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DOCUMENTS
EU citizens don't need any visa for
Palestine and you won't even got your passport stamped
neither by the Israeli check points nor the Palestinian
ones. Keep in mind being EU citizen you can go
where you want in Palestine (but the militaries areas)
without any special permit.
I experienced Israelis soldiers trying to convince
me I did need a kind of visa to enter the area around
Jenin and Nablus; obviously it was bullshit since
I went anyway without any problem.
MONEY
The currency is the New Israeli Shekel
(NIS) (1€= 5.6 NIS, 1$= 3.4 NIS), although US$
are widely used.
HEALTH
I had the usual vaccinations: ephatite
A, B, typhus and tetanus. I hadn't any problem with
the food or the drink, anyway I never drank tap water.
GUIDE
BOOK
I used Lonely Planet (in italian 3rd
ed, translated from 5th ed, March 2007), as usual
it's a good support, but it lacks of detailed info
about the border points to cross the Israeli- West
Bank 'line'. Due to the lack of info I got rejected
trying to go from Afula to Jenin
CROSSING POINT FROM WEST BANK
AND ISRAEL
This has been the main issue for me,
since I had confusion (I still have some) and I lost
a lot of time. Before leaving I didn't have clear
West Bank is mainly controlled by Israelis and only
small areas as Jericho, Bethlehem, the northern zone
around Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah are under the Palestinian
Authority.
Hence the real check points I found were:
- entering/leaving Jericho
- entering/leaving Nablus (Huwwara check point)
- entering/leaving Ramallah from/to Nablus
- entering/leaving Jerusalem from Ramallah
- entering Jerusalem from Bethlehem (no controls on
the opposite direction)
Traveling from Jerusalem to Jordan (King Husseini
bridge) you won't meet any check point, while in the
opposite way entering Jerusalem you will experience
the controls of the separation wall.
Traveling from Beit She'an to Ein Gedi along the Jordan
valley no check points
From Afula to Jenin it's not possible to enter West
Bank, if not Arabian.
On the opposite way is it possible to leave West Bank?
I don't know, but I would suppose it is.
GENERAL
TIPS
At the check point
It could be a long queuing, but if the Israeli soldier
see you, they will make you pass without even asking
for your passport, while all the Palestinians are
deeply searched and questioned. Hence try to catch
the attention of the soldiers, I did for Huwwara check
point in Nablus and worked greatly.
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