Israel’s National Security Council Issues Travel Warning Ahead of Jewish High Holidays Amid Terror Threats – Algemeiner.com

A pro-Hamas march in London, United Kingdom, Feb. 17, 2024. Photo: Chrissa Giannakoudi via Reuters Connect

Israel’s National Security Council on Wednesday issued a travel warning to Israelis and Jews planning to travel for the Jewish Holiday Holidays next week, urging them to be vigilant amid a historic surge in antisemitism and mounting threats from terrorist groups.

“Ahead of the High Holidays, during which hundreds of thousands of Israelis are expected to travel abroad, we would like to increase public awareness to the various terrorist threats abroad and suggest that those traveling follow the recommendations published on the website of the National Security Council (NSC),” the government body said in a message posted to its website.

The NSC emphasized the “dangers” of sharing or posting on social media any information that could identify one as being a member of or active in Israel’s security forces.

“Sharing any such information increases the risk that the person who shared it or is depicted in it will be marked as a target for attack,” the statement said. “Therefore, we recommend to avoid posting any content in any format that indicates or refers to service in the security forces, military operations, or any similar content.”

The NSC also underscored the “possible danger of being lured and kidnapped,” urging caution when being engaged by a stranger, whether in person or online.

The posting also recommended that, due to “the real life-threatening danger facing Israelis in these places,” the Israeli public refrain from traveling to Iraq (including Iraqi Kurdistan), Yemen, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt (including the Sinai Peninsula), and Turkey.

Next week, Jews around the world will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and then the following week will observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism known as the Day of Atonement. Together, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Jewish High Holidays.

Both holidays fall near the one-year anniversary of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. During the onslaught, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people, wounded thousands more, and kidnapped over 250 hostages while perpetrating rampant sexual violence against the Israeli people. The brutal invasion was the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Beyond launching the Israel-Hamas war, the Oct. 7 atrocities unleashed a historic surge in antisemitic incidents around the world, especially across the US and Europe. According to civil rights groups, several such outrages have been motivated by anti-Israel animus.

“We expect Oct. 7, 2024, (the one-year anniversary of the Swords of Iron War) to be a significant date for terrorist organizations (and in particular Hamas and Global Jihad factions). Around that time, efforts to carry out attacks against Israeli/Jewish targets abroad are expected to intensify, both in planned attacks and in local initiatives or lone-wolf attacks,” the NSC warned.

The NSC explained that since October, “a sharp increase has been identified in the motivation of terrorist groups and their efforts to carry out attacks against Israeli/Jewish targets around the world.”

The statement specifically noted Hamas’s efforts to attack Israelis and Jews abroad, as well as the threats and active terror plots from Iran and its chief proxy Lebanese Hezbollah, another Islamist terrorist group.

Islamic State (ISIS) has also encouraged its followers to carry out attacks in Europe in response to the war in Gaza, stressing the importance of plotting against Christian and Jewish targets, including synagogues.

“The growing threat and increase in terrorist activity against Israelis and Jews abroad is reflected in dozens of foiled attempted attacks targeting Israelis and Jews abroad (it has been made public that Iranian terrorist attacks against Israelis in Peru, France, Germany and Greece were thwarted) alongside several successful attacks, including those that took human life,” the NSC noted, citing specific examples such as arson against synagogues and the recent murder of four Israelis in Egypt.

Beyond terrorist groups, anti-Jewish hate crimes have spiked to record levels in several countries in Europe, North America, South America, and elsewhere.

“To conclude, the high motivation among terrorist organizations (Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Global Jihad) alongside the anti-Israeli, anti-Jew hate-filled atmosphere in many countries since the beginning of the war, significantly increase the likelihood of lone-wolf assailants, grassroots organizations or organized terrorist groups carrying out attacks against Israelis/Jews abroad,” the NSC warned Israelis.