Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., September 10, 2007 Elul 27, 5767 | | Israel Time: 22:04 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Print Edition
Diplomacy
Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising
Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel
del.icio.us
Digg It!  new
Last update - 22:01 10/09/2007
PMO Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns Israelis not to travel to Colombia
By Barak Ravid and Irit Rosenblum, Haaretz Correspondent

The Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister's Office issued a travel advisory yesterday to Israelis planning trips to Colombia, following reports in the Colombian media of Israeli involvement in military training in Colombia.

The warning said "the threat has increased against Israelis connected with the Colombian government, particularly assassination and abduction."

In light of the threat, which has been defined as "a very high and concrete threat," Israelis are advised to "conceal as much as possible their Israeli identity," and to enter and leave Colombia, and travel internally, by air.

Advertisement
The bureau also warns Israelis "to completely avoid land travel after dark, including main roads, and to travel only on main roads during the day." The warning extends to a number of cities in Colombia, which are detailed on the bureau's Web site, www.nsc.gov.il/NSCWeb/FourLastAlerts.aspx (in Hebrew).

The warning followed reports in Colombian newspapers about former senior Israel Defense Forces officers who are training special units in the Colombian army to fight the rebel FARC movement. Major General (res.) Israel Ziv, who owns a military consulting firm, has been particularly prominent.

Some 3,000 young Israeli backpackers travel to Columbia every year along with small numbers of older travelers visiting the country in groups, according to Ronen Carasso, ISSTA deputy director general for marketing.

Carasso said he believed there were a few hundred Israelis in Colombia at present. Most Israeli travelers have left the country and headed south to Argentina, since high tourism season in Colombia ends in August, said Yehuda Zafrani, deputy director general for marketing at Ophir Tours. The most popular areas for Israelis are Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena. Zafrani said he did not believe the Counter-Terror Bureau warnings would deter backpackers, who "are not afraid of anything."
Bookmark to del.icio.us
Stops in wine country
Summer is the right time to visit the wine routes that have developed in Israel recently.
Suits, not stories
Italy's uber-designer has come up with a soft, but not surprising, line for winter.
 Today Online
Avraham Burg: Muslims as the Jews of the 21st Century
Responses: 106
Syria: IAF planes dropped live ammunition in flyover
Responses: 161
Citing Holocaust, Shas ministers to boycott German cars
Responses: 59
Suspected Israeli neo-Nazis remanded; indictments expected
Responses: 84
Haaretz.com TV: Intermarriage: U.S. love affair with Jews?
Responses: 34
Rosner's Domain
* Jewish renaissance? Rabbis are more skeptical
* WTR: Young Jews and Israel: Party doesn't matter
* New Poll: Will the next year be better for Israel?
* Rosner's Guest: Author of Sex, God, Christmas & Jews


More Headlines
21:02 Damascus: IAF planes dropped live ammunition on Syria during flyover
20:41 Olmert tells Abbas he will back prisoner release ahead of Ramadan
21:30 State Prosecutor calls for two new criminal probes into PM
21:05 2006 report: Israel's population 7.2 million, growing slowly
19:32 Knesset Finance Cmte. freezes former president Katsav's perks
22:01 PMO Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns Israelis not to travel to Colombia
16:44 Dichter calls captured Hamas chief 'bargaining chip' for Shalit
21:44 Gen. Petraeus: U.S. may significantly reduce forces in Iraq by mid 2008
20:49 Committee for Ex-Muslims to be launched in the Netherlands on Tuesday
Previous Editions
Special Offers
Advertisement
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
learn Hebrew online
Sign up for a trial lesson today with Israel's best teachers
JOIN FREE AT JDATE.COM
The most popular online Jewish dating community in the world! Explore the possibilities! Click Here!
Dead Sea Salt
Beauty and skin care from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 10% off!
Hertz Special deals
don't miss Hertz fantastic deals for the "Tishrei" holidays
Israeli History Documentaries.
Own a piece of Israel?s treasured past.
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt.
Holiday Inn and Crown Plaza Israel
Lowest internet rate Guaranteed at ichotelsgroup.com !
Home| TV| Print Edition| Diplomacy| Opinion| Arts & Leisure| Sports| Jewish World| Underground| Site rules|
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved