Middle East - Anthony Ham [204]
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Israel & the Palestinian Territories
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CLIMATE & WHEN TO GO
HISTORY
THE CULTURE
SPORT
RELIGION
ARTS
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINK
JERUSALEM
HISTORY
ORIENTATION
INFORMATION
SIGHTS
COURSES
JERUSALEM FOR CHILDREN
TOURS
SLEEPING
EATING
DRINKING
ENTERTAINMENT
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
MEDITERRANEAN COAST
TEL AVIV
JAFFA
HAIFA
CAESAREA
AKKO (ACRE)
GALILEE
NAZARETH
TIBERIAS
SEA OF GALILEE
UPPER GALILEE & THE GOLAN HEIGHTS
ROSH PINA
HULA VALLEY
GOLAN HEIGHTS
TSFAT
DEAD SEA
QUMRAN
EIN GEDI
MASADA
THE NEGEV
BE’ER SHEVA
SDE BOKER & AVDAT
MITZPE RAMON
EILAT
AROUND EILAT
THE WEST BANK & GAZA STRIP
RAMALLAH
AROUND RAMALLAH
JERICHO
AROUND JERICHO
BETHLEHEM
AROUND BETHLEHEM
HEBRON
NABLUS
GAZA CITY
ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES DIRECTORY
ACCOMMODATION
ACTIVITIES
BOOKS
BUSINESS HOURS
CHILDREN
COURSES
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
DISCOUNT CARDS
EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
HOLIDAYS
INTERNET ACCESS
LANGUAGE
MONEY
POST
TELEPHONE
TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
VISAS
WOMEN TRAVELLERS
WORK
TRANSPORT IN ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
GETTING THERE & AWAY
GETTING AROUND
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There’s an old Israeli backpackers’ joke that goes something like this:
An Israeli backpacker in Thailand gets talking about his homeland with a local café owner. ‘How many Israelis are there, anyway?’ the café owner asks.
‘About seven million,’ the backpacker replies.
The man thinks for a minute. ‘And how many are there in Israel?’
It’s hard to believe that a country as diminutive as Israel, along with the even smaller Palestinian Territories, has so often taken centre stage in world politics and religion. But with Jerusalem at the region’s disputed heart, the Golan Heights at its disputed head, and Gaza dipping its disputed toe into the crystalline Mediterranean Sea, it’s not hard to see why.
A trip to this area, whether you come for the spiritual, the political or the decidedly hedonistic is a high-paced ride that will challenge your preconceptions of this beautiful, friendly yet deeply troubled land. Ponder the foundation stones of Christianity, the promised land of the Jews, and some of the holiest places in all Islam. Bathe in three seas – the Med, the Dead and the Red – or do a spot of breaststroke where Jesus once walked on water. Hike mountains, shifting dunes and desert craters. Marvel at ancient fortresses and consider contentious modern ‘security walls’. Go dancing in Tel Aviv, then seek out silence in a Palestinian monastery or mosque.
Most of all, talk to the Israeli Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians, Palestinian Muslims and Christians, Druze, Samaritans, Bedouins and others; the children of refugee camps and teen soldiers who people the troubled landscape. It’s the best way to gain your own perspective, quite apart from the shocking news headlines and propaganda, on why Israel and the Palestinian Territories’ complicated, volatile but intoxicating reputation far outstrips its geographical size.
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FAST FACTS
Area 20,770 sq km; Gaza Strip and the West Bank 6220 sq km
Capital Jerusalem (disputed)
Country code 972
Languages Hebrew, Arabic
Money new Israeli shekel (NIS); US$1 = 3.48NIS; €1 = 5.45NIS
Official name Medinat Yisra’el (State of Israel)
Population 7.1 million; Gaza Strip and the West Bank 4.1 million
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CLIMATE & WHEN TO GO
Israel and the Palestinian Territories enjoy a warm Mediterranean climate for much of the year, although winter (November to March) sees rain and cool temperatures in coastal areas, chilly nights in Jerusalem, and the occasional snowfall in the north, especially up in the Golan Heights. Summer (April to October) is hot and dry throughout the region and peaks in July and August, when daytime temperatures of 45°C aren’t uncommon. In the evenings – especially in