Government issues terror warning to Israeli travelers abroad

Citing slew of attacks in various Western countries, Jerusalem urges vigilance especially over holidays

By ToI Staff 22 March 2015, 5:40 pm

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Policemen secure the area around a building in Copenhagen, Denmark, where shots were fired outside the venue of a free-speech debate, February 14, 2015. (photo credit: AFP/Mathias Oegendal/Scanpix Denmark)

The Prime Minister’s Office’s counter-terrorism bureau on Sunday released a travel advisory for Israeli tourists overseas, encouraging them to maintain vigilance in the wake of Islamist terror attacks throughout the West.

The advisory also warned travelers that terrorists might exploit the festivals of Passover (April 3-11), Lag B’Omer (May 7) and Israeli Independence Day (May 23) to commit an attack, as well as the period of June 23-25. No reason was given for the June dates.

“The series of radical Islamic terrorist attacks throughout the last year in Belgium, Canada, Australia, France and Denmark raises concerns about additional attacks against Western targets — including Israeli and Jewish targets,” the statement cautioned, raising concerns about jihadis returning from, or inspired by, extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, such as the Islamic State.

The government issued a blanket warning for travelers in north, west, and east Africa, warning of terror groups such as Hezbollah, Boko Haram and other Islamic State-affiliated organizations committing attacks in their respective areas against identifiable Jewish and/or Israeli entities, particularly synagogues, Chabad centers, community leaders and popular tourist sites.

While the statement urged citizens to stay out of the several dozen countries that do not permit Israelis entrance, it also warned of threats in Morocco, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Turkey, Nigeria, the Egyptian Sinai, eastern Senegal, the Thai-Malaysian border area, the Russian province of Chechnya, the Philippine island of Mindanao and Kashmir in northern India (with the exception of Ladakh).

In addition to remaining alert and staying out of high-risk areas, the counter-terrorism bureau recommended that travelers reject suspicious invitations by unknown parties and invitations to meet in unknown places and/or remote locations (particularly at night), bar strangers and unexpected visitors from hotel rooms, and avoid staying in the same location for an extended period.

The government frequently issues cautionary statements for Israelis overseas in light of widespread anti-Semitism and the country’s sensitive political situation.