We went to Israel as the first stop on our Rome to Dubai cruise in 2020 just before the pandemic broke out.  We stayed two nights and did two full day excursions to see as much as possible.  We really enjoyed the visit and while everything seemed to be fine, living in that part of the world with so much turmoil around them has to have an effect on your daily lives.   We would go back and see more of the country given the opportunity.