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Getting there
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From Singapore, you can fly to Tel Aviv on Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Israel's national carrier El Al has direct flights to Tel Aviv from Mumbai and Bangkok.
Tips
• While Tel Aviv is generally safe, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says violent incidents do occasionally occur and Singaporeans travelling to Israel should take all necessary safety precautions and buy travel insurance. The ministry also recommends travellers to avoid travelling to Gaza.
• May is the best time to visit Israel, when the rainy season, which starts in December, has ended, and before it gets too hot. June to August are the hottest and busiest months. Check if any religious holidays will be taking place when you plan to visit as they may affect opening schedules.
• To familiarise yourself with Israel and Israelis, read A Tale Of Love And Darkness by Amos Oz, the biggest-selling literary work in Israeli history, says Ms Yael Rubinstein. "It explores why the author's mother killed herself and its effect on him, a sensitive, intelligent boy growing up in Jerusalem during the last years of the British mandate and the war of independence. It is one of the funniest, most tragic and most touching books I have read. Also, read David Grossman's Someone To Run With, filled with tragicomic observations of Israeli behaviour which are used as ingredients in an exuberant adventure story."