Is It Safe in Israel? by Garth

My (Garth) motto when travelling is "safety third" - with fun and budget being first and second (just kidding). For the most part, we felt very safe in Israel when we went. Half the time we were in an organized guided tour and they will ensure that you are always safe. Many of the sites we went to see would have busloads of tourists waiting to go see them. But you have to ensure that you don't go when there are uprisings, etc. We were told that many tourists stopped coming to Israel during the Intifadas (Palestinian uprisings). One thing that can be disconcerting at first is seeing many IDF (Israel Defense Force) men and women carrying submachine guns. They were often young men and women in their late teens or early twenties as it is mandatory after high school that young people serve for 2-3 years (men for 3 years, women for 2 years).  But it doesn't take long to get used to seeing them everywhere. But while we were in Israel there was an incident close to Damascus Gate (Muslim Quarter) where a Palestinian tried to stab an IDF soldier. We came by shortly after it happened (at that time we were no longer with our tour group) and could see the soldiers questioning people, with a large crowd of Muslims standing around them.

Here is the article from the Jerusalem Post.

Incident by Damascus Gate

A second incident happened on the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is where the Jewish first and second temple was located and is said to be the place where Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac.  It is now under the control of Muslims.  The Temple Mount is sometimes the site of riots especially if Jews are on the Temple Mount. Presently there is only one gate that non-Muslims can go through to get on the Temple Mount. Everyone is closely screened with metal detectors to go through that gate. Jews are allowed but strongly discouraged from going on the Temple Mount. Non-Muslims are not allowed in the Dome of the Rock (which is a Muslim holy place on the Temple Mount). But when we were on the Temple Mount, 4 boys about 10 to 12 years old came very close to us (within our personal space) chanting "Palestine #1". It was somewhat threatening but we just ignored them and eventually they went and bothered other tourists.

Muslims getting upset with Jewish people on the Temple Mount

We also went on a tour of the Western Wall where you get to see a tunnel that was originally a street from Roman days that ran along the Western Wall. The exit to the Western Wall tunnel comes out at the Muslim Quarter on the Via Dolorosa. When it was being built in 1996, 80 people died because of rioting to do with building this exit into the Muslim Quarter. When we finished the tour they told us to be escorted back to the beginning of the tour with two security guards for safety precautions. Our tour was led by an older Jewish lady and we found out at the end of the tour that her father had belonged to Irgun, a Jewish terrorist organization fighting for the independance of Israel.

Western Wall Tunnel

Aimee standing outside the exit of the Western Wall Tunnel Tour on the Via Dolorosa (the road that Jesus travelled on his way to be crucified). It was very innocuous and probably would not be noticed unless you were looking for it.

When we were Tel Aviv we saw the remains of a bar (Dolphinarium - named because before it was a bar it was a failed venture to build an aquarium) that was bombed by some terrorists. Twenty-one people died in the attack in 2001. It is left unfixed and untouched except for grafitti perhaps as a symbol and memorial of what happened.

Remains of Dolphinarium

Article about the bombing of the Dolphinarium:  Terrorist Bombing of the Dolphinarium

Overall we felt very safe and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Israel.