Ariel Sharon
Prime Minister

(pronounced "AR ee-el sha-ROWN")

"We will not rest until terrorism is eradicated…Simultaneously we will continue to do everything in our power to promote a ceasefire—one which will lead, eventually, to a settlement, an agreement, peace."

The State of Israel is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bounded by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east and southeast, and Egypt to the southwest. An 18 km (11 mi) strip of coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba gives Israel access to the Red Sea. Israel's boundaries were determined initially by armistice lines set following the country's war of independence in 1949; the area within these lines (the so-called "Green Line") is 22,770 sq km (7,922 sq mi).

In 1967, following war with Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, Israel acquired control of territories beyond the Green Line, including...