Israel Security

We have a tour booked during the later part of April. Its with Smartours..Now with all the talk of preemptive Israeli strikes towards Iran, I am very nervous. This will be our first time to Europe. I would lose alot of money..but if it is not safe, money is not my concern,ofcourse. For all of you experienced travelers to Israel..what do you think?

I'm confused.

"This will be our first time to Europe." Do you mean your first time out of Europe? Do you think Iran and Israel are in Europe?

Please clarify?

No, that was a typo..I meant the Middle East..sorry!

No problem. Was just a bit confusing.

As you are no doubt aware, there have been issues in the ME since long before any of us were born. No one knows what will happen. IMHO one can wait until there are no threats, but it would be a very long wait, or they can go on with their lives, take their trips, relax and have fun. I am going to go that route.

My advice is to monitor the situation, but continue to plan on taking your trip. There's no reason to be nervous. You can't control any of it. If you do decide to go then relax and have fun. The worst decision you could make is to go, spend the money and be so worried the whole time that you're miserable.

Good luck.

No one knows when or if Israel/USA/NATO will attack and if or how Iran will retaliate.
Since there are so many unknowns, I would suggest you put your nerves at ease and continue with you plans.
As you know, Israel has always had issues with security but Israelis live normal lives and millions of tourists visit Israel every year.
A million things can change by the end of April. Don't get addicted to the news, just check on the situation again before you go.
And laketraveller has a point, Israel and Iran are in the Middle East, south west Asia :-)

I live in Israel and am not panicking about what may or may not happen by the end of April. It's just more of the same, which means carrying on as normal, going to work and doing all the normal things that people do anywhere else.

Just carry on with your plans, and get cancellation insurance :)

Israel is hyper-security conscious - it is a "safe" place to be in the event of conflict. I would go on your trip (buy that cancellation insurance), pay close attention to the news (western & Israeli sources) and call the United States, Australian and British embassies as you near your trip and listen closely to what they have to say (and don't say), Getting three differing perspectives cannot hurt. Don't just go to the Embassy "Travel advisories" on the internet.
It is true - the ME is a much different place than it was even 4 or 5 years ago. You go - and have fun (even if nobody else does)!
Good luck

It isn't going to happen. In spite of Israels extensive military capabilities they can't do the job on their own. Unless they nuke them out. There is no way NATO is getting involved and the US has no appetite for it. There is too much to go wrong and not enough to go right.

Its just a lot of bellicose chest beating.

A few points:
The worst that could happen is that a visitor is stuck in Israel when Israel strikes. No one knows what may happen. The airport could close, anything. And no cancellation insurance that I know of will cover you in case of acts of war or terrorism.

Israel has been the subject of extensive terrorist attacks where hundreds have died. That's one of the reasons they built the seperation wall.

All that said, I'm not cancelling my trip! But I'm under no illusions. If Israel strikes Iran, all bets are off. No one knows what may happen.

It`s pretty predictable what will happen.

Iran launches some ballistic missiles, probably targeting greater Tel-Aviv. Most of the missiles will be intercepted by Hetz, but some get through nevertheless.

Galilea and Haifa will be showered by rockets from South Lebanon like we have seen in 2006.

I see no reason for the airport to be closed completely. Many flights will be cancelled for sure.

Mycara, you might want to go to Israel sooner than later! Seriously, I don't think anyone of us knows what will happen. But if things do start up, I agree, all bets are off. It is a good bet that Hizbollah will launch missles, as might Hamas. Time will tell, I guess. We'll know soon enough - it's already February.

There's a rumor out there that Hamas also has special missles for special occasions.

Perfect, let`s launch a preemptive strike against them! :)

I heard a report on Israel TV a few days ago saying that things are so boring here now that a lot of foreign correspondents have packed up and gone to more "exciting" places!

#26 (bristolnewbie)

IMHO, what you wrote is total nonsense. :)

And I agree with a1. Bristolnewbie, looks like you're a big fan of Hizbollah. When I think of what Muginyah did to Buckley and others, and his history of violence - I could not in good conscience support such an organization. Just one man's humble opinion.

Mycara, you're not going to Europe, you're going to the Middle-East. No one can predict whether or when Israel will attack Iran, and what will be the scale of retaliations.

The Israeli Governement has been speaking of attacking Iran for years so chances are it will never happen or not before a long time, but there are no guarantees.

I suggest you travel to Israel / Palestinian territory as planned, there's no reason to worry. Make sure you have a cancellation policy. Should anything happen, the US embassy will evacuate you so keep their number while travelling.

mycara, the end of April is an ideal time to be in Israel, I hope you have a wonderful experience.

#38 A1's posts clearly reads to me as statements of fact, not in any way a justification.

#44 (catw)
And we all know how discredited that report was in the end. :)

BristolNewbie:

Thank you for that enlightening comment. I wonder how you managed to find it ! Obviously you are a Talmudic scholar !!

And next time you post a link try reading it to the end.

I found it with the help of this magic website: [http://www.lamsza.com/]

• Rebbe, Can we use the Lonely Planet forum while studying the Talmud?
• That is strictly forbidden.
• But can we study the Talmud while using the Lonely Planet forum?
• You can study the Talmud anytime.

[http://youtu.be/gmd3Tl7oxIo]

Don`t take yourselves so seriously guys! Have fun! :)

Surpise military attacks aren't usually announced in advance. Chances are you'll have a good time in Israel. If something happens, you can usually count on your home country's embassy for evacuation :))

There's a strange atmosphere in Israel, where people are all talking about the upcoming "war" and of what they should do. People in Jerusalem feel safe because they think the holy city will not be a target, while people living in Tel Aviv are very nervous as they think they will be targeted first. Many people do not believe anything will happen but others think Netanyahu will really attack despite Israeli army senior officers advice not to. but Still I think there's no reason to cancel your trip, just make sure you can contact your embassy in case of need.

I live in Israel, and you are welcome to come with no worries.

#53 (catw)

EVERYONE in Israel is discussing the possible upcoming war, wondering whether the Americans will let Netanyahu strike Iran.

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No they are not.

All the newspapers speak of Netanyahu's warnings that Iran has the capacity to strike Tel Aviv and other major cities in retalitation.

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Again, someone depending solely on the media to reach inaccurate conclusions.
Quite true. The newspapers speak of it. But the people in general aren't discussing it.

Of course people are nervous, who woudn't be?

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No they aren't. Again, you are drawing incorrect conclusions from the media.

Right now, Thursday morning headlines on the most popular Israeli news websites include an upcoming report regarding a 2010 forest fire on Mt. Carmel, the situation in Syria, Prince Harry's career as a pilot, negotiations regarding a union strike, etc. Nothing on Iran in the main headlines.
Iran is in the news but at about the same frequency as it is on CNN, BBC, NY Times, etc.
People discuss the subject but not more than they do other matters. I would say tension and nervousness do not describe the atmosphere at all.
It's just another sunny day.