Israel - Israele

Israel
Location
Coat of arms and flag
Capital	Jerusalem
Government	parliamentary republic
Currency	Israeli New Shekel (ILS)
Surface	20,770 km²
Inhabitants	8.002.200
Tongue	Jewish, Arabic
Religion	Jewish 80%, Muslim 15%, Christian 2%
Electricity	230V / 50Hz (Israeli plug)
Prefix	972
TLD	.the
Time zone	UTC 2
Website	Israeli Tourist Board

Israel is a state of the Middle East which adjoins the Lebanon, the Syria, the Jordan and theEgypt.

To know

When to go

The climate ranges from the Mediterranean of the coastal area to the sub-desert of the Judea, Samaria is Shefela, up to the Negev desert and the Dead Sea.

Jerusalem, located 745 meters above sea level, has a cool and breezy climate and occasionally sees snow fall. Mount Hermon at the Golan Heights hosts a ski resort.

Background

The history of Israel dates back to ancient times; there are historical traces that date back to 5000 years before the e.V. In later times it was the seat of the reign of kings David and Solomon and so on until the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE, which started the Jewish diaspora. Since then, the region has always remained marginal, basically a neglected province of Syria or, in turn, of Egypt. A very fertile country in ancient times, two thousand years of neglect had created the desert, until the end of the nineteenth century when an ever-increasing number of Jewish immigration re-created an economy that was only subsistence. The foundation of the modern state, following a UN resolution, dates back to 1948 with an imperfect division whose approximation is still paid today by all the resident ethnic groups.

Spoken languages

The most widespread language is Hebrew, known, if not spoken, by the entire population. Arabic follows, in the Palestinian-Jordanian variant, spoken by 15% of the population. English is known by the great majority of the population; cases of polyglossia are frequent, especially among the elderly population.

Culture and traditions

Jewish culture is often regarded as the forerunner of Western culture. An inseparable part is the concept of monotheism, and of immanence and relationship personal and together collective of the individual with God. This culture has created a normative and legal system (the Talmud, as an exegesis and interpretation of the Torah) of great modernity in the various epochs, and of great adaptation to the extraordinarily variable conditions of the diaspora. Jewish Renaissance, which saw the light in the 18th century, coinciding with the French Revolution, which led to the exceptional Jewish cultural flowering Central European. This culture, which was in danger of dissolving with the Shoah, has its continuation in Israel.

Territories and tourist destinations

      Galilee - This region has a rather fertile undulating landscape and can be divided into Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee according to the hilly areas. Includes the Jezreel Valley and the Sea of ​​Galilee.

      Israeli north coast - Sometimes called "Western Galilee", this region stretches along the coasts of the Mediterranean from Haifa to Rosh Haniqra and on the border with Lebanon. Also includes Mount Carmel.

      Israeli coastal plain - The most developed part of Israel, between Mount Carmel and the Gaza Strip. The area north of Tel Aviv it is known as Sharon. Between Hadera and Ashdod, the plains of Sharon, very fertile and heavily industrialized, of the Shefela and the territories of the West Bank, mountainous and arid;

      Shefela - The fertile hilly hinterland between the coastal plain and the Jewish plateau.

      Negev desert - Desert that covers a large part of the southern part of Israel and includes the Israeli part of the Jewish desert with the Ramon crater and the Dead Sea.

Contested territories

      Golan Heights

      West Bank is Gaza Strip

Urban centers

Other destinations

How to get

Entry requirements

For citizens of the European Union, United States of America and similar states, valid passport, does not require a consular visa. At the entrance, an entry visa is affixed to the passport. If you are traveling to hostile countries, such asIran, you can ask not to affix the stamp; in case, ask to put it on a separate sheet, as that stamp is the only proof of your status as a tourist and makes you enjoy the VAT exemption (which is 15.5%).

By plane

Access from abroad to Israel by air is almost always at Lod's Ben Gurion Airport, about halfway between Jerusalem is Tel Aviv. There are some direct flights to the airport of Eilat, on the Red Sea.

By car

Apart from the ferries from Piraeus, which normally arrive in Haifa, and can carry cars, the only access is the Taba border post (see above). There are other active border posts with the Jordan, at the Allenby bridge and near Eilat, and with Egypt at Nitzanim, but which do not allow the transit of private vehicles except in exceptional cases.

On boat

Regular ferry connections from Greece (Piraeus), Turkey (Antalyia), Italy (Ancona is Venice) towards the port of Haifa.

On the train

There are no rail connections with neighboring countries.

By bus

There are tourist buses that connect the free zone of Taba (Egypt) with some Israeli cities; you can get in Jordan by bus, but you have to change between vehicles at the border.

How to get around

By plane

Given the limited territory, internal flights are few. However, there are regular lines between Haifa, Tel Aviv is Jerusalem to and from Eilat (Haifa is about 380 km from Eilat)

By car

The road network is excellent, with three coastal freeways between Haifa and Tel Aviv (No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6, the latter with a toll system similar to Telepass); 4th extends as a freeway to Beer Sheva. From there two good roads lead to the far south, to Eilat. The No. 1 highway leads from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All the major rental companies are present in the area, and some local. Hitchhiking is still practiced, especially from Young people; it is common (but becoming rare) to see soldiers on the streets waiting at bus stops to hitchhike.

On the train

There is a good train service between Tel Aviv is Haifa is between Jerusalem is Tel Aviv.

By bus

It is the main public means of transport between cities. A widespread service allows you to reach practically any point in the country. The bus lines, mostly managed by Egged, are numbered and therefore it is easy to recognize the destinations.

What see

What to do

Job opportunities

It is quite common to find workers of a more or less precarious type, such as students, employed as waiters in bars and restaurants - especially, of course, in the summer season. As tourism is an important industry, it is sometimes possible to find seasonal jobs in tourist locations. Not knowing Hebrew is certainly a handicap, but it is not necessarily decisive. It is always possible to work as a volunteer in the kibbutz, which is always an interesting option. In this case you work between six months and a year, having in exchange food, accommodation and pocket money (usually generous)

Currency and purchases

The national currency is the Israeli new shekel (THE S). The New Sheqel, officially indicated with ILS (Israeli Sheqel) or often with NIS (New Israeli Sheqel). The common abbreviation is ש"ח, the graphic symbol ₪.

Below are the links to know the current exchange rate with the main world currencies:

Hotel prices are generally quoted in USD. The cost of living is comparable to that of an average European nation.

At the table

To learn more, see: Theme: Middle Eastern cuisine .

There are restaurants of all kinds, from Indian to Yemeni to fusion. The precepts of the Jewish religion regarding nutrition - in particular the prohibition of mixing meat with milk and derivatives - make there a clear distinction between restaurants of meat (basari), in which there are meat dishes (from allowed animals, mainly cattle, sheep, goats and poultry) but not dairy products and of milk (halavi) where you eat fish and dishes based on vegetables or dairy products. Obviously there are also restaurants that are not kosher (לא כשר), where the religious precepts on food are not observed. In the Arab areas this distinction does not exist.

Drinks

Fruit juices of all kinds and in all forms are very popular. The coffee is Turkish (turki) or American (filter) or finally instant (nes, pun between nes, miracle and nescafe). Not much used tea. Low alcohol consumption; there is a fair amount of wine production in Rishon leZion, Zichron Yaaqov and in the Golan.

Tourist infrastructure

Houses in general of European level; almost always in condominiums in the cities, sometimes in houses outside. The structure of the house normally sees small bedrooms (usually without wardrobes), large living room, large kitchen, two bathrooms and laundry. In larger cities, studios are now common (studyRents are quite high in large cities, especially a Tel Aviv-Yafo is Jerusalem; the purchase costs too. For permanent or long-term accommodation, rented or owned, it is always advisable to contact real estate agencies (real estate). For short periods, it is possible to find accommodation through real estate-tourist agencies.

Events and parties

The Israeli working week runs from Sunday to Thursday, being a public holiday on Saturday and a shopping day on Friday. Saturday is almost completely closed; non-existent or reduced public transport, closed shops. In reality, the party goes from sunset on Friday to that of Saturday; therefore you will be able to find (especially in winter) restaurants open on Saturday evenings, but not on Friday evenings.The most important holidays are Yom Kippur, which generally falls in September (precisely, the 10th of Tishri), a day of fasting and total closure of all work activities; Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) which falls in May (5 of Yiar), a day of celebration and traditionally of trips out of town; Pesach (Passover) which falls in March-April (15 Nissan) and lasts eight days; almost impossible to find bread and leavened foods, except in Arab areas. Finally, the Jewish New Year - Rosh HaShana, which falls on the 1st of Tishri, just before Kippur. The proximity of the two anniversaries means that this period remembers the Italian Christmas, with a long holiday often abroad.

Safety

From the criminal point of view, the situation is not very different from that of an advanced European country; pickpocketing is possible but not frequent, for example. The usual precautions of the careful traveler are generally sufficient:

• do not turn with excessive sums;
• do not go into unknown places in critical moments;
• do not show off wealth, or show large sums (what's up with credit cards?)

There is a high risk of terrorism, lately out of control, for which (in July 2014) there are a very high increase in attacks in the cities.

Health situation

Nothing in particular. If you go to desert areas (south and south-east), it is always good to have plenty of liquids to drink. In hot weather, be wary of stalls selling food, which deteriorates quickly.

Respect the customs

The public holiday is Saturday, which runs from sunset on Friday to that of Saturday itself. It is advisable not to travel with motor vehicles in areas inhabited by religious - the use of means of transport is religiously prohibited on Saturdays, and it is better, out of respect, not to travel.

How to keep in touch

Post office

Post offices present everywhere, with all the services we are used to in Europe. Reasonably efficient postal service also to foreign countries; express couriers (the usual names, FedEx, UPS, TNT etc.) available everywhere. Pony Express-type services operate in the city.

Telephony

Public telephones at post offices and in public booths. GSM service available everywhere; Very popular UMTS.

Internet

It is one of the countries with the highest connection rate. Internet cafes available everywhere in the cities, and also in other places.

Keep informed

• Time of Israel

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Israel
• Commons contains images or other files on Israel
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Israel
• Wikinews contains current news on Israel
  

States of Asia

 Afghanistan ·  Saudi Arabia ·  Bahrain ·  Bangladesh ·  Bhutan ·  Burma ·  Brunei ·  Cambodia ·  China ·  North Korea ·  South Korea ·  United Arab Emirates ·  Philippines ·  Japan ·  Jordan ·  India ·  Indonesia ·  Iran ·  Iraq ·  Israel ·  Kyrgyzstan ·  Kuwait ·  Laos ·  Lebanon ·  Maldives ·  Malaysia ·  Mongolia ·  Nepal ·  Oman ·  Pakistan ·  Qatar ·  Singapore ·  Syria ·  Sri Lanka ·  Tajikistan ·  Thailand ·  East Timor ·  Turkmenistan ·  Uzbekistan ·  Vietnam ·  Yemen

States with limited recognition:  State of Palestine ·  Taiwan

Only physically Asian states^[1]:  Armenia ·  Azerbaijan^[2] ·  Cyprus ·  Georgia^[2] ·  Kazakhstan ·  Russia ·  Turkey

States de facto independent:  Abkhazia^[2] ·  Artsakh ·  Northern Cyprus ·  South Ossetia^[2]

Addictions Australian:  Cocos and Keeling Islands ·  Christmas Island

Addictions British: UKAkrotiri and Dhekelia^[3] · British Indian Ocean Territory

Partially Asian states:  Egypt (Sinai) ·  Greece (North Aegean Islands, Dodecanese) ·  Russia (Asian Russia)  Turkey (Asian Turkey)

1. ↑States generally considered to be European from an anthropic point of view
2. ↑ ^2,02,12,22,3It was considered physically wholly Asian only by some geographical conventions
3. ↑Physically Asian state or dependency but generally considered European from an anthropic point of view