Israeli National Security Council urges citizens to reconsider international travel due to rising global antisemitism

The Israeli National Security Council urged Israelis on Friday to avoid nonessential travel abroad due to the increasing levels of antisemitism and threats being reported against Israelis and Jews worldwide since war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization began on Oct. 7.

“In recent weeks, against the backdrop of the Swords of Iron conflict, the National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry have witnessed a significant rise in incidents of antisemitism and incitement, alongside life-threatening attacks against Israelis and Jews around the world,” they warned in a joint statement.

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy urged Israeli citizens to follow the global travel warning and avoid traveling anywhere in the world, “particularly Arab countries and the Middle East, the North Caucasus and countries that border Iran.”

“I can’t believe I had to announce this: Israel is issuing an urgent global travel warning for All citizens traveling ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Rethink if foreign travel is really necessary,” Levy tweeted on X (former Twitter) Levy stressed that Israelis who do travel should keep a low profile and refrain from displaying their Israeli or Jewish identity.

“If you have to go, avoid displaying outward signs of your Israeli or Jewish identity,” Levy concluded.

Israel's National Security Council emphasized that Israeli embassies, flights from Israel and Jewish communities abroad “are a major target of antisemitic protest events and attempted attacks.”

On Oct. 30, a violent antisemitic pro-Hamas mob in the majority-Muslim Dagestan Republic of Russia, attempted to kill Jewish travelers onboard a flight arriving from Tel Aviv. The radicalized mob shouted “Allahu Akbar” as its members searched for Jewish travelers in the airport’s terminal.

“We came for the Jews – to kill them with a knife and shoot them,” one of the rioters said in a video clip. Thankfully, no passengers were hurt, and the flight was eventually redirected to another airport.

Following the chilling incident, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office urged Russia to intervene and protect Jewish and Israeli citizens.

“Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis,” the PMO statement read.

The Hamas massacre of 1,400 Israeli and foreign nationals in southern Israel on Oct. 7, launched the war between Israel and the Hamas terror group - a war which is predominantly taking place in the northern Gaza Strip.

The war has led to a surge of antisemitism across the globe. with the U.S. Anti-Defamation League recently reporting a whopping 400% increase in antisemitic incidents across the globe.

According to a fresh survey released by the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency and the Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, there has been a 500% increase in antisemitism worldwide compared to 2022.

Raheli Baratz-Rix, head of the Department for Combating Antisemitism and Enhancing Resilience at the WZO, warned that the current antisemitic levels are the highest they have been in a decade.

“The current levels of antisemitism are unparalleled in the past decade. The war is undeniably the chief catalyst. This should be a wake-up call for both the state and its citizens,” Baratz-Rix said.

Many diaspora Jews and Israelis consequently feel less safe in many parts of the world, including Western democracies, which are mandated to guarantee personal security for both citizens and tourists alike.