Israeli National Security Council Raises Travel Warnings in Dozens of New Countries
Israel’s National Security Council issued updated travel guidelines on Monday, advising Israelis to exercise increased caution in dozens of countries across the world amid a rising tide of antisemitism.
The council maintained its recommendation that Israelis should avoid outward displays of their Jewish and Israeli identities when traveling abroad but should reconsider nonessential travel. Similarly, the government has advised against participating in any political rallies or protests while traveling.
“Since the beginning of the war there have been increased efforts identified from Iran and its affiliates, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to target Israelis and Jews around the world,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “On this basis, along with the rising levels of incitement, attempted attacks and antisemitism around the world, the National Security Council has reiterated its recommendation for Israelis to reconsider any nonessential travel at this time.”
As of the Monday announcement, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom were all raised to Level 2 along with the South American nations of Argentina and Brazil.
Several countries across central Asia and Africa were raised from Level 2 to Level 3, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, South Africa, and Eritrea.
Released as part of Monday’s statement, the global threat level map for Israeli nationals provides a color-coded visual scale demonstrating travel risk. Level 1 indicates that there is no threat while a Level 4 categorization means travel is extremely risky. Level 5, which is shaded as orange, indicates varying risk based on the region of the country.
The council recommends that Israelis do not travel to any country with an active alert in place, especially those in the Middle East, north Caucasus, and Russia.