The State of Israel is a self-proclaimed Jewish state and a country in the Middle East. It is currently the only country with a Jewish majority population. Although once an ancient Bible-era civilization, Israel ceased to exist after being conquered by various empires and only re-emerged as a sovereign entity in 1948. The re-establishment of a Jewish state was the historical goal of Zionism. Despite many of their neighbors disliking them, they still exist with the help of western powers.