(CNN) Here is a look at Israel , which declared independence in 1948. It borders the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt , the Red Sea, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon in the Middle East. Since its founding, Israel has experienced conflict with its neighbors, mainly Arab and Muslim countries, and Palestinians living in Israeli-occupied territories.

About Israel

(from the CIA World Fact Book 20,770 sq km (about the size of New Jersey)

Population: 8,675,475 (July 2020 est, includes Golan Heights and East Jerusalem)

Median age: 30.4

Capital: Israel declared Jerusalem as its capital in 1950 (many international embassies are in Tel Aviv)

Ethnic Groups: 74.4%, Arab 20.9%, other 4.7% (2018 est.) Jewish 74.4%, Arab 20.9%, other 4.7% (2018 est.)

Religion: Jewish 74.3%, Muslim 17.8%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.4% (2018 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity): $317.1 billion (2017 est.)

GDP per capita: $36,400 (2017 est.)

Unemployment: 4.2% (2017 est.)

Other Facts

Israel is a parliamentary democracy comprised of legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Timeline

November 2, 1917 - The British government expresses support for the establishment of a permanent Jewish state in Palestine with a letter called the Balfour Declaration.

1922 - The League of Nations authorizes Great Britain to help the Jewish people establish a homeland in Palestine with the British Mandate for Palestine.

1936-1939 - Tension between Arabs and Jewish settlers leads to riots.

1937 - In the wake of the unrest, a British commission issues a report recommending the partition of Israel into an Arab state, a Jewish state and a neutral zone for holy sites. A year later, a separate commission concludes that the planned partition is impractical and the plan is abandoned.

1939-1945 - World War II is fought in Europe and the Pacific. More than six million Jews are killed in the Holocaust.

May 14, 1948 - The independent state of Israel is declared with David Ben-Gurion as prime minister.

May 1948 - Forces from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Forces from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon invade, leading to the first in a series of Arab-Israeli wars.

1949 - An armistice agreement is reached. The West Bank is split off from Israel to become Jordanian territory and the Gaza Strip is designated as an Egyptian territory. The armistice is meant to be a temporary arrangement, a prelude to permanent peace treaties.

1949 - Israel is admitted into the United Nations.

1950 - When the agency is introduced, about 750,000 displaced Palestinians are in need of services. The UN begins operating a relief agency for Palestinian refugees. When the agency is introduced, about 750,000 displaced Palestinians are in need of services.

January 1964 - Pope Paul VI visits Israel.

1964 - The Palestine Liberation Organization is formed.

June 5-10, 1967 - The Six-Day War is fought between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. At the end of this war, Israel doubles its land holdings to include the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

September 1972 - Eleven members of the Israeli Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team are killed by terrorists in Munich, Germany.

October 1973 - Egypt and Syria launch air strikes against Israel on the holy day, Egypt and Syria launch air strikes against Israel on the holy day, Yom Kippur. The fighting continues for more than two weeks, ending after the UN adopts a resolution to stop the war.

November 19, 1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visits Jerusalem for peace talks with Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

September 5-17, 1978 - sponsors a summit between Israel and Egypt at Camp David. The summit leads to an agreement called "The Framework for Peace in the Middle East," establishing a potential path to end the conflicts between Israel and neighboring countries. Begin and Sadat share the 1978 US President Jimmy Carter sponsors a summit between Israel and Egypt at Camp David. The summit leads to an agreement called "The Framework for Peace in the Middle East," establishing a potential path to end the conflicts between Israel and neighboring countries. Begin and Sadat share the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize

March 1979 - The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty is signed by Begin and Sadat. Israel agrees to withdraw its forces from the Sinai Peninsula while Egypt agrees to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and grant Israeli ships free passage through the Suez Canal.

December 1987 - The Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, begins.

November 1988 - The PLO accepts two UN resolutions, recognizing Israel as a sovereign state and renouncing terrorism.

September 13, 1993 - PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shake hands on a Middle East peace deal.

1994 - Arafat, Rabin and Arafat, Rabin and Shimon Peres share the Nobel Peace Prize. Full diplomatic relations are established with the Vatican

November 4, 1995 - Rabin is assassinated by an Israeli extremist opposed to the leader's diplomacy with Arab states.

September 28, 2000 - Opposition leader Ariel Sharon visits the Temple Mount, a holy place for both Jews and Muslims. The visit is condemned by Arafat and it leads to a wave of violent clashes in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

2003 - US President George W. Bush presents "Middle East: The Road Map to Peace." Israeli and Palestinian leaders agree to broad outlines of the plan, but as of August 2018, the countries have not reached the road map's endpoint: a two-state solution to resolve the conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians.

December 2003 - The Disengagement Plan, a planned withdrawal from Gaza and settlements in the West Bank, is announced by Sharon.

June 2, 2014 - Hamas and Fatah swear in a unity government. A year later, the government is dissolved due to tensions between the two groups.

March 17, 2015 - Netanyahu is reelected.

May 14, 2018 - , in a move that is met with clashes and protests along the Gaza border. At least 58 Palestinians are killed and more than 2,700 injured as deadly protests take place ahead of, during and after the ceremony in Jerusalem, making it the deadliest day there since the 2014 Gaza war. The United States relocates its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , in a move that is met with clashes and protests along the Gaza border. At least 58 Palestinians are killed and more than 2,700 injured as deadly protests take place ahead of, during and after the ceremony in Jerusalem, making it the deadliest day there since the 2014 Gaza war.

April 9, 2019 - Netanyahu is reelected.

January 28, 2020 - . He is charged with bribery and fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. The charges in court mean that Netanyahu will be the first sitting prime minister to face trial in the country's history. Netanyahu is formally indicted on corruption charges . He is charged with bribery and fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. The charges in court mean that Netanyahu will be the first sitting prime minister to face trial in the country's history.

March 2, 2020 - Netanyahu's Likud party wins 59 seats in the general election, but is three seats short to win a majority.