Israel's National Security Council and foreign ministry have warned Israelis and Jews worldwide against travel to Middle Eastern or Arab countries as "the rhetoric of Global Jihad" becomes more extreme and calls crescendo to harm them as the war with Hamas grinds on.
The U.S. Department of State, in its own travel warning, urged Americans to "exercise increased caution" when they travel anywhere in the world, and to be alert when they visit popular tourist sites.
The U.S. warning comes amid "increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."
The Israeli authorities recommend not traveling to Egypt, including Sinai, and Jordan, and for those already in either country to leave immediately.
The alert level for Morocco has been raised, and non-essential travel to Morocco should be avoided, the Israeli travel warning says. It also recommends not traveling to Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and any other Arab or Middle Eastern country, as well as countries where Islam is the main religion, including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and popular holiday destination, the Maldives.
The city of Chefchaouen, Morocco, which historians say was settled by Jews and Moors fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century, usually attracts half a million tourists a year. Morocco is one of many countries that Israelis have been advised not to visit. (Karin Zeitvogel)
Visitors to Britain might want to avoid central London on Nov. 11, the 105th anniversary of the end of World War I.
A group that has held pro-Palestinian protests on Saturdays since the Hamas-Israel war began, plans to hold one in London on Nov. 11, which the British call Armistice Day and this year falls on a Saturday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has denounced the planned demonstration as "provocative and disrespectful," and the Metropolitan Police have said they are preparing a "significant" operation to ensure the "safety and security of anyone attending commemorative events."
The organisers of the protest have said they will avoid the Whitehall area, near Trafalgar Square, where the century-old Cenotaph war memorial is located, and won't start their demonstration until nearly two hours after a two-minute silence is held to commemorate Britain's and the Commonwealth's war dead.
Background and Context
Two Israelis were killed in a terror attack in Alexandria, Egypt, on Oct. 8, a day after the Hamas attack on Israel. Since the war started, there have been numerous anti-Semitic attacks and incidents around the world, including in France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and the United States.
More than 9,200 Palestinians have been killed in the war, and over 32,000 people have been wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday. On the Israeli side, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them civilians who were murdered during Hamas’ initial wave of attacks.
The death tolls on both sides are unprecedented in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence, the Associated Press reported.
In a speech in Tel Aviv Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated the United States' support “for Israel's right to defend itself, indeed its obligation to defend itself” while calling for "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting and for more to be done to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no ceasefire until all the hostages taken by Hamas during the initial attack in early October are released, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
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