Israelis use a ton of body language when they speak. I remember when I went to Israel last summer, I was struck by how vibrant they appeared to be. First of all, there is very little personal space. They are always in your personal bubble and their animated way of speaking is one of the manners in which they intrude on one's personal space. Israelis talk with their hands. They are very direct, blunt and honest people, and they show their feelings. They use their bodies to help convey their feelings. I think it's interesting that in the US, stoicism is usually encouraged. In Israel, this is not the case. Israelis are tough and you don't often encounter them crying or being emotional. But Israelis are emotionally charged. One of their favorite body language expressions that I remember is putting their hands together over their heart and shaking them, almost as if they were pleading for something. This intense expression of "please listen to me" - it is sort of of nice way of asking for attention or begging - could be used in the US. However, it is very common in Israel.
Another thing that Israelis do is appreciate directness. They do not like people who are not direct. I had a conversation with a businessman while I was there about how they don't often trust foreign businesspeople because they try to be so polite and indirect in an effort to please Israelis. He said something to the effect of "we just want people to tell us what they really want in a business deal". I thought that was interesting. I have that general attitude, and I don't know why more people don't. I think I should move to Israel!
To sum it up: Israelis are actually very friendly and relationship-oriented people, but they are punctual and time oriented and this makes them appear pushy to foreigners. They are animated and direct and actually just some of the coolest people to be around, but you just have to see what is underneath their porcupine skin.
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