There were several threads with a lot of information here. I tried searching for you, but oddly, nothing came up and I definitely recommend. I am sure the users who have contributed in the past would be able to do it again, since it is needed.

Try to ask something more specific as well.

And you mean Israel, right?

Maybe your search terms have been skewed?

Keep in mind that if you plan to travel around the region to places other than Israel, only Jordan and Egypt will allow you to cross their borders if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. You can cross the River Jordan, but you can’t go through the Gates of Damascus.

Have a safe, fun trip.

If you wish to visit some of the countries that restrict those with Israeli stamps in their passport, you can get a second passport. I got an email today from the National Passport Information Center confirming this.

"A second valid passport could be issued for the following reasons:

-When traveling to a foreign country which will deny a visa or entry to the bearer of the passport containing markings or visas showing travel to certain other countries. (Example: if a traveler has a visa/entry stamp from Israel in their passport, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria will not allow them entry into the country.)

-When the first passport is unavailable due to visa processing delays.

The second passport would be limited in validity . . . normally for 2 years. "

It’s not quite that simple. If there’s evidence of having been in Israel, most of those countries will deny entry even with a clean passport. For example, if your passport shows no obvious international entry to a country other than Israel, or if you’re crossing a border where you only could be coming from Israel, they’ll suspect and close their doors. The Thorntree forum at LonelyPlanet has lots more info on the Israeli passport stamp issue and how to get around it.

Unfortunately, the lack of web resources is partially reflective of the suffering tourism situation in Israel these past couple of years due to the "matzav" ("situation&quot, but you can still find lots of good info.

The Israeli Youth Hostel Association website has some good resources on hostels and places to stay at
youth-hostels.org.il/. The Israeli Tourism Ministry has an official site at goisrael.com, which is surprisingly helpful for an official site. That’s a good starting point.

Israel is a very easy country to get around if you’re backpacking. While Hebrew helps, virtually everyone speaks English and most signs are in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The Egged bus company is very extensive and you can get around cheaply all over the country without a problem. When your flight lands at Ben-Gurion, there’s a tourist information office right in the area after clearing customs that has tons of good information.

Sheruts (shared taxi vans) are very popular in Israel and you can usually chat up the other people in the taxi to get good info. Most likely, they’re locals, and they can give you helpful tips. Most popular sites and destinations have good tourist facilities and guides willing to point you in the right direction. ATMs are everywhere, and credit cards are accepted all over the place.

Israel is extremely Americanized – which is often a disappointment to travellers expecting something altogether different. Yes, there are thousands of years of history everywhere you step… but Israel is also a modern, bustling, busy country that’s overrun with the golden arches.

And don’t be put off by armed security guards at restuarants, malls, clubs and the like; they’re there to protect you and they’ll probably just glance at your handbags and wave you through.

The best nightlife in Israel is hands-down in Tel Aviv. Haifa has some good clubs too, and the western portion of Jerusalem has some popular hangouts, especially among students.

Do you have any specific goals in mind for your travel? It might help to point you in the right direction for resources.

umm, not to contradict the moderator but I have three Israeli stamps in my passport, US, and I went through (Sha’ar Shkem) Damascus gate about five hours ago. That is about 10am here in Israel.