Interesting Israel facts.

## 1-5 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Abu_Ghosh.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Abu_Ghosh.jpg)Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

1. Every Passover, one Arab-Israeli man buys all of Israel's grain products, or 'chametz,' worth over $150 million for only $4,800. Afterwards he gives it back. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghosh#Chametz_ceremony)

2. A man in Nebraska is breeding red cows and sending them to Israel in hopes of a pure red heifer being born there; such an event will allegedly prompt Jews to build a Third Temple, which fundamentalist Christians believe will usher in Jesus' Second Coming. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_heifer#Christians)

3. In 1969, [France](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-france/) placed an arms embargo on Israel after the Israeli government had already paid for a delivery of warships. The French didn't deliver on all of the ships. Israel responded by sending a team of commandos to France who managed to steal and pilot the remaining [ships](https://www.kickassfacts.com/30-interesting-facts-about-ships-and-boats/) back to Israel. - [Source](http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-boats-of-cherbourg)

4. 2,000-year-old seeds were discovered in 1963 inside an ancient jar in Israel. They were planted in 2005 and a tree that had been extinct for over 1800 years sprouted. - [Source](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/051122-old-plant-seed-food/)

5. In 2016, two recreational divers in Israel stumbled upon a Roman shipwreck filled with bronze statues and coins featuring Constantine the Great. Estimated to be 1,600 years old, archaeologists called the discovery 'The Biggest Find in 30 Years'. - [Source](http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a44949/ancient-roman-shipwreck-coins-bronze-statues-discovered/)

## 6-10 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ESC_1978_logo.png)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ESC_1978_logo.png)Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

6. When it became apparent that Israel was going to win the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, most of the Arabic countries ended their transmission of the contest. This includes Jordan, who replaced the live broadcast with a picture of daffodils and later announced that Belgium had won. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1978)

7. All Pakistani passports bear the inscription "This passport is valid for all countries of the World except Israel." - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Pakistan_relations?durkadurka=#Pakistani_Attitudes_towards_Israel)

8. There's a mystery prisoner held in total seclusion in Israel, known only as Mister X. The press isn't allowed to mention his existence. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ben_Zygier)

9. An Anti-Date rape straw has been invented in Israel. Designed to detect date rape drugs when placed in a beverage, and to alert the victim. - [Source](https://www.thoughtco.com/statistics-from-the-war-on-drugs-4083707)

10. In 1977, an Israeli cargo ship rescued 66 starving Vietnamese Men, women, and children, after their SOS signals had already been ignored by 4 other Countries. Israel then granted them all citizenship. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Vietnam#Vietnamese_refugees_in_Israel)

## 11-15 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ben_Gurion.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ben_Gurion.jpg)Image credit: en.m.wikipedia.org

11. The founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, was an atheist. - [Source](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion#References)

12. In 1956 Israel, Britain, and France invaded Egypt to get back the Suez Canal. Despite being a military success and having minor losses, it had so much political fallout that most historians consider it the end of Britain as a superpower. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis)

13. The insecticide"BTI" was discovered when a man stumbled upon a stagnate pond in Israel where he noticed dead mosquito larvae. Scientists isolated the [bacteria](https://www.kickassfacts.com/30-interesting-facts-about-bacteria/) strain found in pond, creating the safest and most effective way of managing and killing mosquito populations throughout the world. - [Source](http://beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/mosquito/documents/BacillusThuringiensisIsraelensisNZ.pdf)

14. Anwar Sadat of Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, the first Arab nation to do so. For this, Sadat won the Nobel Peace prize, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League, and Sadat was assassinated. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_Peace_Treaty)

15. Albert Einstein was asked to be the president of Israel, which he declined. - [Source](http://www.pcmag.com/feature/261776/albert-einstein-seven-things-you-didn-t-know/2)

## 16-20 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Twin_Towers_Memorial_in_Israel.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Twin_Towers_Memorial_in_Israel.jpg)Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

16. There is a [9/11](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-911/) Memorial in Israel constructed of steel from the remains of the Twin Towers . - [Source](http://ijr.com/2015/09/417983-you-have-never-seen-israels-powerful-911-memorial-but-its-incredible/)

17. Women were allowed to enter combat roles in the Israel. They performed at a level equal to men but the program was still abolished for two reasons: Islamist fighters refused to surrender to women, and the men in the unit would lose all combat discipline when a woman was injured. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_combat#United_States)

18. In 1992 an Israeli cargo plane crashed in Amsterdam killing 43 people. Israel claimed it was carrying [flowers](https://www.kickassfacts.com/35-amazing-flowers-facts/) and perfume. It took 6 yrs. and a Dutch parliamentary inquiry before they admitted it was carrying DMMP, a key component for sarin nerve gas. - [Source](http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/02/world/nerve-gas-element-was-in-el-al-plane-lost-in-1992-crash.html)

19. Human poop and [farts](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-weird-facts-about-farts/) get their foul smell from the chemical compounds Skatole and Indole (among others). At low concentrations, these compounds smell flowery, and are used in perfumes. Israel have used Skatole in crowd control sprays—the stench does not wash off skin for 3 days. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skatole)

20. The Israeli postal service receives more than 1,000 letters addressed to "God" every year. Instead of disposing or archiving them, the undelivered mail department opens them, and puts them between the cracks of the Western Wall. - [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/20/israel-jerusalem-letters-to-god)

## 21-25 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Members_of_Neturei_Karta_Orthodox_Jewish_group_protest_against_Israel.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Members_of_Neturei_Karta_Orthodox_Jewish_group_protest_against_Israel.jpg)Image credit: en.m.wikipedia.org

21. A sect of judaism, Neturei Karta opposes Zionism and calls for a peaceful dismantling of the State of Israel, in the belief that Jews are forbidden to have their own state until the coming of the Jewish Messiah. - [Source](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neturei_Karta)

22. Immediately after the founding of Israel on May 14, 1948, before their defense force was even founded, five Arab nations (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan) declared war on it. - [Source](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war)

23. A daycare in Israel had an issue of parents picking kids up late and decided to start punishing the parents by making them pay a fine. Surprisingly, the opposite effect occurred and more parents started leaving there kids at the daycare and picking them up late. - [Source](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/books/chapters/freakonomics.html?_r=0)

24. A professor proposed a policy of automatic retaliation that would serve to end rocket attacks on Israel. If a rocket was fired at Israel an automated missile would fire at a arbitrary spot in Gaza without human input, meaning if militants rocketed Israel they would also be rocketing themselves. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahiya_doctrine#Similar_suggestions)

25. Publications in Israel have to disclose whether a fashion model was made to look thinner through photo manipulation. - [Source](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-17450275)

## 26-30 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Kiryat_Shmonah.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Kiryat_Shmonah.jpg)Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

26. An attempted massacre at a school was prevented in Israel, because it was the Passover holiday, and none of the children were at [school](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-schools/). - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Shmona_massacre)

27. During the Haiti [Earthquake](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-earthquakes/), Israel set up a fully equipped, fully functioning hospital in Port-au-Prince. In its first week, it treated thousands of victims, delivered several children, all while IDF rescuers succeeded in rescuing two Haitians from under the destroyed buildings. - [Source](https://www.thejc.com/news/world/israel-s-role-in-the-haiti-earthquake-crisis-1.13544)

28. Nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu exposed details of Israel's nuclear capabilities to British press in 1986. Mossad agents abducted Vanunu from Rome and he was secretly taken to Israel and sentenced to 18 years on charges of treason and espionage following a secret trial. - [Source](https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israel-renewal-restrictions-vanunu-condemned)

29. Oskar Schindler(of Schindler's List) is the only member of the Nazi Party to be buried in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, Israel. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler)

30. Jericho, Israel has been continuously inhabited since 9400 BCE and is thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world. - [Source](http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/11-continuously-inhabited-oldest-cities.html)

## 31-35 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gottlieb-Jews_Praying_in_the_Synagogue_on_Yom_Kippur-1.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Gottlieb-Jews_Praying_in_the_Synagogue_on_Yom_Kippur-1.jpg)Image credit: en.wikipedia.org

31. In Israel, on Yom Kippur eve, so much of the population is observing the holiday that the streets are almost completely empty, and secular Israelis have made it a holiday tradition to bike and rollerblade through the empty streets. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur)

32. The man that carried out a terrorist attack that killed 96 people, was later elected Prime Minister of Israel. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Begin)

33. Israel planned to assassinate Saddam Hussein in 1992. Plans were cancelled when they accidentally killed their fellow commandos while simulating the method of their attack. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bramble_Bush)

34. Israel is roughly the same size as [New Jersey](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-new-jersey/) by area. - [Source](http://www.iris.org.il/sizemaps/new_jersey.htm)

35. Israel acquired plutonium for atomic weapons by claiming its nuclear facility at Dimona was for "peaceful purposes." Israel concealed the true purpose from inspectors, installing false control room panels and bricking over elevators and hallways that accessed certain areas of the facility. - [Source](https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/)

## 36-40 Israel Facts

[![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark.jpg)](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark.jpg)

36. Israel-related animal conspiracy theories exist in some countries. [Sharks](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-sharks/), vultures, boars, [rats](https://www.kickassfacts.com/30-interesting-rat-facts/), and [dolphins](https://www.kickassfacts.com/30-interesting-facts-dolphins/) are among the animals Israel allegedly uses against others. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel-related_animal_conspiracy_theories#Shark_attacks)

37. In 2012, Israel ranked as the 2nd most educated country in the world. - [Source](http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-ranked-second-most-educated-country-in-the-world-study-shows-1.410415)

38. A Kenyan lawyer once sued the state of Israel for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. - [Source](http://www.news.com.au/world/lawyer-dola-indidis-sues-israel-italy-king-herod-and-emperor-tiberius-over-jesus-christs-trial-and-crucifixion/news-story/c49bbb6756754f79294a85661b35fa9f)

39. A tanning salon was installed in an underground bullet factory in Israel so the workers would seem like they were working in fields and not in a clandestine job. - [Source](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/18/israel-had-a-secret-underground-bullet-factory)

40. Israel has developed amazing water-management techniques and is now teaching African countries how to achieve the same results and potentially feed all of their citizens. - [Source](http://www.voanews.com/a/israel-exports-agricultural-know-how-africa/3009008.html)