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Is it safe to travel to Israel?
U.S. cautions Israel about settlement plans in East Jerusalem 0:45
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State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki expresses concern about reports that Israel moved forward plans for East
Jerusalem settlements, warning the move would call into question Israel's peace commitment. Rough Cut (no reporter
narration).
Reuters
02 Oct 2014
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BY: STAFF WRITERS
FROM: AP
4 DAYS AGO OCTOBER 02, 2014 12:11PM
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IT WAS supposed to be a record-breaking year for tourist visits to Israel. But all that changed when the 50-day
war between Israel and Hamas prompted jittery travellers to cancel trips en masse, leaving empty hotel rooms
and barren tourist sites in their wake.
The summertime fighting delivered a serious hit to Israels thriving tourism industry, causing losses of hundreds of
millions of dollars and sparking concern that aftershocks may continue well after the war.
Our challenge is how to prevent more cancellations. Despite a month having passed since the war, there is still an
image among tourists that it is not safe to travel here, said Oded Grofman of the Israel Incoming Tour Operators
Association.
Israels war against Hamas came at the beginning of the peak tourist season, which includes July and August and runs
through the Jewish High Holiday season and early winter.
The empty beaches of Tel Aviv. Source: AP
War has affected Israels tourism and staple industries including fishing.
Israel launched the war on July 8 in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and to destroy a network of tunnels used
to attack Israelis. More than 2,100 Palestinians and 72 people on the Israeli side were killed. Israel and Hamas signed a
ceasefire on August 26.
None of the casualties on the Israeli side occurred in the countrys tourist hubs of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which
endured rocket attacks but were largely protected by the Iron Dome missile defence system. Still, gruesome images of
the war beamed around the world scared tourists away.
Before the war, the country hoped for a record-breaking year for tourist visitors. Since the second Palestinian uprising
subsided nearly a decade ago, Israel has enjoyed a tourism boom, with as many as 3.6 million foreign visitors to the
country last year. Tourism is now an estimated $A5.41 billion industry and provides more than 110,000 jobs in Israel.
But the war caused a 31 per cent drop in foreign visitors to Israel during that period compared to 2013, with the decline
in August reaching 36 per cent. The number of visitors during that month was the lowest since February 2009, shortly
after fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants. Israels Tourism Ministry estimates the losses to be upward of
$623 million. A post-war influx of visitors for the Jewish holidays is expected to bring some relief, but not enough to
salvage a miserable season.
The Tower of David on the wall surrounding Jerusalem's Old City is failing to attract tourists. Source: AP
Merchants in Jerusalems Old City, a top tourist destination, say they are still feeling the sting. The areas cobblestone
streets are typically filled with tourists purchasing chintzy wares and cheeky T-shirts and visiting the holy sites. But
theyve been eerily empty over the summer.
Beyond tourists, the war also drove away foreign acts, with many artists slated to perform this summer among them
Neil Young, the Backstreet Boys and Lana Del Rey pulling out. Singer Lady Gaga did end up performing in front of a
crowd of 20,000 people in Tel Aviv.
Israel cant attract tourists to its ancient sites. Source: AP
The tourism industry is hoping to bounce back. Israels Tourism Ministry is set to launch new campaigns in markets in
the US, Germany and Russia meant to target niche travellers, including Jewish and Christian communities. This year is
largely unsalvageable, but officials hope that the numbers will rise again. People abroad might feel that things here are
unsafe but this is a very, very safe country, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said. This is exactly the kind of perception that
we would like to share with all of our potential visitors.
Street performers find it hard to pull a crowd. Source: AP
SOURCE: http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-israel/story-e6frfqc0-1227077444032