Israelis warned not to travel to Tunisia

Israel today issued a “severe travel advisory” against travel to Tunisia ahead of the upcoming Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer.

The warning, issued by Israel’s National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau, called on Israelis to avoid travelling to and from Tunisia in light of possible terrorist attacks, urging all citizens in Tunisia to “leave the country immediately”.

Terrorists, operating for global jihad networks, continue to operate to conduct terrorist attacks against a range of targets in Tunisia

the bureau said in a statement released by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“In this light, and ahead of public celebrations for the holiday of Lag BaOmer expected to take place on the [Tunisian] island of Djerba [on 14-15 May], there is concern over terrorist attacks against targets including Jews,” the statement added.

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A similar warning was issued last year.

Thousands of Jews travel to Djerba in May every year to practice annual religious rituals in El-Ghriba synagogue, the oldest Jewish synagogue in Africa. But the number of pilgrims visiting the synagogue has fallen sharply since a 2002 suicide bombing claimed by Al-Qaeda and which killed 21 people.

Djerba is home to one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world.

Over the past months, Israel has warned its citizens against visiting a number of cities around the world, including Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and India.