Israel warns against travel to Palawan

Israel has issued a travel warning against all Arab countries, a number of Muslim-dominated countries and Palawan in the Philippines.

The warning was issued by Israeli national counter-terrorism adviser Brig. Gen. Daniel Arditi a week before the Passover holidays during which many Israelis travel abroad. His office is under the jurisdiction of the National Security Council of Israel.

The Israeli foreign ministry was quick to point out that it did not issue the advisory as it has its own advisories posted on its website.

An official was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying that the ministry is very careful in coming out with such advisories as they could have an impact on Israel’s relationship with the affected country.

In the travel warning, Palawan was noted for its Muslim-dominated population and the possibility that "terror activity is on the rise there."

Arditi also said that his agency had intelligence that showed potential threats to Israelis traveling in the Sinai Peninsula, Istanbul, the Iran-Iraq-Turkey border area, all Arab countries and most Muslim countries.

Even Phuket in Thailand, another popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia, was included in Arditi’s advisory.

"We have concrete warnings that are based on real threats, requiring us to share them with the public," Arditi was quoted over Israel Radio.

The advisory was the first time Israelis had been warned against traveling to Istanbul, Turkey, since last November’s bombings.

Istanbul, Antalya, and other Turkish cities are some of the most popular destinations for Israeli holiday travelers.

Arditi noted that the National Security Council reviews its travel advisories every six months and usually this leads to a reduction in the places Israelis are warned to stay away from.

The Philippine government has protested all the travel warnings issued by foreign governments as it argued that these do not reflect the actual situation in the country or its efforts to address the problems.