Security in Israel
Written: Sep 19 '05 (Updated Sep 19 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very safe, friendly people, nice weather
Cons: Some minor inconvenience if you don't speak Hebrew, some searches/questioning at certain places
The Bottom Line: Visit Israel, safe country with friendly people, experience historical places, enjoy swimming in a warm sea, have a great relaxing time at Dead Sea and/or Eilat.
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| grandmonsterb's Full Review: Israel |
I would like to post this review to provide better picture for people who are planning on visiting/will be visiting Israel in the near future. Here in USA, when we watch CNN/read our newspapers, it create the impression that it is very unsafe to visit Israel right now based on the recent events(disengagement in Gaza and West Bank) and future projections of troubles... I can't not predict what would/might happen in the future..but with respect to recent and current time I have not seen any problems while visiting Israel.
I just returned from my trip to Israel(August 28th-September 11, 2005). This was my first time in Israel.
I've spent 4 days in Tel Aviv, 1 day in Jerusalem, 1 day on Dead Sea, 6 days at Eilat and 4 days in Ashqelon.
I felt extremely safe the entire time.
I used El Al Airlines to go to and from Israel(from/to Zurich). Based on my experience, I do believe that the security in US flying international flights from/to JFK/LaGuardia/Newark is not very much different than security at El Al....
El Al: They do ask questions at the airport when you're flying into Israel/from Israel/or within the country.
Be ready to answer questions like 'why you're coming to Israel', 'where you staying in Israel', 'do you have relative/who you would be visiting in Israel', 'have you visited or are you planning on visiting Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Egypt', 'have you packed your bags', 'have you accepted any gift from anybody'.
If you are Jewish(you could be asked directly- I was...)...you might be asked questions like 'how often do you go to the synagogue', 'What is your rabbi’s name', 'do you celebrate Jewish holidays, what are they', 'where you would be spending the new year(they really mean Jewish new year'. People who ask these questions(Israeli security at the airport) are trained in psychological profiling - so they are watching your answers/your reaction/your attitude. If you give them hard time(like saying 'why you asking me this question', 'how do I know', 'this is a private information') - you are more likely to spend more time with them. If you are cooperative, honest and sincere - you would not have any problems with them.
My bags were scanned and some of them were manually checked at Ben Gurion....not very much different that current practice at US airports. I have not been subjected to any personal searches/strip searches or excessive interrogation.
Security at other places in Israel: There are certain things that are different from US: they do check your bags when entering large stores/shopping malls/large supermarkets/museums/Western Wall, etc. They might search you as well using the scanning device as well.
There are armed security guards near restaurants/night clubs/some larger restaurants/other places. There are a lot of people in uniform(soldiers) carrying machine guns all over the Tel Aviv and other cities due to the fact that they move from/to their bases frequently.
At the same time, I have not seen any increased police presence in the cities(unlike New York these days..). I flew domestic Israeli airplanes, used trains, buses and taxis, went to night clubs, museums and beaches - everywhere it felt completely safe.
I've visited all four areas of Jerusalem as a part of the guided tour. The tour guide recommended staying close in one group while going through Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem. In the Muslim Quarter I've seen some 'Hamas' advertisement and 'anti-American/anti-Israeli occupants' slogans on the windows of some shops. But everybody seemed to be pretty friendly... I have not experienced any provocations or incidents.
I've spent 4 days at Eilat- despite the recent incident with missiles flying from Jordan to Eilat airport - very safe area with lots of restaurants/night clubs/shopping deep into the night(shopping centers are open until 11PM or midnight..).
I've also stayed at Ashqelon(1 hour to the south of Tel Aviv) - only 7 km from Gaza - have not seen/heard any Kassam rockets flying...people in the town seemed to be very relaxed and not worried...
Overall, I would NOT worry about security or safety right now in Israel. People are very friendly, the weather is great - and you will enjoy your time... It definitely helps if you could speak at least few words of Hebrew...but if you don't most of the people(although not all of them...) do understand/speak some English....
If you have any questions, email me at vze3254p@verizon.net.
GrandmonsterB, New York USA
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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Epinions.com ID:
grandmonsterb
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Member: GrandmonsterB
Location: New York, USA
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I like learning new cultures, interacting with people from different countries.
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