They came, they swam, they left
In Israel's 52nd year, the rich, famous, and obscure came to visit. Here are our 52 top distinguished tourists

27. Nelson Mandela
Israel's relationship with South Africa's ex-president Nelson Mandela has been bumpy at times and his visit in October reflected the relationship. When Mandela began making comments about Israel's cooperation with the apartheid regime, Israeli officials spoke of Mandela's ties with Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and his statements regarding the presumed honesty of the Iranians as they try 13 Iranian Jews for spying. Mandela also generated anger in government circles for claiming he was too tired to go to the Western Wall, while he managed to find the energy for a walk along the Via Dolorosa.