Israel Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 972. Local telephone directories are in Hebrew, but there is a special English-language version for tourists. 

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. There is coverage all over the country, including the Negev Desert. Visitors should note that it is illegal to drive whilst holding a mobile telephone.

There are many Internet cafes.

Airmail to Europe takes up to one week.

Post office hours: May vary but are generally Sun-Tues and Thurs 0800-1200 and 1530-1830, Wed 0800-1330 and Fri 0800-1200. All post offices are closed on Shabbat (Saturday) and holy days, although central telegraph offices are open throughout the year.

Israel has vibrant and exceptionally diverse media, produced in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian, expressing all viewpoints and spanning the entire political spectrum. All publications are privately owned, and there is no state interference with editorial. News in English is broadcast on radio and TV several times daily.

• The main dailies are Ha'aretz, Ma'ariv and Yedioth Aharonoth.
• The main English-language daily is the Jerusalem Post.
• The Jerusalem Report is a popular left-of-centre monthly magazine in English.

• Most Israeli households subscribe to cable or satellite TV, with a big package of foreign news networks, including Sky, BBC World, CNN and Al-Jazeera.
• The Israel Broadcasting Authority operates public TV Channel 1, and there are several commercial terrestrial channels.

• There is a huge range of radio stations offering music, news or features in several languages.
• The Israel Broadcasting Authority runs the principal station Kol Israel.
• The popular and authoritative Army Radio broadcasts news and music to a mostly-civilian audience and operates the music and traffic news network Galgalatz.
• There is also a proliferation of unauthorised/ pirate radio stations.