from the HMOs. Thus, hospitals and such were financially struggling. There have been many cuts from the ‘basket’ of services provided by the HMOs, and there has been work to get more funding, yet it has been a struggle. Although there has been recent difficulty with the system, health indicators for Israel are favorable – relative to the past and by global standards. Life expectancy is 77 years for males and 80 years for females, which exceeds that of many industrialized nations. The infant mortality rate is 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, and there is an average of 2.7 children born per woman. The piece of land, which is now Israel, has only officially been Israel for half of a century. The State of Israel was proclaimed and there was the end of British Mandate on May 14, 1948, yet Israel’s history extends much further into the past. The roots of the Jewish people in this land reach back over 35 centuries. The Jewish monarchy was established in 1020 BC. when the Israelites settled the Land of Israel. In 63 bc., Jerusalem was captured by Pompey, Romans came into power, and the Jewish people lost the Land of Israel for what ends up to be the following 2000 years. Rule of this land changed many times in the next 1500 years. Ottoman rule spanned 400 years, beginning in 1517, and ending by British conquest in 1917. In 1922 Britain was granted Mandate for Palestine by the League of Nations, and gave the Jewish people approximately one fourth of the Land of Israel. Tension built throughout the twenties and thirties. In 1939 World War II began, and so did the Holocaust in Europe. This marked a disconsolate period for the Jewish people. However, with the end of WWII in 1945, new hope was attained and the situation was improving for the Jews. On May 14, 1948 the Jewish people regained control of the land they lost over 2000 years before. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were founded, and the War of...
