Travel Warning: Jews Should Not Visit Turkey Due to Abduction & Murder Threats
Edited by: TJVNews.com
A senior Israeli security official urged Israelis not to visit Turkey and called on Israeli nationals currently in the country to return home immediately, Channel 13 reported, according to a report on the Arutz Sheva web site.
The official, who was not named in the report, said that there are currently multiple Iranian terror cells operating in Turkey, with plans to abduct or murder Israeli visitors. The source said: “There is a clear and present danger to the lives of Israelis in Turkey. All Israelis should leave Turkey and return to Israel.”
Arutz Sheva also reported that Israel’s security establishment is considering pushing for a travel ban to Turkey over the elevated security threat, the official added.
The plot involved kidnapping Israeli nationals and was reportedly foiled with the cooperation of Israel and Turkish authorities, according to Hebrew-language reports, which cited unnamed security officials, as was reported on the Algemeiner.com web site. The Iranian cell behind the attempt was part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and was caught after contacting Israeli tourists, Channel 13 reported.
Earlier on Sunday, Kan reported that an Iranian terrorist plot against Israelis in Turkey had been foiled, thanks to joint efforts by Turkey and Israel, as was reported by Arutz Sheva.
Channel 13 also reported that Iran is looking to target Israeli tourists as they remain unable to reach senior Israeli officials. According to a report on the Algemeiner.com site, the plots are seen as an attempt to retaliate against assassinations in Iran that have been attributed to Israel, including the killing of a senior IRGC officer Hassan Sayad Khodayari in Tehran last month.
Shortly following Khodayari’s death, which Iran has vowed to avenge, the Israeli National Security Council’s counterterror department issued a travel advisory, warning Israeli citizens not to visit Turkey, citing security risks from Iran, according to both Arutz Sheva and Algemeiner.
Yediot Ahronot reported that the NSC is now debating whether to raise the severity of the travel warning to Turkey to its highest level, as was detailed in a report on the Algemeiner site. An unnamed source told the outlet, “in light of the intelligence picture, Israelis would do well not to fly at this time. It is worth strongly considering canceling vacations at this time in Turkey.”
Despite the foiling of the planned Iranian attack, the travel advisory still remains in effect, according to the A7 report.
Security officials said in late May that an Iranian terror cell was found to be operating in Turkey, and that more than 100 Israeli citizens in Turkey had been considered as potential targets by the Iranian terror cell, as was reported by Arutz Sheva.
While travel warnings are in effect for Israelis in Turkey or those Israelis considering a trip to Turkey, many other geo-political experts have recommended that Jews across the globe cancel any travel plans to Turkey this summer. They also advise those Jews in Turkey to depart as soon as possible.
Turkey has long been a popular vacation destination for Israelis because of its fairly close proximity to Israel and for its cultural allure.
Because Turkey is considered a radical Islamist state, teachings against Jews are widespread in the country’s educational system, in the media and in films and books. Hatred for Jews in general, despite their national origin is also disseminated by both government officials, imams, mosque leaders and others that hold sway over the Turkish masses.
Moreover, in addition to the promulgation of visceral anti-Semitism and anti-Israel propaganda, Turkey has also become a dangerous place for women as well. Driven by Islamist belief in the total inferiority of women and a seething contempt for them, women’s lives are becoming cheap.
As was reported by Abigail R. Esman in April of this year, “for millions of women in Turkey, life has just become more dangerous. And that puts the future of the entire country at risk.”
She added that “At least one woman is killed nearly every single day in Turkey, usually by a family member or lover, with more than 400 such “femicides” on record last year alone. Now Turkey’s government threatens to shut down an organization that has vowed to end this cycle of violence. In doing so, the ruling AKP party stands to further stamp its Islamist ideology into the body of the once-secular Turkish Republic.” (Additional reporting by: Fern Sidman)
