Australia warns against travel to Israel
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller website raised its travel advice level on Monday.
The Australian government has warned Australians against travelling to Israel and advised Australians in Israel to leave.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website raised its travel advice level on Monday stating, “We now advise do not travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories due to the volatile security situation, armed conflict, civil unrest and terrorism. If you’re in Israel, you should leave while commercial flights remain available, border crossings are open and while it’s safe to do so.”
The advice adds, “There continues to be a high threat of military and terrorist attacks against Israel and Israeli interests across the region. The security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice. This situation has and may continue to result in airspace closures, flight cancellations, diversions and other travel disruptions. Some airlines have reduced and suspended flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport.”
It recommends Australian citizens and permanent residents in Israel register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s crisis registration portal.
Smartraveller’s previous advice to Australians was to “reconsider their need to travel to Israel” and, if they were in Israel, to “reconsider whether you need to remain and, if not, depart when it’s safe to do so”.
Australia’s heightened travel warning follows a Hezbollah drone attack on Sunday evening on the Golani training base near Binyamina that killed four soldiers and injured more than 60 people.
Hezbollah has fired over 9000 rockets at Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 last year. Israel has retaliated by killing Hezbollah leaders including Hassan Nasrallah and launching a ground offensive in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to attack Israel.
Australia’s updated travel advice also comes after Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel in October and April, with most being intercepted. The US has sent a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and around 100 American soldiers to operate it in the case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack.
Australia announced on Tuesday it was imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on five Iranian individuals contributing to Iran’s missile program.
Commenting on the travel advice, Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Executive Director Colin Rubenstein said, “It is disappointing that the authorities felt the need to issue this warning. We hope that having given this warning, the government will understand the threats Israel is facing, the need for it to act vigorously to defend itself against these threats, and that it would be premature to call for a ceasefire until these threats have been mitigated.”
Rubenstein said he appreciated the government’s new sanctions on Iran but added, “We would like it to take far stronger action, such as proscribing as a terrorist group the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps], which is behind so much of the terrorism in the region.”
The AJN understands that the United Israel Appeal and the Jewish National Fund have cancelled upcoming trips to Israel.
UIA CEO Yair Miller told The AJN, “We are fortunate to be directly connected into the vast security and emergency system overseen by the Jewish Agency for Israel, our strategic partner, and the relevant state emergency management mechanisms. Our mission scheduled for the end of October was cancelled due to an abundance of caution and preceded the amended DFAT advice. We will always adhere to the Australian government advice when it pertains to the welfare of our mission participants.”
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