Israel is situated in the Middle East, and the easiest way to reach this destination is by plane. The largest airport of the country is the Ben Gurion International Airport, located 20 km from Jerusalem. Israel is a small country, so there would be no need to operate domestic flights, but Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat and Rosh Pina are all connected by air. An excellent road network connects all towns of the country. Car rental agencies are located at the airports, ports and all major towns, and all international car hire companies are represented together with many Israeli ones.

 

Israel is a parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the president, but he has limited power. The president is elected by the parliament for 7-year term. The legislative power is possessed by the parliament (Knesset) which has 120 members. The Knesset is elected during the general elections, held at least every four years, but rather more often due to the unstable political conditions. Prime minister is usually the chairman of the largest party in case he is supported by a majority in the parliament. The prime minister is the head of government and head of the cabinet. The current president of Israel is Shimon Peres since 2007, and the current prime minister is Benjamin Netanyahu since 2009. Israel has no written constitution. After the declaration of independence in 1948, it was expected to complete the state constitution in a few months but it has not happened so far. There are 14 so-called “Basic laws” adopted functioning as an unwritten constitution. Based on these laws, the Israeli Parliament has begun to write the drafts of a possible constitution in 2003.

 

Israel has a technologically advanced market economy under the considerable influence of the government. The Israeli economy depends on the imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, military equipment and water. Despite the limited natural resources, Israel significantly developed its agricultural and industrial sectors during the past 20 years and nowadays it has the second-highest number of startup companies in the world after the USA. The country is largely independent in terms of food production and exports mainly fruits, vegetables, besides pharmaceutical and chemical products and raw diamonds.

 

Israel gives home to an extreme high number of immigrants of widely diverse populations. Over half of its Jewish population is native-born and the rest of the people have roots in more than 100 different countries around the world. After the II World War, between 1948 and 1951, in only 3 years, almost 700,000 immigrants arrived to Israel, increasing the existing population to the double. Most immigrants were Holocaust survivors as well as Jews escaping persecution in Arab and Muslim countries. These immigrants brought with them very diverse political and cultural traditions and even nowadays these traditions are living together causing sometimes conflicts in the country. About 75, 5 % of the population is Jewish and 20, 5 % is Arabic. Israel is often described as the Jewish State, even though only 75% of the population is Jewish and about 16% follows the Muslim religion, 2% is Christian. In 1967, Israel occupied Palestinian territories during the 6 days war. Since then, there are continuous conflicts between the two countries, which often result in military attacks. Therefore, there is military presence all over the country to guarantee the safety in the country.

 

The basic rule of the Israeli cooking is that it must be Kosher. It ensures that the choice of ingredients and the preparation of the meal are under strict supervision. It basically makes a distinction between natural products with no need of special preparation, such as fruits, vegetables and coffee from products like meat. Meat may be used under certain conditions and there are also unclean products which can never be used. Kosher is only the meat of animals slaughtered with a sharp knife so that it no longer contains blood. Kosher meat can be beef, lamb and goat, but never pig, rabbit and camel. Milk products must come from kosher animals and meat and milk must remain strictly separated. Milk may be consumed only five hours after a meat. Perhaps best known Jewish fast food is the falafel: meatballs made of ground chickpeas and spices, served in flat bread (pita).

 

Israel offers a great variety of accommodation possibilities with several excellent high quality luxury hotels. Israeli standard is similar to Western standards in general. Hotels in Israel are officially not ranked with star symbols, where these ranking are shown, they are awarded by the hotels themselves and they are not verified by the authorities. About 350 hotels are members of the Israel Hotel Association guarantying a high standard and quality. Prices of course are very different according to season and region. It is best to book well in advance for accommodations during Israel's high season (mainly in July and in August) and for religious holiday periods.

 

It is difficult to describe the climate of Israel, as it varies based on the geographic situation. When it snows in Jerusalem, there can be still 23 degrees near the Dead. Generally, the weather is temperate in Israel and the country has two seasons, winter and summer. The winter, from November to March, can be pretty cold and wet on the north. Summer is always hot; the highest temperatures were recorded in the Jordan-valley, although in the desert at night it is quite cool. In spring, the temperatures rise considerably under the influence of strong winds. The Red Sea resorts, Eilat has a good climate for beach holidays throughout the year. The best time to visit the country is during April and May or in September and October. In the summer (from April to October) it is too hot and you can not discover the beautiful landscapes of the country due to the amazing heat of the sun.

 

In Israel clocks are 2 hours ahead Greenwich Mean Time (GMT 2). Israel operates daylight-saving on at least 150 days, but there is no official rule for this period.