Scarcely out of the of the news with its never ending political quagmire, Israel non-the-less attracts disproportionate amounts of tourists largely due to religiously historic Jerusalem, Red sea diving, bizarre Dead sea and good climate. Unfortunately safety concerns do lurch from one day to the next.

Jerusalem is not only the centerpiece of Israeli tourism but is the historic centre of Jewish and Christian faith, and equally beholden by the Muslim world. Modern and ancient, it?s carved up to suit all three, consisting of Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters.

the Haram-ash Sharif/Temple Mount, is the most controversially claimed piece of land in the world, dominated by the magnificent Dome of the Rock. The great prophet Mohammed ascent to the heavens here, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic Museum accompany the site. The Western Wall (wailing wall), at the base of the mount, is sacred for Jewish worship. Nearby is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reached by way of the Via Dolorosa, down which Jesus dragged his cross. Jerusalem is packed with historically significant sites valued by all three religions, thus keeping most of them safe. East Jerusalem is Palestinian and has an old-world charm, with coffee shops and cafes, while New Jerusalem is the seat of Israels government. Yad Vashem is a moving holocaust memorial, while the Mount of Olives is where Jesus ascended to heaven, and it affords excellent views of this ancient city.

Tel Aviv, by contrast is young and modern, concerned with business and entertainment. The Yemenite quarter is full of coffee shops and vodka bars. It?s adjacent to the beaches ? some of the finest in the Middle East. More refined is the Diaspora Museum, an insightful display of Jewish culture in exile, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.