Entering Israel with Passport Stamps

Hello,

I'm an American citizen and have travelled quite a bit in the middle east, mostly just vacation. I have passport stamps from a number of muslim countries including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, and I also have plans to go to Syria in the future. I'd like to go to Israel after that, and I believe that theoretically I should still be allowed in since I went to these places mostly for vacation. Has anyone ever tried something like this and how does it go? Will I get 8 hours of questioning and then turned away? Or do I just have to be upfront and will get through in due course?

Thanks.
Justin

Just answer all questions truthfully, no matter how silly, irrelevant or repetitive they seem. If you were in those countries purely for tourism and not attending a Hizbullah training camp (!) you will be let in.

To get an idea of what to expect, see this thread.

It's really not an issue at all. You have a 99% chance of being let in within 20 minutes. Occasionally they keep somebody around to answer more questions, but I've never heard of a legitimate tourist being denied entry. Tens of thousands of people do this every year.

I was worried about this as well as you honestly could not get a more questionable set of stamps in a passport than what I have. I have everything from Somalia to Syria to Sudan to Afghanistan... However, the Israelis just asked me a few questions and then spent 20 minutes or so carefully taking down my details before allowing me in. So, don't worry much about this issue.