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Heathen in the Holy Land: Is Israel even safe to visit?
"Heathen in the Holy Land" is a new Gadling feature which will consist of posts all this week about my recent trip to Israel, a country you may have heard discussed once or twice on the news.
Over the course of this week, I'll discuss a whole host of topics about the Holy Land, like what a leader of Kabbalah really thinks about Madonna, why Israel is not just a country for religious pilgrims and history nerds, how I became an Israeli pseudo-celebrity, and why you should really learn the Hebrew alphabet before you go.
But in this first post, I'll answer the question posed to me by (among others) my mom, my friends, my mom's friends, my barber, my sommelier, my waiter, my Lamaze coach, and my mechanic before I left on this trip: "Is Israel even safe to visit?"
Lots of people assume (wrongly) that Israel is not a safe place to go because, well, it's on the news so much. Others assume the opposite-- that Israel must be a safe country because, hey, people live there! I tend to fall into the latter category.
But here's the important thing to remember: Both groups are wrong. Why? Because both groups are making assumptions. If you really want to know whether a country is safe, you have to do some actual research. This means more than simply reading the US State Department's "Travel Warning" website, where the current entry on Israel warns travelers to look out for, among other things, short-range rockets, Molotov Cocktails, and "bulldozer attacks." It's enough to make even the most intrepid traveler want to spend the rest of his life at home eating Pop Tarts inside a pillow fort.
But the State Department, as the travel writer Cynthia Barnes has pointed out, is mostly made up of well-intentioned ninnies who, "like the father of a luscious 16-year-old" are "happiest when we're at home." Because of that, a more realistic portrait of a country's security situation will come from our fellow travelers at places like Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum or the Bootsnall forum. Most travelers on those sites warn, as I do, to stay the hell out of the Gaza Strip and be very careful when visiting the West Bank, which was the site of some violent protests only a couple months ago. (Note: When a person writes that they were "stoned in Bethlehem", which is located in the West Bank, they're talking about actual stones.)
So is Israel safe to visit? With the exception of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, yes. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are no more dangerous than similarly-sized cities in the US or Europe, and violent crime in smaller towns is almost unheard of. As for the risk of terrorist activities or other large-scale violence-- the reason most people feel trepidation about visiting the Middle East-- most of the risk in Israel is confined to Gaza and the West Bank. Still, several years ago both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were the victims of small-scale suicide attacks, which is proof that in Israel, just as in any country, nowhere is entirely safe.
Bottom line: Do your homework before you go. Read the news, the travel forums, and yes, even the State Department's website, to stay up-to-date on which parts of Israel are safe and which aren't. Don't let a general feeling that Israel might be unsafe prevent you from exploring this dynamic, fascinating country.
Disclosure: This week-long trip to Israel was sponsored by the country's Ministry of Tourism. Unlike the trip, my opinions were not paid for because, dammit, my integrity is not for sale. That is not to say I wouldn't entertain the right offer.
Thanks to Jordan Chark for contributing the background for our "Heathen in the Holy Land" graphic to the Gadling Flickr pool.
Filed under: Israel, Travel Health, Middle East
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
George Mar 24th 2009 2:56PM
Are there heathan in the Holy land? Yes,indeed there are! As well as Jewish people and other nations as well as Gods people spiritually,the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. But God sent his only begotten son for all people to be saved from sin and hell forever. He came into the world to save sinners by being born of a virgin,living a sinless life,and dying for all our sins against God our Creator on the cross 2000 years ago,he was buried,and rose from the dead.Was seen of men and went back up to heaven. We can have Gods gift of eternal life now and in heaven by repenting of our sins against God and trusting Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,and thy house.(Acts 16:31). From the Authorized King James Holy Bible,the preserved word of God. For furthur information,www.swordoftheLord.com , or www.thegospelhour.org Thank You,very much,Sincerely;
jen laceda Mar 24th 2009 12:13PM
Aaron, great article!!! Perhaps, like everyone on the trip, I too checked out the US State Department's travel advisory (that's actually the first thing I did). But like you, I've learned not to rely on this medium alone, as I find that the government / press tend to give an overblown summary of the situation. Sometimes, a localized riot is made to look like it's happening on a national scale. But that's not entirely their fault. In a society that is all about liability, nobody--esp. not the gov't--wants to be charged with culpable neglect (let's warn our citizens of the dangers; better safe than sorry).
Oh yeah, my workplace benefits cover travel insurance, but they told me that if I got, say, stoned in Israel (as this was an act of war), I will not be covered. Ridiculous!
Anyway, can't wait for more posts!
Robyn Mar 25th 2009 10:48AM
I was just there from February 19 to February 28. I was not on a group tour and I paid for the trip myself. I stayed in a small hotel in Jerusalem, and also visited Haifa, the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi. I read the State Department's warnings before the trip as well as Jpost.com for news about Israel. I was not afraid and found the country to be just as safe as my home in Virginia except for Gaza and The West Bank. I would go back to visit if I could afford to and I would love to send my children there for a semester or year of study.
Deg Mar 26th 2009 6:47AM
New Auschwitz concentration camp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=IL&hl=en-GB&v=i46RI2twVao
"The main preoccupation of my parents during the Nazi years was to save us children from Nazi indoctrination," says Hilmar von Campe. At 10 years old, like every other child, he had to enter the Hitler Youth and at 18 he was conscripted into the army. He was a gunner in a tank in the Yugoslavian theatre fighting the Soviet army, became in 1945 a prisoner of war of the Communist Tito government and in the same year staged a sensational escape crossing seven
3. ...Nazis started before World War II ...
http://educate-yourself.org/mc/
New World Order and Nazi Germany - Operation Paperclip
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/paperclip2.htm
Travis Mar 27th 2009 11:15AM
Thank you, Aaron, for these wonderful posts.
I am not one to travel to places like Iraq, Sudan, North Korea, warzones elsewhere in the world, or other places I'd consider to be genuinely unsafe. I'm not a third-world backpacker, nor the type of politically-motivated traveler that I would go to such a place in order to protest or anything like that.
Out of the places I have traveled, Israel is one of the places where I felt safest. I felt out of place, a stranger, an obvious tourist, and thus a target, in London, in Rome, in Madrid; there are literally tens of countries I'd hesitate to visit because I'd be afraid of what could happen there. A friend of mine was mugged not once, but three times in as many months in South Africa.
I have been to Israel twice, and would go back in a heartbeat. I have friends who live there, and I know plenty of people who've been there numerous times, never saying anything about feeling unsafe or in danger.
I think it is crucial that more people visit, and learn what it's like, and realize that Israel is in many ways not so different from the Western world they know and love. Maybe then, after visiting Israel's markets, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shopping malls, eating Israeli food, visiting Israeli McDs, and Starbucks, and drinking Israeli cola, they'll realize that not only is Israel a plenty safe (and very fun) place to visit, but also a place worth supporting ideologically and politically.
Travis Mar 27th 2009 11:16AM
Thank you, Aaron, for these wonderful posts.
I am not one to travel to places like Iraq, Sudan, North Korea, warzones elsewhere in the world, or other places I'd consider to be genuinely unsafe. I'm not a third-world backpacker, nor the type of politically-motivated traveler that I would go to such a place in order to protest or anything like that.
Out of the places I have traveled, Israel is one of the places where I felt safest. I felt out of place, a stranger, an obvious tourist, and thus a target, in London, in Rome, in Madrid; there are literally tens of countries I'd hesitate to visit because I'd be afraid of what could happen there. A friend of mine was mugged not once, but three times in as many months in South Africa.
I have been to Israel twice, and would go back in a heartbeat. I have friends who live there, and I know plenty of people who've been there numerous times, never saying anything about feeling unsafe or in danger.
I think it is crucial that more people visit, and learn what it's like, and realize that Israel is in many ways not so different from the Western world they know and love. Maybe then, after visiting Israel's markets, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shopping malls, eating Israeli food, visiting Israeli McDs, and Starbucks, and drinking Israeli cola, they'll realize that not only is Israel a plenty safe (and very fun) place to visit, but also a place worth supporting ideologically and politically.
Thank you for these excellent posts about your trip. I hope that you get lots of readers, and that word about the safety, fun, and overall positive image of Israel spreads.
Miri G. Mar 29th 2009 2:38PM
I have been to Israel several times during the past 10 years. Higher risks times was during the Intifada 2000 and the war in 2006, and several times in between. I went with a news group in 2006 and went to several stragetic places. I only felt unsafe once when the group wanted to go to the north by Lebonon during the bombings. I backed out. However, everyone was safe. Israel truly is an amazing place. Actually going when there are problems is better because the planes are practically empty!
Shimshonit Apr 29th 2009 7:55AM
Thanks for this piece. It's refreshing to hear a sensible person talk about having visited Israel and having a normal experience. I live here (in the West Bank, actually) and while I and my neighbors probably exercise more vigilance on a day-to-day basis than most people, it's still a safe, beautiful, inspiring place to live. I would never live anywhere else.