Safe to travel in Israel now

Why wouldn’t it be?

Have you checked the US State Department's travel advisories? https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/IsraeltheWestBankandGaza.html?wcmmode=disabled

I felt very safe in Israel. With all the police and security, it's probably safer than much of the US.

Leaving for Israel the middle of next month. Have not received any government (state.gov) advisories to avoid travel there. Had a fantastic time during my first visit almost 30 years ago. I can’t answer the “is it safe?” question but I’m very excited about and comfortable with going.

You may want to sign up for the U.S. Department of State travel advisories which are sent to you automatically based upon your itinerary input. They are provided through the Smart Traveler program.

https://step.state.gov/step/

Yes it is safe.

Well, things change quickly. Raymonelee, are you there now? Any updates? We're supposed to arrive Nov 19.

I just emailed with one of our forum members that lives just outside Tel Aviv (Chani). She reports she is well, but did have to take cover during a recent raid announced by sirens. I do not think that travel to Israel is a wise choice at this time with the announcement by the Israeli government that there is a "state of war."

Another online acquaintance was on a ship shore excursion to Nazareth yesterday and the bus driver was notified that the government was requiring all tours to cancel immediately. They were returned to the ship and it left later in the day for a different country.

Thank you Carol for the update and for connecting with Chani.

Thank you, Carol. I have been thinking about Chani this morning and hoping that she and those she loves are safe. I appreciate your posting very much.

Hoping for the best for Chani who is a wonderful forum contributor. Don't mean to start a discussion, but as Rodney King said, "Why can't we all just get along?"

For people posting their usual answers of “why wouldn’t it be, safer than the US, yes it is safe,” etc, this is why you always have to look at Israel differently and be prepared. In the 3 times we had planned, prepared and booked a 3 week study course in Israel for our 45 students, we were only able to go once. The other two times were a major scramble at the last minute when unstable and dangerous things happened just prior to our trip. The situation in Israel today would have had us canceling again. So thankful for the one time we were able to go.

We're supposed to arrive Nov 19.

Given the scale of the attack, that looks to be unlikely

I was in Israel in August of 2014 visiting a good friend. I first cancelled my trip and decided to go a month later even though the rocket attacks continued. I am not offering advice to others on this as it is a personal decision. But personally if I had a trip planned this month, I would probably cancel. If it were for November, I'd wait a couple weeks before deciding.

@Mango Tree those answers were posted 8-9 days ago and before the current conflict. I too am saying that Israel needs a more heightened state of risk management when planning a trip and the advice for booking fully refundable accommodations, guides and flight should always be taken into consideration for Israel. I’d go back in a heartbeat but not until the current situation is safer.

Thank you Carol for the update on Chani.

Thank you Carol for checking on Chani, one of my favorite Forumites.

We’re still traveling and just getting caught up on the news in Israel. Thank you Carol for checking in Chani and giving us an update. She is a very good friend of the forum.

We have a tour of Israel and Jordan booked for next Feb/March and hope things settle down after the HAMA terror attacks.

Also several airlines are canceling flights to Israel now, not sure how long that's going to last...

Could be the wider region will become off the table for the time being, just now an Israeli tourist bus in Egypt was ambushed by a local policeman with multiple casualties.

Carol, here's another thanks for letting us know how Chani is doing. I was thinking of her and wondering if she was okay, so I appreciate you doing this.

News tonight that cruise ships are cancelling calls in Israel.

Carol, Thanks for letting us know about Chani. I had been thinking about her!

Carol, I’ll include my thanks for the update on Chani. I hope she continues to stay safe.

joining the chorus thanking for the update on Chani. Stay safe Chani if you're tuned in ....

@ Kathryn

Thanks for asking!

My flight to Tel Aviv is scheduled to depart this Friday 10/13. Status reports on my carrier website show that they canceled flights to Israel yesterday and today. My group of travelers have also canceled the trip. It’s a heartbreaking situation there that prayerfully will end soon.

My Israeli friends who reside there are also safe but clearly alarmed.

@ramonelee...thanks for touching base. Were you transiting thru a hub in Europe to go to Tel Aviv? Just thinking maybe you can reconfigure your trip to still get a vacation in. Very sad but I'm glad your friends are OK as well.

Raymonlee.....this is one you are going to have to play by ear. The situtation is very fluid and likely to change by Friday.

The U.S. just announced it is sending a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean to assist Israel firstly by re-supplying the Israeli military and to possibly evacuate Americans if needed,

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna119385

Hamas has taken citizens of numerous countries hostage and that in itself could turn ugly.

Carol now retired, thanks for checking on Chani.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis to brace themselves for a long and difficult war on Sunday, a day after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched its largest surprise attacks in decades."

This is a serious moment for the State of Israel. I believe that hostilities will last several weeks, and they could drag on. I would not go to Israel for 6 months.

@ Frank II

Thanks for your thoughts. I enjoy traveling, experiencing cultures, getting to know the people of many different heritages. It however requires flexibility and adaptability among other things. My planned trip to Russia was set back three times with it now being on hold until maybe forever. The heart breaks for the innocent victims of war and conflict throughout the world. Our group realized immediately that the situation in Israel may go on for a very very long time. We are hoping for a swift resolution for all those impacted but not hoping to visit. Just like my thrice planned trip to Russia a visit to Israel may not come to fruition for years if at all.

@ PAM

Thanks. My flight to Israel was scheduled as nonstop from JFK. I am looking at destinations in Europe or Southeast Asia.

raymonelee, There is no way I would go to Israel on Friday. My best guess is the decision will be taken out of your hands. However, these situations are difficult to predict. But if it’s not, I hope you come to a decision that you feel comfortable with.

My husband and I are scheduled to leave for Israel the day after Thanksgiving. I very much doubt we will go. We are in a wait and see mode right now.

Whether or not we go is meaningless. I am much more concerned about the lives of the people in Israel. I was very relieved to hear Chani is okay. (Thanks for the report, Carol.) I hope she and her family and friends continue to be safe.

I have family outside TelAviv..I have been in contact with them..no..it is not safe to travel to Israel at this time. They are in bomb shelters..their town is a ghost town..and they are in disbelief..but safe. The Israeli Army did not know this was going to happen...I love Israel..I find it very easy to get around..of course in some spots we had family..the people are easy..the food wonderful. I am sorry about your trip..a big disappointment! Let's hope you will get to see your trip happen sooner than later..and that those experiencing this horror see an end in sight. Ps..in all my Israel travels I always felt very safe..

According to CNN, Hamas is claiming to have launched a missile attack on Ben Gurion airport. If true, the odds of passenger flights arriving there are probably nil.
Thank you Carol for updating us on Chani. Chani - if you are online know we are all thinking of you.

Good to know that Chani is ok and safe.
It is horrifying watching this war unfolding in front of us.

Yes, Chani, thinking of you today and the many posts of yours I've read, admiring your travel prowess and energy. I hope you and yours are still doing OK and will get through this without harm.

The title of this thread needs a question mark, at least for the time being.

Carol now retired, Another thank you for letting us know that Chani is safe and OK.

Chani, if you’re reading this, we are thinking of you and wishing this horror is over soon. Take care!

Glad to know Chani is ok. I emailed her too but have not had a reply yet.

I have family outside TelAviv..I have been in contact with them..no..it is not safe to travel to Israel at this time. They are in bomb shelters..their town is a ghost town..and they are in disbelief..but safe.

Linda, I'm glad to hear that you have been in contact with your family and that they are safe. That must be very hard and I hope that they continue to stay safe.

After hearing from Kim and Carol, I remembered that there's a forum . . . my attention has been elsewhere.

On Friday I would have said it's perfectly safe to visit here. 12 hours later . . . then I woke up Saturday morning to air raid sirens, as the situation changed dramatically. BTW I'm fine. Any missiles headed in my direction were intercepted by Iron Dome (I can hear the explosions). Since then, there've been 2 or 3 air raid warnings a day in my suburb but no hits.

The airport is open but almost all foreign airlines have cancelled their flights.

My estimate based in good part on what I've been hearing on the Israeli news is you should cancel any plans to come here this month. This war isn't going to end in a week. Whether it will end before November . . . . maybe. Even if it does, tourist facilities may not be completely up and running for a while. Thousands of families have been displaced and are housed temporarily in hotels, hundreds don't even have homes to go back to.

If you have more questions or want information, please PM me and I will respond.

Thank you for posting, Chani, during such a difficult time for your country. I trust what you report more than anything I hear on the news. Stay safe.

Bless you Chani

I 100% agree with Carroll! Yes, stay safe Chani, thank you so much for posting and yes, I trust your on the ground report more than people who are competing for on air time.

Thank you for posting, Chani. Glad to hear you are safe. Take care.

Glad to hear that you're doing okay Chani, cuídate! ❤️

Chani, so sorry for you and your countrymen. Glad you are ok.

Chani - Thank you for the update. Hope you will continue to be safe!

Chani, thanks for updating us with how you’re doing. I hope you continue to stay safe.

Chani, I'm so glad to hear you are okay, but that had to be scary for you. I will keep you and everyone involved in my thoughts and hope that things get better for everyone. ❤️

Chani....stay safe.

Glad Chani responded here for everyone. I emailed her today. We visited over emails.

Glad she is fine. It’s gotta be scary.

Told her my thoughts and prayers are with her.

Kim

Very good to hear from you, Chani! Many on the RS forums are keeping you and yours in our thoughts.
Please stay safe. Linda, that goes for your family too.

Chani🤗 stay safe!

I was in Egypt when I first heard the news. I was doing two tours with OAT, back to back. After Egypt I was scheduled for their Jordan and Israel four week tour. (The Jordan portion was a pre-trip extension.)

A day after the attack I got a message from OAT that the Israel tour (including the Jordan portion) was canceled.

I quickly rearranged things. I was always planning to visit Wadi Rum on my own between the two tours. I did that, and then I came to Petra, which was supposed to be part of the tour. Been here two days. Tomorrow I start the journey home. Three weeks earlier than I intended.

Turkish Airlines charged me an arm and a leg to make the change, but when I get to Istanbul airport tomorrow I am going to talk to them and ask or beg or insist that they reimburse me.

Of course my heart aches for everyone in Israel and Gaza who is affected by this turn of events. Compared them, my troubles are small. And Jordan has been magnificent. I'm kind of glad I got to do Petra on my own instead of with a tour group.

Egypt was awesome too, except it was soooo hot! High temps in the triple digits every day, several days over 110. It's been wonderful in Jordan, with highs in the 70s.

Sorry your travels got cut short by these tragic developments, Lane. Wishing you a safe trip home!

Lane - I just looked at the flight board for Ben-Gurion TLV. There are no Turkish Air flights due in or out of Israel today. I looked at the scheduled flights for the next week, and from Oct 18, Turkish Air lists several flights a day. It looks like they are just cancelling flights on a day-by-day basis. In my book, that's a good premise to try to get money back from them. Good luck. I am sorry you didn't get to see our beautiful country.

And to everyone, thanks for your good wishes. Yesterday we had an air raid alert. I'd just emerged from the shower. In the 90 seconds (estimated time to missile arrival), I was able to dry off, put on a robe and meet my neighbors in the stairwell - the most protected part of our building. Such is life here. My little suburb doesn't get many barrages aimed at us, but Tel Aviv does, and I'm getting used to the booms of Iron Dome intercepts.

Please keep us in your 💗💗.

you are most definitely in our 💗💗 dear Chani

You and all Israel are in our thoughts. Stay safe.

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu v’al kol-yisrael, v’imru: amen.
(May the One who creates peace in the heavens bring peace to us and to all of Israel. And we say: Amen).

Lane, thanks for the update. I was wondering. Chani, we are hoping this war ends quickly, for everyone’s sake. I just think of the children and animals. Heartbreaking.

Chani, Thinking about you and hoping for the best for all the people in Israel. Stay safe!!

Sorry this a bit off topic. Earlier this year I booked a trip to Egypt for mid-November, and see that Lane just concluded a visit to Egypt. The overall situation is very volatile of course, but am wondering whether to cancel my visit to Egypt next month.

I think it is safe if you are on a tour. We did our tour in January and we had an armed guard on the bus.

Chani, how thoughtful it is of you to let us know you are well. When we saw Kim in Paris last week, she told us you two had been in touch, but it’s reassuring to hear from you, as well.

Stay safe; we’re all thinking of you and praying this madness will be over soon.

Andy- I don't think you need to cancel but I would keep a close eye on things. Before the hospital blast, I would have said to not even worry. While I can't speak for Egypt, things are more tense in the ME now. A single female friend who lives in Cairo said the same, but we don't feel unsafe as Americans. But a lot could change in a month.

Thanks for your replies. I'm going to keep a close watch. So far from what I've read on other forums, things are normal in Cairo right now.