Product Description

Listen for church bells and the call to prayer as the golden light of late afternoon illuminates Jerusalem, p. 88.
Dig your feet into the sand at a Tel Aviv beachside bar, p. 175.
Tend organic vegetables and fertilize your mind at Kibbutz Lotan, p. 344.
Start a conversation in the West Bank - how do you pickle olives? p. 295.

Six authors, 234 days of research, 12 army roadblocks, countless falafels.

History and Environment chapters by renowned experts.
The only guidebook with detailed coverage of the West Bank and Gaza.
You asked for it, we researched it: more sustainable travel experiences than ever, from eco-hotels to hiking trips.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42293 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
Lonely Planet guidebooks are, quite simply, like no others.' --New York Times

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Customer Reviews

Too little information, too much commentary
I am generally a fan of lonely planet books, and have used them as a guide on other trips. This particular lonely planet guide disappoints. I found this book to provide precious few details about important Jewish sites. Significant space in the book is devoted to the authors' (one-sided) political commentary. The Let's Go guide is more comprehensive and informative (with less political fluff). I recommend skipping this particular lonely planet guide.

Disappointing
As a center for Judaism, Christianity, & Islam I was really excited about reading up on the section on Jerusalem. I'm planning to visit in May but after reading this guidebook, I'm left disheartened. This is the first time I've been disappointed by LP. This book doesn't do a good job of representing the 'Holy Land' traveler. The attitude that the best reason to visit sites with religious significance like the Church of the Ascension & The Mount of Olives are their 'spectacular views' is a let-down. Give me a break! The "Haram Ash-Sharif/Temple Mount" is covered very poorly. And forget about The Dome of the Rock which they didn't cover because it was only open to Muslims that day (probably because it was Friday- so SMART). I was expecting a guidebook on the 'Holy Land' to be a little more sensitive to the religious significance of the sites & would not try to serve as a reader on history tinged with political bias. I was expecting useful info like: what time to go, what is the best entrance, tips & shortcuts. For GOD'S SAKE get a Jewish, Christian, & Muslim correspondent to cover their respective sites so that they're adequately & accurately represented. This way pilgrim will find useful & relevant information. We don't need cut & paste history lessons.

Reviews of palestinian lands not accurate
I have been to Israel many times, and know what is correct, and what is not. For unknown reasons the book's reviews of the former Israeli areas, that were turned over to the palestinian arabs are not very accurate. It is almost as if the authors used a double-standard for Israeli and non-Israeli areas.

In Israel, the travel was generally great. Clean hotels, great food, welcoming people. In most of the palestinain areas, the places were filthy, the food substandard, and the attitudes horrible. There are many places that are of religious and historic significance, that were turned over to palestinain arabs. Sadly, many of them have been trashed, vandalized, defaced and even burned down. Your guide virtually covered up the abject filth and hostility of these areas. If I had know more, I might not have ventured into these no-man's land.

My next trip, I will ignore your rosy but inaccurate analysis of the palestinain arab areas, and stay where I am welcome, and where the level of cleanliness and care are MUCH higher. Bethlehem, for example, exists to fleece Christians of their money, by muslims that act with a nasty attitude toward us. No wonder why tourism is way down, since Israel turned this area over to the PA.

The next time you write a book about palestinain arabs, PLEASE stick to objective reports and NOT report things the way that you wished they were. These areas are nasty, and the people aren't much better.