RESEARCH SHOWS that one of the most often used words in Hebrew is "Shalom". Israelis greet each other with "shalom" and many of them do the same when parting. (The others use the two slang words "yallah bye", the one Arabic, the other English.)
Shalom is not a synonym of the European word "peace", as many believe. It is far more. It is based on the root "whole" and conveys the sense of wholeness, safety, wellbeing. In no European language can you say "our soldiers attacked the enemy and returned to their base in shalom".
In Arabic, Salaam has the same meaning.