Israel Raises Terror Threat Level for Israelis Traveling for Pesach

 Israel’s government has warned its citizens to be cautious while traveling over Pesach, and is warning travelers to avoid certain destination spots altogether.

The National Security Council (NSC) released a risk-assessment message Thursday, saying that Israelis should avoid Turkey, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt — including the Sinai peninsula, a popular holiday destination over Pesach.

In a general warning for global travel, the NSC said the “potential for terrorist threats against Israelis and Jews more than five months after the start of the war is very high.”

One counter-terrorist official advised Israelis traveling abroad not to reveal their identities during their trips.

“You can speak Hebrew with each other, but you don’t have to laugh at the other family or your friends at the other end of the street,” he said in a press briefing.

He also advised Israelis traveling to Malmo, Sweden, not to reveal their Israeli identity. “This is an event that should be handled with discretion. The site of the competition will be under very heavy security, but the surrounding area could be problematic. Malmo is a city with many hostile areas. We are not saying not to travel there, but those who travel should not walk around with Israeli signs.”

According to the written threat assessment, there are increased attempts amid the Gaza war by jihadist organizations to inspire lone attackers to target Jews and Israelis abroad.

The primary threat is Iran and its proxies. The NSC said Iranian agents have impersonated other foreign identities to contact Israelis to try and abduct or harm them overseas.

The NSC also warned about the Euro soccer championships in Germany and the 2024 Paris Olympics as events that thousands of Israelis will travel to. Jihadist organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIS could target those events, said the official, or specifically attack Jews and Israelis there.

In addition, the NSC said in its announcement that Jewish communities in Europe and North America “are also a major target” for the extreme right, “with religious and community institutions being a preferred target on holidays and festivals.”

Some additional excerpts from the NSC assessment:

In the last few years there has been an ongoing escalation in the threat against Israelis abroad, which has only become more severe since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords (October 2023), as there is increased motivation on the part of terrorists around the world to carry out attacks. Most apparent is the growing threat from Iran, along with Hamas and Jihadi groups, which are vigorously promoting attacks against Israelis and Jews abroad. In the past few months, dozens of terrorist attacks against Israeli targets around the world have been thwarted.

Given all this, more than five months since the beginning of the war the potential of terrorist threats against Israelis and Jews is extremely high.

Regarding Iran:

Iran remains the main perpetrator of terrorism around the world. In the past few years, it has increased its attacks, either direct or by proxy and collaborators, against Israeli citizens and Jews around the world. Dozens of attempted terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jews have been uncovered and thwarted by Israel. In 2021, for instance, a terrorist cell, operating on behalf of Iran, attempted to kill Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus. Prior to that, there was a similar attempt in Colombia, and the same thing happened in 2022 (in Türkiye and in Georgia) and in 2023 (in Greece and Cyprus, alongside Hezbollah operations in Latin America). It is important to note that this is only a sample of the incidents that were cleared for publication.

Since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, we have identified increased efforts on behalf of Iran and its proxies to carry out attacks against Israelis and Jews all around the world.

Regarding Global Jihad:

Global Jihad and other radical Islamist organizations continue to plan and carry out terrorist attacks around the world (most of their efforts are focused on Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, with sporadic attempts to carry out such activities in other countries in the world). For example, on March 22, ISIL terrorists carried out a mass casualty attack in Moscow, killing more than 100 people and injuring dozens more. Several weeks earlier, Russian security forces foiled an ISIL attack against a synagogue in Moscow.

It should be noted that since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, these organizations have exhibited increased motivation to carry out attacks against Jews and Israelis around the world.

In the past few months, these organizations and their supporters have gained increased media presence, where they call for and encourage attacks on Jews and Israelis around the world. The main threat is posed by lone wolf attackers, who draw inspiration from the organizations and may carry out attacks against Israelis and Jews, like the recent attack in Switzerland (a Jew was stabbed on March 3). This has all worsened due to the war atmosphere, antisemitism and the unprecedented incitement against Israel.

Regarding Antisemitism and the extreme right:

Alongside the threat of terrorism by radical Islam, the past few months have seen a significant increase in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement (in social media, media, etc.), and a significant increase in expressions of antisemitism and violence in many countries around the world, including France, Germany, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. A Jewish man was murdered in LA, an employee of the Israeli embassy in China was stabbed, a Jewish woman was stabbed in France, and Israeli journalist was attacked in Berlin, several incidents were reported in Canada in which Jewish properties were shot at, and hundreds of other violent incidents.