Israel

Israel is a highly urbanized and economically developed society, small yet diverse. Israel in the Middle East is a country with a long coastline on the eastern Mediterranean Sea with a small window on the Red Sea on the Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba). Israel is bordered by Egypt and Gaza Strip to the southwest, by Jordan and the West Bank to the east, and by Syria and Lebanon to the north.

Israel is considered a Holy Land, together with areas of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Territories. These aspects make Israel a fascinating and sometimes challenging drawcard for many travellers and pilgrims.

Understanding the Culture and Language

Israelis are said to be tough and prickly, but they are really friendly people. In Israel, it's normal for people to be direct in a way that might seem abrupt, even rude, in other parts of the world. Personal questions are common, and should not be taken as an offence. The information Israelis collect on you is meant to help you in a good way, not to set traps for you.

Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel. That most widely spoken is Hebrew. Massive immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s brought a large number of immigrants who speak Russian. Other influential languages in Israel, reflecting the diverse origins of Israelis - are French, German and Polish. Some of the older people and part of the ultra-orthodox population speak Yiddish, a Jewish Germanic language.

It is generally very easy to communicate with English in Israel, since English is compulsory in Israeli schools. It is difficult to find someone who cannot speak at least basic English, especially amongst the under-40s. All street and road signs (and many others besides) have the English name, as well as the Hebrew and Arabic names.

Some City’s of Israel to Visit

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the political and spiritual capital of Israel, as well as city sacred for millennia to three religions: Jews (the site of the Temple), Christians (the scene of Christ's Passion), and Muslims (site of the al-Aqsa Mosque.)

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is the First Hebrew city in 2000 years and one of the three largest, the most vibrant city in the country, a mere century old but incorporating the ancient port city of Jaffa and a sprawling metropolis along the coastal plain. This includes the White City cultural World Heritage site of Bauhaus architecture.

Haifa

Haifa is Israel's main port and industrial city located in the north of the country. Also world center of the Bahá'í Faith and home of the beautiful Shrine of the Báb and Terraces.

Nazareth

Nazareth is the hometown of Jesus, now the largest Arab city in Israel

Akko

Akko (Acre) is a fascinating historical city on the far north coast of Israel, and a pilgrimage site for Bahá'ís.

Modiin

Modiin is a modern, technological city and site of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks in ancient times

Beth Shean

Beth Shean is the gateway to the north Jordan Valley and site of amazing ancient ruins.

The Regions of Israel

Israel possesses a number of diverse regions, with landscapes varying between coast, mountain, valley and desert, with everything in between. Beyond the towns and cities, each region of Israel holds its own unique attractions. The metropolitan areas of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv very much form their own regions; from north to south

Golan Heights - Annexed in 1982 by Israel, but claimed by Syria and Lebanon

Upper Galilee - from Dan at the base of Mount Hermon down to the Beit haKerem Valley in south, and from the North Coast across to the Sea of Galilee

Lower Galilee - the hills immediately north of the Jezreel Valley

The Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) - diverse landscapes and settlements around the lake, many with connections to the life of Christ

the North Coast - sometimes called "Western Galilee", extends along the Mediterranean shore from Haifa to Rosh Haniqra and the Lebanese border

The Jezreel Valley - an extensive inland valley, largely rural, extending inland from west of Haifa to the Jordan Valley

The Beth Shean Valley - the core of the north Jordan River valley

The Carmel Range - a small yet diverse region of hills, south of Haifa

The Sharon - broadly speaking, the coastal plain north of Tel Aviv, south of the Carmel Range

The Shephelah - the fertile, hilly hinterland between the coastal plain and the Judean highlands

The Coastal Plain - location of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon

The Judean Desert The Dead Sea The Negev, including Machtesh Ramon

Occupied Territories

The following areas have been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. The Palestinian Authority exercises various degrees of control in large parts of the territories.

Gaza Strip - a narrow coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean

West Bank - the location of Bethlehem and more, part of the Palestinian Territories

Things to See and Do

A large number of major attractions in Israel are located some distance from large towns and cities

Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle is a magnificently located Crusader castle located high above the Sea of Galilee

Beth Shean

Explore the remains of Canaanite, Egyptian and Romano-Byzantine cities

Caesarea

The evocative remnants of Herod the Great's Roman city by the sea

Hazor

The largest ancient site in Israel

Masada

High on a plateau above the Dead Sea, the scene of the Zealots' last stand against the might of Rome, a powerful symbol for modern Israel

Megiddo

An ancient Canaanite and Israelite city and the location of several key battles, both ancient and modern (the location of Armageddon)

Nimrod Castle

A magnificently-located Crusader castle located above the Sea of Galilee