Attractions Jerusalem      They don't come any holier than this. Jews, Muslims,  Christians: all three hold Jerusalem sacred, and it seems all three would rather  see it destroyed than have the others touch it. Of course, most people come to  Jerusalem to immerse themselves in this holy history, but try to remember that  Jerusalem is as much a modern city as a concept, as full of living, breathing  people as ghosts and Biblical figures. The city is divided into three parts: the  walled Old City, where most of the sights are; the predominantly Arab East  Jerusalem; and the rapidly expanding new city, known as West Jerusalem. The Old  City is also divided, into Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters.      To get an idea of the Old City, it's worth strolling around the city  walls, built in the 16th century by Suleyman the Magnificent. Rising over  the city is the Haram-ash Sharif/Temple Mount, centrepiece for all the  squabbles. This is where Mohammed rose to heaven and where God instructed  Abraham to sacrifice his son. The magnificent Dome of the Rock mosque  dominates the Mount, with the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic Museum a little to its  south. The Western Wall, at the base of the mount, is all that remains of  the First Temple, the Jews' most holy shrine. It is now an open air synagogue.  To complete the holy sites trilogy, pop over to the Christian Quarter for a  visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church is built over the  site where Jesus was (probably) crucified, buried and resurrected - its appeal  relies on its historical links rather than its architectural splendour. Most  people arrive here after walking down the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus  followed as he carried his cross.      If you've had enough religion, head out of the Old City to bustling,  fume-hazed, Palestinian East Jerusalem, or the cafes and shopping centres  of New Jerusalem. To the west of the city you'll find Yad Vashem,  the moving and disturbing Jewish memorial to the holocaust. To the east is the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended to heaven and where more earthbound  folk can get a beautiful view of the city.      Where you stay in Jerusalem really depends on what you want out of your  visit. The Old City and East Jerusalem have the cheapest places and the best  atmosphere, and they're closest to the sights. On the downside, it's a long walk  to the cafes and nightlife of the New City, and the Old City pretty much shuts  down after dark. If you're prepared to pay more, and if living it up is your  priority, head for the New City. For really good, really cheap food, try the  Mahane Yehuda market to the west of the Old City. The best places for felafel  are below the city walls in East Jerusalem, or in the shopping precincts of the  New City. Tel Aviv     Less than a century old, Tel Aviv is about finance, business  and fun - it's pretty hard to compete with Jerusalem's three millennia of  history, so Tel Aviv doesn't even try. Nearly everyone who lives here came from  somewhere else, and a short walk through the city will take you to the spicy  orientalism of the Yemenite Quarter, the seedy vodka cafes of Allenby St and the  Miami chic of pastel pink beachfront condos. Tel Aviv isn't big on sights, but  if you've been to Jerusalem you've probably had a gutful anyway. If you just  can't get enough, visit the Diaspora Museum, which chronicles Jewish  culture in exile, or the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. When you've finished,  wander through the markets of the Yemenite Quarter, stop for a cappuccino and  then pull up some sand on one of the best beaches in the Middle East. The Dead Sea     It may be cliche’, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do  it. No trip to Israel is complete without a float in the Dead Sea. The water is  packed full of invigorating minerals and there's 10% more oxygen in the air here  than at sea level. The area around the Dead Sea has plenty to keep you  entertained once you've floated to your heart's content. Ein Gedi is one  of the country's most attractive oases, a lush area of freshwater springs,  waterfalls, pools and tropical vegetation and a haven for desert wildlife. Masada regularly gets the vote for the place to visit in Israel.  This fortress atop a sheer-sided plateau was the last stand of the Zealots,  Jewish rebels who rose against the Roman Empire in 66 AD. When defeat was  inevitable, the 967 men, women and children holed up at Masada took their own  lives rather than be captured. It's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of  the place, but even if you don't, the views are superb. The Galilee      Serious Bible territory, this is where Jesus did most of his  preaching as well as a spot of water walking and some fish multiplying. It's  also Israel's lushest region, with green valleys, verdant forests, fertile  farmland and the Sea of Galilee. Nazareth, Jesus' childhood home,  is a popular destination for pilgrims, but not much chop for the casual visitor.  Although there are some important churches here, such as the Basilica of the  Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the town itself is pretty  ugly. Tiberias, on the western shore of Lake Galilee, is a much better  base for enjoying the area. Spend the day enriching your soul at the tombs of  ancient sages, then soak away the pains of the body in the town's famous hot  springs. The Galilee is also home to the country's most extensive archaeological  site, Beit She'an. The site is still being excavated, but a  beautifully-preserved Roman amphitheatre, Byzantine baths, a temple and a  colonnaded Roman street have already been uncovered. The site is on the  Tiberias-Jerusalem bus route. Bethlehem      Bethlehem is a cynic's delight, with Manger Square, Manger St,  Star St, Shepherds' St, two Shepherds' Fields and an unheavenly host of  'Christmases', but if you've got even the remotest Christian background, you're  bound to wind up here. Bethlehem is built around Manger Square, the town centre  and, strangely, the town carpark. The Church of the Nativity is the raison d'être of this holy town, and one of the world's oldest working  churches. Built over the spot where Jesus was born, it's a suitably august and  venerable piece of architecture. If kitsch is more to your taste, take a look at Milk Grotto Chapel, a shrine to the Virgin Mary's lactations. Rachel's  Tomb, on the edge of town, is one of Judaism's most sacred shrines, and is  also revered by Muslim's and Christians. There's not much accommodation in  Bethlehem, but it's only a 40-minute bus ride from Jerusalem. Culture      Until recently, Israel's culture has been predominantly  religious, be it Jewish, Christian or Muslim. Although the hoe-that-field,  pick-that-fruit, scoutlike kibbutz feeling is still in evidence, and although  Judaism is the state religion, Israel is rapidly turning into a cosmopolitan  consumerist society. Most Jewish Israelis play it both ways, leading a largely  secular life but still taking part in the occasional religious ceremony. This is  not to say that orthodoxy has died out: on the contrary, orthodox factions are  becoming stronger and stronger, and their calls for a return to religiosity are  louder and louder. Orthodox, or Hasidic, Jews are recognisable by their dark  clothes, beards and curly sideburns (although the women tend to forego the  beards and sideburns).      In Palestinian parts of the country, Muslim culture is more evident: you'll  see fewer women, and those that you do see will be dressed more modestly. Sunni  is the predominant Muslim sect. Family and hospitality are very important in  Palestinian life, and most Palestinians are extremely friendly and helpful to  strangers, going so far as to welcome them into their homes.      Israel is renowned for its classical music, with artists such as violinist  Yitzhak Perlman strutting the world stage. Klezmer, the knees-up violin-based  Yiddish folk music, is hugely popular in Israel and has spread its tentacles to  Jewish communities around the world. The founders of the Zionist movement were  writers, and literature is still strongly supported in Israel - successful  exports have included Amos Oz and David Grossman. The Palestinian community also  has a strong literary tradition, born out of adversity and struggle - poetry is  particularly popular. In their passion to impose a Jewish identity on their new  homeland, the new Israelis took to architecture with a passion, resulting in the  form-over-function Internationalist style as well as the spread of Bauhaus  buildings. Few Islamic buildings have survived into the 20th century, but there  is some beautiful Mamluk architecture in Old Jerusalem.      Israeli eating habits are dictated to some extent by religious laws - Jews  cannot eat dairy and meat products together, nor can they eat 'unclean' birds or  fish, and neither Muslims nor Jews can eat pig. The waves of immigrants have all  brought their own cuisine with them, and you will find Yemeni Jewish food (flame  grilled meats, stuffed vegetables and an astonishing array of offal) and Eastern  European Jewish food (schnitzel, goulash, gefilte fish and blintzes). Observant  Jews are not permitted to cook on the Sabbath, so for most of Saturday they will  eat cholent, a heavy stew cooked on Friday night. Arab dishes include felafel  (ground chickpeas flavoured with spices and deep fried), tahina (sesame paste),  houmus (chickpea and garlic paste) and flatbreads. Religious laws proscribe  alcohol for Muslims, and orthodox Jews aren't too keen on it either, so tea  (Arab-style with mint and a truckload of sugar) and coffee are the beverage  mainstays. Palestinians also make juices from tamarind, dates and almonds. History      Israel isn't just rich in history - it's obscenely,  gratuitously, Imelda Marcos rich. Thickly literary, packed full of household  names, and always tumultuous, Israel's history seeps from the past into the  present, in a country where everyday interactions are shaped by  thousand-year-old conflicts. It all began around 1800 BC when Abraham led a  group of nomads from Mesopotamia and settled in the mountains of Canaan. By 1023  BC the Israelites had formed a kingdom, led by Saul and then David, who captured  Jerusalem and made it the capital. In around 950 BC, David's son Solomon built  one of Judaism's most important sites, the First Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple  was destroyed in 586 BC by the invading Babylonians, but was eventually rebuilt.  The unstoppable Roman Empire took Israel in 63 BC and placed it under the  control of a series of consuls, including Herod the Great and Pontius Pilate.  This is when Jesus was believed to have lived and preached in Israel. The  increasing insanity of the Empire under Caligula prompted a Jewish uprising,  which lasted four years but was finally crushed when the Temple was again  destroyed. After a second revolt, Jerusalem itself was razed, a new city (Aelia  Capitolina) built on its ruins, and the province of Palestine decreed. This  defeat marked the end of the Jewish state and the beginning of the Diaspora, the  scattering of the Jewish people.      In 331 AD Emperor Constantine became a Christian and gave his official stamp  of approval to the previously illegal religion. Suddenly everyone wanted to know  about the Holy Land, and a rash of buildings, including the churches of the Holy  Sepulchre and the Nativity, sprang up all over Israel to mark sites of religious  importance. But Christianity's hold over the country was not to last long - in  638 AD Jerusalem fell to Caliph Omar and was declared a Holy City of Islam, on  the grounds that the Prophet Mohammed had ascended to heaven from atop the  Temple Mount. Christians around the world raised their hackles at this  desecration, and by 1099 they'd scrounged an army together and occupied  Jerusalem, murdering everyone they could get their hands on and beginning nearly  100 years of Christian rule. But by 1187 the Muslims again had the upper hand -  after decades of Christian/Muslim scuffling, the Islamic Mamluks knocked over  the last Crusader stronghold in 1291.      The next 500 years were some of the quietest Israel has seen. Empires rose  and fell, and control of the country changed hands with monotonous regularity,  but very little of the fighting took place on Israeli soil - for the average  Israelite, it was business as usual. The only blip occurred in the 16th century,  when the Ottoman Empire took over the reins and Suleyman the Magnificent rebuilt  Jerusalem's city walls. By the mid-19th century the Ottomans were losing their  grip and world interest once again focused on Israel. Britain opened a consulate  in Jerusalem, and in 1839 Sir Moses Montefiore, a British Jew, began promoting  the idea of a Jewish state. In 1878 the first Jewish colony was founded, and  before long the first Aliyah, or wave of immigrants, had started. At the same  time, the Arab population of Palestine was becoming strongly nationalistic and  anti-European, which did not bode well for the new arrivals.     At the time of WWI, Britain became seriously involved in Israeli affairs,  promising the Arabs they'd recognise an Arab state, and promising the Jews  they'd support a Jewish homeland in Palestine. When the war ended, Britain was  given a mandate to rule the country, and as Europe moved towards WWII, Britain  decided to stop all immigration to Israel. Desperate illegal immigrants  continued to arrive, and the Arab population responded with ever-increasing  levels of violence. By 1947 the British decided they'd had enough - a resolution  was passed to divide the country between Arabs and Jews, and on 14 May 1948 the  Brits fled. Fighting broke out almost immediately, and when a ceasefire was  declared in May 1949, Israeli forces held most of Palestine. Citizenship was  offered to any Jewish person wishing to immigrate and the Israelis set out to  colonise even the most inhospitable areas of the country.      Surrounded by unfriendly Arab nations, the new state of Israel quickly came  under siege. In 1967 Israel went to war with Egypt, then Jordan and Syria. After  six days the Israelis had won and extended their territory into the Golan  Heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Desert. Israel was starting  to look pretty tough, and as a result a flood of Jewish immigrants headed in,  while 500,000 Palestinians headed out. A group of Palestinians who decided to  stay on and fight formed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), an  organisation dedicated to freeing its homeland. Meanwhile, Israel signed peace  accords with Egypt.      Years of PLO action resulted in little more than international condemnation,  but in 1987 a popular Palestinian uprising, the intifada, turned things  around. Television coverage of Israeli soldiers firing on unarmed Arab kids did  a great deal for the Palestinian cause, and brought the issue of a Palestinian  homeland back to the world's attention. In 1991 Israeli officials met with a  Palestinian delegation and eventually PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime  Minister Rabin shook hands on the White House lawn and agreed to work for peace.  Of course, this being Israel, it hasn't been as easy as all that. Parts of the  Gaza Strip and West Bank were given self rule, and Palestinian elections were  held, but in 1995 Rabin was assasinated. The new prime minister, right wing  Binyamin Netanyahu, has been less than committed to peace, and growing Israeli  settlements and increasing terrorist retaliations have pushed the country over  the brink of war repeatedly since his election.