Enter custom title (optional)
This topic is locked
Last reply was
407

Dear all,
this year, Id like to see Israel and Palestine.
My passport has quite few visa and stamps from the last nine years, including one visa from Syria and two from Iran. I
ll be coming with Pegasus from Istanbul. Will I have to expect a long questioning ? Ill be with a friend (were both female) who has a "clean" passport. Will she also be asked about me ?
And - we plan to go to Palestine both independently and with Green Olive Tours. Can this be mentionned in a questionning ? So is it best to true or should this plan pop up spontanously once we`re in Israel ?
Looking forward to seeing the country.
Thanks, Lisa

Report
1

Israel doesn't deny entry to anyone based solely on where they have been or what stamps they have in their passport. However, you can certainly expect a lot of questioning. You must answer all questions truthfully and politely, no matter how silly, irrelevant or repetitive they are. If you are asked (for example) what you ate for breakfast, it isn't because the immigration official is remotely interested in what you ate for breakfast; the questions are designed to find out whether you are telling the truth. Provided your purpose in visiting is for tourism and not to make trouble, you should have no difficulty getting in.
Don't volunteer any information, but if you are asked whether you are going to the Palestinian Authority you should answer truthfully. There is nothing suspicious about that. Thousands of tourists go to Bethlehem every day. There is nothing illegal about going on Green Olive Tours. While Green Olive gives a distinctly Palestinian perspective, it isn't a crime and there is no reason to try to hide the fact that you're going on one of their tours.
Nobody here knows whether your friend "will be asked about you". She too must answer all questions truthfully.
Have a great trip.

Report
2

As the saying goes, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory".

I went there from Greece, and my guy asked me to show him my pics of Greece on my tablet, besides the expected repetitive questions.

Enjoy.

Report
3

It is possible you could be there for hours. It is possible you could be let through pretty quickly. But you won't be denied entry only because of your visas.

You can certainly say where you are going to visit, i just wouldn't refer to the area as "Palestine"


Follow my travels on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joestrippin/
Report
4

My cousin recently flew NY-Beirut-Istanbul-TLV. Conversation at TLV:
Immigration (looking through passport): why did you go to Beirut ?
Cousin: This will be my one and only Middle East trip - I wanted to see the city.
Immigration (returning passport): OK. Have a nice vacation in Israel.

Report
5

Adding to the above, as fluffy says, don't refer to the area as Palestine. Say you want to see Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho (wherever) as a tourist. And don't make any political comments.

Report
6

Thanks for your valuable help.
Would it be only for me, I wouldnt mind if it takes a bit of time, but regarding my friend, I dont know, if I should get a second passport.

All this suspicions from every side - its so sad. Only my very personal opinion, which can also be non-understood : When travelling, you get into connection. And once youve eaten together with somebody at the same table, you cant hate him...
Thanks for the hint about referring to Palestine/ Westbank. I just didn
t think about it, as even my guidebook is titeled: "Israel und Palestina". For sure, Ill not make any political comments, as theres never only one truth...

Report
7

And I dont know why all my "" (apostrophes) are dissapearing. Sorry !

Report
8

<<I dont know, if I should get a second passport.>>
Israel no longer stamps passports at Ben-Gurion Airport. You get your tourist visa on a separate piece of paper, which you must keep for as long as you are in the country. (You can keep it for ever if you want to as a souvenir.)
So you won't have any evidence in your passport of your visit to Israel, meaning that if you are planning to travel in the future to countries that deny entry to anyone with evidence of a visit to Israel, that is no longer relevant. Passports MIGHT still be stamped by Israel at land borders, and they WILL be stamped by Jordan and Egypt, which is proof you were in Israel.

You do NOT need to get a new passport for Israel. As already explained, your passport as it is now will NOT get you denied entry to Israel. If you were (hypothetically of course) to announce to the immigration official your intention to visit Occupied Palestine and engage in anti-Israel activities, you'll find yourself detained and/or on the next plane out. But from what you have written, intending to visit purely as a tourist, to see tourist sites, visit the holy places, go to the Palestinian Authority areas just to have a look round, like thousands have done before you, you will have no problems at all.

Report
9

Hi, I also have stamps/visa from Iran and Syria etc, and I'm going to Israel in december. I will only come as a tourist, and have nothing to hide, but I'm not looking forward to maybe hours of questioning. I was thinking about maybe getting a new passport to avoid this, but someone said that most likely will Mossad be aware of my trip to Iran anyways. Is this true you think?

Report
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner