Have to defend my town here -
Tel Aviv has changed a *lot *since its late 70’s nadir. The beaches have been cleaned up, the boulevards have been restored, and the city boasts a world-class restaurant and cafe scene. It’s really an awesome city, by any standard - and unfortunately, apartment prices have started to reflect this.
Never met one of those psychjobs. I live in SoCal, not the midwest. 
I have met people who say the equivalent to that on Israel, though. Stuff like, “Is it true that all Israelis get to keep their M16s after their army service?” (Answer: No) or “How did you get clean water in Israel?” (Answer: We bought it from Turkey. I shit you not.)
Mel Gibson movies? We probably do, but I’ve never heard of him until I moved to the states.
Hm, the Carmel (English name is different? No idea) is pretty nice. I don’t know how many religious tourists do the kayaking in the Jordan thing, but that’s fun. Eilat has some pretty awesome resorts and beaches, along with a dolphin show that rivals Sea World’s… And the dolphins can leave the enclosure whenever they want, too! They can go into the open ocean, come back to work and for fish, and then swim out again.
Oh, the beaches in Tel Aviv are amazing. I’m not saying I don’t like Tel Aviv because it’s Tel Aviv, I just don’t like cities in general. Still, compared to most cities in the States, Tel Aviv is beautiful.
The street by the beach with all the consulates and embassies and world hotels is pretty amazing. Most hotels have a tunnel from the lobby to the beach so that the guests don’t have to cross the road and can just walk barefoot right to the beach.
Speaking of embassies, I heard a pretty funny joke about the Turkish Embassy when I was in Israel… But it will have to wait until someone asks about Israeli humor.
Alessan, if you know it, you’re welcome to guess. I’m sure you’ve heard it before.
ETA: And apartments/condos in Tel Aviv are expansive as ****. And considering the Israeli housing market, that’s saying something.