Palestine
WARNING
Despite ongoing efforts by various world leaders, the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories remains volatile and, in many parts, dangerous. In particular, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are unsafe and should be considered off-limits.
The killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on 22 March, 2004 has heightened the threat of Palestinian suicide bombings and retaliatory strikes by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The personal security situation in Israel is not reliable or predictable. Violence can occur without warning, even during cease fires. While this cycle continues, travel to this region is not encouraged. Prospective travellers are advised to check consular travel advice.
Religion, politics, passion, history, social injustice and a standing army are not the ideal ingredients for a get away from it all holiday. But these are the things that draw thousands of visitors (and thousands of emigrants) to Israel every year. This is where it happened, a land that grips at the imagination of every Christian, Jew and Muslim in the world, and inflames a fair few of them as well. Its the intangibles of Israel - standing in the footsteps of gods, breathing the air of the Messiah - that bring people here, and it is the very intangibility of them that leaves so many visitors disappointed. Anyone expecting profound moments of epiphany brought on by immersion in the refined air of the holy land is in for a shock. Israel is a bustling, smelly, noisy, modern country, just as capable of squeezing a tacky tourist buck out of the sacred as any US bible-belt town.
If you come to Israel without preconceptions, you are far more likely to leave with happy memories. Sure, Israels history and religious links are vital parts of its appeal, but they are not the be-all and end-all; Israel is more than a powder-keg or a promised land. Take time to visit the new, cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv, dive the Red Sea at Eilat, explore some of the countrys thriving national parks and float for hours in the salty stillness of the Dead Sea. If you want to understand Israel, take the time to look beyond the larger-than-life figures of the past and have a chat to your bus driver or hostel owner. Whatever you call this part of the world, you are bound to offend someone. We have decided to go with Israel & the Palestinian Territories, but that takes a really long time to type, so sometimes we just say Israel. By that, we mean the area which includes the state of Israel as well as the disputed areas of the West Bank, Golan Heights and Gaza Strip.
Area: 21,056 sq km
Population: 6.2 million
Capital City: Jerusalem (contested); pop 623,000
People: Jewish (80%), Muslim (15%), Christians (1.7%) and Druze (1.3%)
Language: Hebrew, Arabic, English
Religion: Jewish, Muslim, Christian
Government: parliamentary democracy
GDP: US$103 billion
GDP per capita: US$16,291
Annual Growth: 5%
Inflation: -2%
Major Industries: Metal, defence, machinery,technology, diamonds, chemicals
Major Trading Partners: USA, UK, Belgium/Luxembourg,Germany
