Jerusalem, December 26 – A spate of ethnic violence in a number of Western countries has prompted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put out a travel advisory warning Israelis to avoid those countries if possible.
A series of attacks via automobile in several French cities, apparently by Islamists, heightened fears of terrorist activity in that country, while two bombs exploded in the Swedish city of Malmö even as Stockholm granted recognition to a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, two police officers in New York city were gunned down by a man seeking “retribution” for police killings of black men, further stoking already-heightened tensions and fears of escalation.
Given the fraught atmosphere in those countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman instructed the consulates around the world to advise Israeli tourists and travelers to stay away from those dangerous locations until further notice. “We recommend that Israelis refrain from traveling to places marked by instability and violence. While this obviously includes such states as Ukraine and Nigeria, recent additions to the list of dangerous countries include the United States, Sweden, and France.”
Israeli concerns over terrorism or other violence in the US began with the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Virginia, and subsequent American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 3,000 Americans fell victim to terrorism in 2001 alone, far outstripping even Middle East countries. Recent years have been somewhat kinder, but the phenomenon of trigger-happy police and incitement to violence among African-Americans and their supporters gave the Foreign Ministry pause. The New York shooting last week merely tipped the balance, said ministry spokesman Shoter Al-Tirabi.
“The US has been on the brink of a travel ban for more than a decade, but it’s only in the last few weeks that things have obviously spiraled out of control. We came close over the summer to implementing an advisory when the disturbances in Ferguson, Missouri, were at their height, but it was the New York killings that sealed the deal,” he explained.
The French situation was less severe but similarly gradual in coming. “We’ve been seeing violence from Muslims in France for quite some time, especially during this summer’a war in Gaza,” in which Jews faced what amounted to a pogrom, said Al-Tirabi. “It’s one thing when the target is Jews – almost every country in the world has some of that – but a general outbreak of ethnic or religious violence is just too much to tolerate, and we therefore recommend postponing any trips to France in the near future.”
Swedish violence presents a more troublesome case. “The bombs in Malmö followed the government’s decision to recognize Palestine as a state, so clearly we’re not dealing with completely rational actors, and that makes the country even more dangerous,” said Al-Tirabi. “When even seemingly conciliatory or supportive messages spark Islamist violence, better stay away.”
He added that the ministry would reexamine its recommendations periodically to determine whether any of the three countries were safe to visit, and that the list of countries on the advisory list was under constant review. “We’re considering adding Petach Tikva,” he said.
(h/t Judge Dan)
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