In a sudden turn of events, the Palestinian Authority has agreed yesterday to restart relations with Israel after six months. This apparently includes both security cooperation and finally accepting their taxes which Israel collects on their behalf (import/export taxes via Israeli ports). https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-authority-announces-renewal-of-security-coordination-with-israel/ https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/palestinian-authority-to-resume-security-coor

There a ton of music and film festivals happening right now in Israel - as well as new Jewish documentaries available online as well. Here is a list of some of the highlights for you from your Israel tour guide! The Oud Festival - November 19-28 The oud is Middle Eastern string instrument and Jerusalem has held an international festival celebrating it for two decades. Due to COVID-19 it will not be happening in person. While this means that only local performers will be hig

There are so many great webinars on Israel and Jewish-related things this week. Here are some highlights, from your trusty tour guide of Israel. Plus, check out the videos below of the Dead Sea Scrolls lectures from earlier this month. Have You Ever Heard of Sigd? Monday, Nov. 16 at 8pm in Israel (1pm EST) Sigd is a Jewish holiday marked by the Ethiopian-Jewish community 50 days after Yom Kippur. It celebrates their finally making it back to Jerusalem - through all the tr

Malawi is set to become the first African country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. Currently the only countries with embassies in Israel's capital are the US and Guatemala, though several other countries have claimed they will be opening ones as well. They include Brazil, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Honduras, Moldova, Romania and the Czech Republic. For more on this breaking story click here: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/foreign-minister-ashkenazi-meets-with-malawi-counte

As a tour guide of Israel, I'm always being asked what Israelis think about the US and especially about particular US presidents. Today of course, all eyes are on the US and the presidential election. So I've collected a variety of voices for you to see what people are saying here in Israel about the candidates, the challenges the next president will face and the US-Israel relationship. One thing that is important to note - and in my role as an Israel tour guide I always re

So much has been happening when it comes to the developing of civil ties and cooperative efforts between Israel and the Persian Gulf that it is hard to keep track. The excitement in both societies is palpable. Fortunately, I am here, as your tour guide of Israel, to let you know about all the incredible things that are already underway... 1) A deal has been signed between Israeli and UAE film schools. https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-uae-film-deal-aims-to-promote-tolerance

Another huge diplomatic bombshell dropped just before Shabbat. Sudan, known to Israelis as the home of the famous "No, No, No" Arab League conference after the Six-Day War, is set to make peace with Israel. That conference clearly stated - "no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no peace with Israel." And now, in this upside down year of 2020, it has all been turned on its head. Unlike the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Sudan is a poor and war-torn co

This is a recurring theme. Palestinian leaders yell and scream about Israel and call for boycotting Israel (which in reality is not possible for them since they use Israeli currency, electricity, etc.) - and even prosecute and persecute the average Palestinian if he/she does anything with Israel (like selling land to a Jew which is a capital punishment). Yet when they personally need Israel, suddenly there is no boycott, no sanctions, no impediments and no qualms. The lates

Israel has emerged now from a second lockdown, which was enacted over the Jewish holidays. While indoor spaces such as museums are still closed, the national parks are now open and more and more places will be opening in the coming weeks. As a tour guide of Israel, I cannot be more excited to get back to work providing incredibly meaningful, memorable and enjoyable experiences here for my clients. At this point, Israel has identified 34 green countries. These are countrie

The Alma Center is a fantastic research and educational center in the north of Israel which deals mainly with geopolitical and societal issues affecting the north of the country. On Monday at 12:30PM Eastern Time (7:30PM Israel Time) they will be hosting a webinar on the current negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border. Colonel Miri Eisen will be leading the webinar (along with Brigadier General Ram Yavne); as a tour guide of Israel, I can absolute

An incredibly ambitious (and expensive) series on the Yom Kippur War is about to begin on October 19. It is called "Sha'at HaNeilah" [Closing Hour], which relates to the final prayer service of Yom Kippur. The show has already been picked up by HBO, where it will be called "The Valley of Tears," which was a famous tank battle site on the Golan Heights. If you have visited Israel with me as your Israel tour guide, than you likely have seen this place, a bit northeast of Mo

With all the talk going on about Israel and Lebanon sitting down to figure out their maritime border this week - and the Israeli cabinet actually signing off on the UAE-Israel peace deal today (the Israel-Bahrain one actually has not been written yet), lost in the shuffle were two other diplomatic breakthroughs that occurred at the end of last week. Here's an update from your tour guide of Israel... Israel and Jordan signed an aviation agreement which allows for flights flyin

Israel and Lebanon have fought two wars in the past 40 years as well as a "war between the wars" when Israel was stuck in Southern Lebanon in the 80's and 90's. Throw in the 1948 War, a peace treaty which lasted less than a year and is often forgotten about (the May 17 agreement), the Lebanese Civil War and rise of Hezbollah, and of course, the great hummus battles a decade ago, when the world record for largest dish of hummus went back and forth between the two countries fi

Israel set a record last year with 4.55 million tourists. That was an 11% increase over 2018 which itself was a 42% increase over 2016. Even more amazing is that 94.4% of visitors to Israel reported a good to excellent experience in the country. That's an incredible success rate and I take pride in that, as a tour guide of Israel, I have a small part to play in that. If you are unaware, becoming an Israel tour guide is like getting a master's degree. It is a 2-year course

There is a new Middle East brewing here and it's having a huge effect on the Palestinians. Here is what you need to know, courtesy of your tour guide of Israel. An absolutely fantastic analysis of the 3 major Middle Eastern political blocs, their effects on the Palestinians, and what the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) should do, even though they seem to be doing the opposite. https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-peace-paradox-sidelined-palestinians-may-finally-have-their-leverage/

A great article in a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates highlighted the Middle East's lack of water (12 of the 17 most water-stressed countries in the world are there) and its role in igniting civil wars in Syria and Yemen as well as refugee crises - and soon to be economic crises - in the area. Unfortunately it stopped short of giving solutions - and the easiest solution of all, which post-Abraham Accords is staring everyone in the Middle East right in the face - making

In case you missed it, here is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's full address to the United Nations yesterday (video and text below). Don't forget to follow me on FB, Instagram and/or Twitter to get all my blog post updates: https://twitter.com/israeltourguy/ https://www.instagram.com/tourguideofisrael https://www.facebook.com/Kobi-Walk-Israel-205758425509 And check out - and share - my videos on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCli9MpzZdJHSeiDXNFjM5QA The

It is absolutely amazing to see what is happening in the Middle East. After decades of conspiracy theories, misinformation and propaganda, the Arabs of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are clawing at the chance to get to know who Israelis really are. And Israelis, after years of cold peace with Egypt and Jordan - treaties signed with governments which have meant no more than the absence of war and some security and a few business ties - are jumping at the bit to create

Here are the five most important articles of the last several days when it comes to understanding what's going on in Israel right now, courtesy of your tour guide of Israel. You know, besides coronavirus and Yom Kippur. Netanyahu may be successful on the world stage but is having trouble back home: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/23/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-world-stage-at-home-intl/index.html The OECD just put out its 144-page Economic Survey of Israel. Here are the highli

Yom Kippur starts tonight in Israel. Here's what you should know about Yom Kippur in Israel this year, from your intrepid tour guide of Israel: While Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, someone made a list of 10 things that Israelis will never say sorry for. And it is spot on... https://www.israel21c.org/10-things-israelis-will-never-say-sorry-for/ For those politically-inclined, my good friend Gil Hoffman, the lead political reporter for the Jerusalem Post newspaper for th