Ben Gurion (Natbag), Israel's major international airport, has convenient facilities and good shopping options.

 

Located only 20 KM from Tel Aviv and 50 KM from Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion Airport is very near both cities.  The airport has been remodeled in the past years and now includes a new terminal equipped with all the technological improvements available.  This reconstruction project is named NATBAG 2000 (It was supposed to be ready for the new millennium but took 4 more years). 

In contrast to many airports around Europe, the US and other countries, Ben-Gurion is open 24h, allowing passengers to enjoy the benefits of duty free purchases day and night.  This is very convenient when you have a late night flight.

The airport has a vast selection of shops besides the standard duty free bits and pieces, such as Nine West, H. Stern and even Michal Negrin, an Israeli jewelry designer who has branches in many cities around the world. 

You can get almost anything you could need in the airport shops; books, gifts, clothing items etc.  There is also a branch of Arcafe in the airport, which means a good cup of coffee is also within reach! 

Israel is known to have a very tight security system, due to the ongoing threats of terrorism.  Some elements in the security inspection might seem intrusive at times, but the aim of course is not to embarrass but to protect. 

The security inspection can get a little more intrusive when it comes to non-Jewish individual travelers.  The political and moral inclinations of non-Jewish travelers are looked upon with a degree of suspicion.  If you find yourself having a long chat about the purpose of your visit or your political outlook with security personnel, don't take it to heart or let it spoil your arrival in Israel.  At the end of the day everyone is trying to do their job as best they can, and in this case the job is important and therefore taken seriously.

Getting from the airport to Tel Aviv is a breeze.  
Trains go through the new terminal (Terminal 3) and reach Tel Aviv's central train station in about 20 min. From Sun-Thu, the trains leave about every 20 min (from 5:30-12:00) and every hour during the late night hours (1:29-5:30). As for weekends, the last train leaves at 14:11 on Friday and the first train leaves at 19:35 on Saturday (between 14:11 and 19:35 the next day - there are no trains to the airport). 
Bus number 222 runs a set route through all the major hotels and central places in Tel Aviv.
There is public transportation to all parts of the country (on weekdays until midnight).
And finally, taxis are always available and the price shouldn't go higher than NIS150 to Tel Aviv (though prices do vary according to the price of petrol).