'I won't be shouting that I'm Israeli' - tourists react to Hezbollah threat

Passengers waiting to fly out of Ben-Gurion International Airport Wednesday expressed concern over the warning issued Wednesday by the Prime Minister's Office regarding the heightened threat of abduction faced by Israelis abroad. They told Haaretz they plan to follow the government's directives and to remain on the alert. Roni Peretz of Kibbutz Evron, a student of math and special education at Oranim Teachers College, was about to head off to India for about two months with a classmate: "In any event we planned on taking all necessary security precautions, like not going out alone and staying with a group at night, but after the announcement we'll be even more cautious."

Prof. Gershon Volpin, a Haifa orthopedist, who was flying to Hong Kong to represent Israel at an international professional conference, said, "It's always important to be careful abroad. The PMO's announcement will heighten my caution. I take the announcement very seriously. I will be staying with colleagues, and of course I won't be shouting that I'm Israeli."

Esther Cohen, of Ashdod, was also flying to India, to visit relatives. "Israelis must be careful wherever they travel, everyone knows that. Despite all the threats and fears, we will prevail. In any event, I have relatives waiting for me there and I'll be with them the whole time."

Uri Gal of Jerusalem sells metal products used in the construction industry. He and his wife and another couple were about depart on a three-week tour of northern India. "We're always careful abroad and don't advertise our Israeli origins.... As Jerusalemites, the terror warnings are nothing new to us. There are terror attack alerts in Israel too, but people go on with their lives. A trip in northern India is nothing like a trip to Sinai. I doubt anyone will come looking for us in the mountains of northern India."