Lipkin-Shahak said his ministry is encouraging Israelis to travel inside Israel, rather than vacationing abroad. And American evangelical Christian groups continue to arrive, but not in the same numbers. What we saw in a week of hopping around the country that took us from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to Haifa and Eilat was repeated scenes of normalcy. While the people we talked with were concerned about the continuing national issues such as the future of the peace process, all stressed they had no physical fear of the Palestinian uprising and that visitors wouldn't either. Jerusalem Jerusalem, and all Israel, is experiencing a construction boom.
People fill the sidewalks in west Jerusalem and vehicle traffic is heavy.
What is missing are the tourists. The streets of the Old City are quieter and the Western Wall plaza nearly empty, although Jewish worshippers continue to crowd near the ancient temple's stone wall. The Jewish Quarter was bustling with residents, but tourists were notably absent from the streets, the Cardo shopping area and other ancient attractions. Our group of journalists had the dining room of the King David Hotel nearly to ourselves. El Al Israel Airlines, the primary carrier of tourists to Israel, has also suffered, but it is not dropping rates.