Middle East - Anthony Ham [205]
The high tourist seasons in Israel are July and August and during the Jewish religious holidays; in the Palestinian Territories, the only peaks to speak of are in Bethlehem around Christmas and Easter. Bear in mind that if you visit during Israeli religious holidays, many businesses may be closed, public transport is limited and accommodation prices double or triple. During the fasting period of Ramadan (Click here for when Ramadan occurs each year), it’s impolite to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours in the Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem. Click here for details on holidays.
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HISTORY
Though the history of Israel and the Palestinian Territories is as fraught with disagreement as its troubled present, it’s generally agreed that the first inhabitants of the land were the Canaanites, who migrated here as early as the 20th century BC. Around 2800 BC, Pharaonic Egypt claimed Canaan as part of its empire, and it was still under Egyptian control when, 1000 years later, Abraham led his nomadic tribe – the Israelites – here from Mesopotamia, to what is now known in Israel as the Judean Hills. Though his descendents were forced to move on to Egypt due to drought and famine, Moses (grandson of Abraham) led them back, via Sinai, in 1250 BC, to end their servitude under Egyptian rule.
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ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES IN…
Three Days
From Israel/Jordan’s southern Yitzhak Rabin Crossing (Click here), head to Eilat (Click here) for an underwater adventure, before taking the night bus (Click here) to party city Tel Aviv (Click here), for a day of shopping, eating, and relaxing on the sands. On your second evening, hop on a train to Jerusalem (Click here), before taking tea, or something stronger, at East Jerusalem’s historic American Colony hotel (Click here). Head by train or taxi to Ben-Gurion airport (Click here) to catch your flight home, or go back by bus to Eilat and on to the Egyptian border at Taba (Click here).
One Week
From the chaotic King Hussein/Allenby Bridge crossing (Click here) start your week with a full-day tour of Jerusalem (Click here) and its biblical history, and two days’ exploration of Bethlehem (Click here) and the wider West Bank (Click here). On day four, take a train ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv (Click here) to get your fill of more sybaritic pursuits. Then rent a car, if you can, and head north to Upper Galilee & the Golan Heights (Click here) to spend two days hiking stunning national park trails (Click here). On day seven, drive west to Haifa (Click here) to gaze at the famous Baha’i Gardens (Click here), then on down the coast via the ancient ruins of Caesarea (Click here) to deposit your car at Ben-Gurion airport (Click here) and either take your flight home, or head by bus to Eilat and the Egyptian Taba crossing (Click here).
Join the Itineraries
Egypt (Click here)
Jordan (Click here)
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At around the same time, however, the maritime civilisation known as the Philistines arrived and established a coastal government between present-day Ashdod and Gaza. The Israelites, threatened by the Philistines’ political superiority, soon consolidated their 12 disparate tribes under one king, Saul. Upon Saul’s death, the tribe of Judah supported King David, who became a hero after killing the Philistine Goliath, and they eventually conquered the city-state of Jerusalem. There, in the 10th century BC, David’s son Solomon built the First Temple.
This, of course, is only one version of history. Indeed, the modern Middle Eastern conflict between the Jews (said to be ancestors of the tribe of Judah) and the Palestinians (who argue descent from the Philistines) is based on manifold ancient claims. Some Jews claim that, based on Old Testament writings, ‘God gave Israel to the Jews’; other people point out that an Arab majority existed here from at least the