I am travelling from Jordan to Israel soon via the Eilat crossing. I have booked a day trip with GOT the following week touring the West Bank(Nablus/Jenin). Some posters previously have advised against admitting to "intend to visit" the West Bank when entering Israel, does this apply to this sort of tour??
Could this cause a problem if questioned at the border?, if so- do I have to go to the extent of making sure none of the tour paperwork/itinerary is with me?
Any input would be much appreciated, as I am travelling with my elderly parents and would prefer not have too many hassles if possible!
ammack
1
laketraveller
Welcome. - No reason to worry or over think this. Thousands of foreign Israel tourists visit the Palestinian Territories all the time. The Israelis know this and as long as your interests are purely as a tourist they couldn't care less.
Just be honest and you'll have no problems.
2
canayen
Good question.
I asked Fred of GOT the same question for similar reasons, and he said not to worry, that no one had ever been refused entry who said they were taking GOT tours. But I suggest you email GOT and ask their advice.
I agree with the previous poster, visiting the OPt to see religious and cultural sites, of which there are dozens, does not really raise eyebrows. Milloin of tourists do it every year, visiting Bethlehem. Nablus, Jericho, Hebron, and points inbetween.
3
trrk
They are unable to ask you every single detail of what you are going to do anyway and why bother telling them more than you need to? If they ask where you are going just say where you are staying eg Jerusalem.
4
mbgg
trrk:
what exactly is your expertise on this topic ? Every Christian tourist visiting Israel visits Bethlehem. I think that pretending one won't go there sounds more suspicious !! Similarly, there have been many stories in the international press about the tourism boom in Ramallah - do you think that the immigration people are unaware of this ? Over 3 million tourists visit Israel annually and most are hardly questioned beyond the standard 2 or 3 questions.
5
canayen
I think general border advice holds true. Stay relaxed, respectful, tell the truth, and let them do their job. However, as an American consular official told me once about entering the U.S., just reply to the question and don't blather on and on. Advice that served me well in my travels.
Hope you enjoy your trip, and that you get to Nablus and Jenin. I visited Nablus, which was great, but never made it to Jenin, which I regretted missing.
6
alhaderech
Answer all the questions asked. When you start lying, stretching the truth and covering up your body language will show that and you will be subject to a longer interview. The most important thing is to relax. You are doing nothing special and will have no problems
7
trrk
#4 I didn't mean that you should lie about visiting the West Bank. I just meant that you are unlikely to be asked for your detailed itinerary and they are probably not interested in your detailed daily sightseeing plan eg when I entered Israel I was asked one question - 'where are you going'? I answered Jerusalem since I was staying there. Why would I bother to blather on and say I was also visiting Tel Aviv, Masada, the West Bank etc as day trips? To me it would sound less natural to launch into such a detailed answer when asked a simple question like 'where are you going' but answer their questions with whatever way feels natural for you.
I was never asked any specific question about visiting the West Bank or anywhere else even when I was questioned for 1 hour when leaving the country. If asked of course I would tell the truth.
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