We have just entered Israel via Ashdod with our Land Rover, having caught a Grimaldi lines ship from Monfalcone. The process on arrival in Ashdod is not easy, in part because the port is not generally recognised as a border point. This means there is no easy way to acquire vehicle insurance. The hot tip is, as soon as you arrive, get a taxi up to Jaffa and go to The Pool, and get your vehicle insurance, which you then have to pay for separately in a Bank or Post Office. The Pool exists at all other ports and border crossings and is the accepted means of insuring foreign registered vehicles for short visits to Israel.
With this crucial bit of paper, you should then be equipped to negotiate the rest of the process, which is slow and hard to understand. There is a young security guy called Assaf, who helped us through.
The system is this:
1. Immigration and security come on to the ship to interview all passengers and crew. This process takes a few hours and they only issue a port pass.
2. The Port Agents issue authority for the vehicle to be driven off the ship.
3. On dry land, park the vehicle up.
4. Walk to Immigration to get a tourist visa (not a transit visa).
5. Walk out of the port and round to the Port Agents office (for Grimaldi Lines the Agents are Allalouf).
6. At Allalouf pay US140 for the gate pass for the vehicle. This is a critical piece of paper.
7. Hop in a taxi and ask to be taken to The Pool office in Jaffa. Their phone number is +972 (0)3 5161220 and the office is in the Textile and Fashion Centre near the Dolphinarium. Remember to take the V5 Vehicle Registration Document, your passports and driving licences.
8. The Pool issue the insurance certificate pretty quickly, but payment is at any Post Office or bank.
9. Back at the Customs Office, you will need:
V5 Vehicle Registration Document (original);
Israeli Insurance document
MOT – Yes!!
Driving Licence
Passport and visa
Gate Pass from Allalouf
10. The customs will then wish to inspect the vehicle and check the chassis no, and will then issue and explain the Temporary Import Document, which will include a date agreed with the Customs by which time the vehicle will have been re-exported.
11. You then go to pay Port Taxes (1377 NIS, not payable in foreign currency, but they do take a card), which involves visiting 3 different offices.
12. Finally, Security should take you back to the Warehouse to get another document (not clear what it is for), and then to the Gate. Alleluia!

We were quite lucky in that we did not have to empty the vehicle for detailed inspection. On the other hand, we were unlucky by having the whole process interrupted by Yom Kippur, which meant offices closed at 1500 on the day we started, and then stayed closed for 2 days. As we started the process, we were approached by a rather tiresome old boy who kept shouting at us offering to be a fixer. In retrospect, I think we would have been well advised to use him. He at least understood the importance of getting the Insurance and how to get it, and might have saved us much time. The process was not helped by the Agents, who were willing to discuss process over the phone when asked, but made only the minimal effort to be of any practical assistance. Likewise, Grimaldi Lines don’t know or give any information on how to clear a vehicle as they are cargo shippers. If you don’t accompany the vehicle as a passenger, you will need a Bill of Lading for the vehicle.

Thanks for the comprehensive post.

For others coming that way who have a green card make sure Israel is covered on it. It saves a lot of hassle and cash.