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Travel & Information
Travel & Information
Air
Gaza airport
,Tel Aviv Airport
Land
Jordan and Egypt have open land
borders with Palestine and Israel; Lebanon and Syria do not.
From Jordan, only a couple of hours
are needed to arrive in Palestine and from Egypt approximately twelve hours are required by bus.
If clients are planning to visit either of the latter two then they should
do so before going to Israel, as evidence of a visit will bar them from
entry. Private cars may cross the borders but not taxis and hire cars.
Sea
Israel is connected to mainland Europe by
a regular ferry service between Haifa and Piraeus, near Athens in Greece.
The trip usually involves a stopover in Rhodes, or sometimes in Crete,
with all ferries stopping additionally at Limassol in Cyprus. The Piraeus
- Haifa journey takes about 58 hours. Alternatively, one can take the ferry
only as far as Rhodes and change there for Kusadisi in Turkey.
POST AND TELEPHONES
Letters posted in Palestine take seven to
ten days to reach North America and Australia and a little less to Europe.
Incoming mail is fairly quick, taking about five to seven days for Europe
and around ten days for places further field.
Israel and Palestine have a state of the art
card operated public telephone system and international calls can be made
from any phone box. Telecards can be bought from news agents, bookshops
and post offices.
MONEY
Currencies used in Palestine include the Jordanian
dinar and the U.S. dollars but most popular is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS).
The Shekel is divided into 100 agorot. There are 200, 100, 50 and 20 NIS
notes; 10, 5, and 1 NIS coins; and 50, 10 and 5 agorot coins. There are
no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency one can take in or out
of the country, nor is one compelled to change any set amount on arrival.
Visitors are advised to take dollars, but any other major European currency
can also be freely changed at banks and with money changers.
Major credit cards - Visa, MasterCard, Diners
Club and American Express are all accepted. Nearly every establishment
takes credit cards. Many bank foyers are equipped with cash dispensing
ATMs accepting all of the major international credit cards. Travelers cheques
are also accepted and visitors will have no trouble getting them cashed.
Bearers of Eurocheques can even exchange them at branches of the post office
or go to one of the non commission currency exchange bureaus. At the end
of a visit Shekels can be exchanged at the airport or at the port in Haifa.
Visitors are allowed to freely convert up to US$500 worth of Shekels but
for anything over that a bank receipt must be produced as a proof of the
original exchange.
HEALTH
Palestine presents no major health hazards
for visitors and no vaccinations are legally required.
However, probably the biggest health worries
one can expect are over exposure to the sun and possibly an upset stomach
caused by the change in diet. To avoid the worst worries of the latter,
it is advisable to wash fruits and vegetables and to bring anti diarrhea
medication for when these precautions fail. A good barrier suntan lotion
is essential for protection against sunburn. Drinking plenty of fluids,
keeping up salt intake to avoid dehydration and wearing a hat against the
sun are advisable. Mosquitoes can sometimes be a problem during the summer.
To avoid getting bitten, take a mosquito repellent with you especially
if you intend to sleep or camp near the beach.
Tap water is safe to drink throughout the country.
One should always be able to get the locally produced mineral water. It
is inadvisable to drink from wells or streams unless they are clearly marked
as safe to drink.
BUSINESS HOURS
Standard shopping hours are Monday to Thursday
8am - 1pm and 4pm - 7pm or later. Christian owned businesses concentrated
in Jerusalem Old City close on Sunday. As for Muslim areas such as East
Jerusalem, Gaza strip and the West Bank towns, they remain open on Saturday
but are generally closed all day Friday. On Shabbat, most Israeli shops,
offices and places of entertainment close down. Shabbat starts at sunset
on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday.
WEATHER
The climate is clear anytime of the year.
In winter, Jericho is a favorite resort and even the Jerusalem sun can
be warm during the day. Winter can be cold, rainy with the possibility
of snow in some areas. In summer, the only problem is how to cool off.
The visitor can be better off heading for the higher and drier places inland.
Spring is definitely the best time to visit, the weather is temperate enough
making it enjoyable to travel around. |
PALESTINE 
