Israel

Betty, I'm not sure if these would be considered "through the back door", but you might have a look at These, These or http://www.insightvacations.com/Tours/Search-Results (I couldn't get the link to work). I'm sure there are others, but that will get you started. Happy travels!

Thank you, Ken. "Great Adventure Tours" looks like what I was seeking in a tour to Israel. Have you ever taken a "Great Adventure Tour"?

Betty, I've never taken any of the Great Adventure Tours but have researched them in the past for destinations not covered by Rick Steves. They don't appear to have any ratings on Trip Advisor, but there may be reviews posted somewhere on the net.

I took a look at the Great Adventures tour and I have serious reservations: 1. They have no experience in Israel. 2012 is the first year they are offering tours here. 2. The itinerary is not well planned. Day 2 is Saturday. On this day "historic Jaffa, where we will visit the Old Markets of Jaffa, Simon's House and visit the Old Port of Jaffa." The markets are closed on Saturday as are all the artists' galleriesin the Old Port. Later, in Akko, they skip the most impressive sight - the Crusader Halls (a world heritage site). 3. Their first tour (April 20-27) includes Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day. On Memorial Day, they plan to go to the holocaust museum (Yad Vashem) in the morning. There will be official ceremonies at the national military cemetery and traffic will be impossible/impassible. From there, they plan to go to Bethlehem. Because of the political tensions and terrorist threats, it is highly likely that the border crossings between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be closed and it will not be possible to get to/from Bethlehem. 4. The 8 day tour has 6 days of touring. Rough estimate - an average of 4 hours each day on the bus. With 4-5 sights each day, that means you won't spend much time in any of them. I haven't been on an RS tour, but this doesn't sound like the RS style to me. I don't have anything better to recommend, but I'll be happy to take a look at anything you find and give you my opinion FWIW.

Israel is as easy to see on your own as any place in Europe. It's a very Westernized place and English is spoken everywhere. Interested?

national geographic has a tour to the holy land...if you're interested.

Thank you,everyone. I really appreciate the feedback.

We traveled with Ayelet Tours in 1993 and were pleased with the company. I'm not sure if they'd give you a "back door" experience but as Chani said, you could easily travel through Israel on your own.