Israel Tours not going ahead if Foreign Office advice doesn’t change

Organisers of Israel tours have said that the trips won’t be going ahead if Foreign Office travel guidance isn’t changed.

Currently, the UK government’s advice is against all travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories. This was brought in on June 15, following the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.

Prior to this, the FCDO had warned against "all but essential travel", excluding areas around Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights, which were  designated as “red “ – no-go zones.

Following the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, UJIA Israel Experience and the Jewish Agency for Israel, which run the tours together, issued a statement on Thursday, saying that the Pikud HaOref (Home Front Command) guidance, which is responsible for civil defence in Israel, had “been returned to normal, with schools and educational trips now running again with no restrictions”.

However, they added that “one of our key considerations is the FCDO guidance, which currently advises against all travel to Israel. Until this guidance eases, tours will not be able to go ahead”.

Over 800 teenagers – nearly double last summer’s numbers, have signed up for the educational expedition, which has become a rite of passage for the post-GCSE cohort.

Organisers announced last week that five groups, due to leave next week, would be delayed if tours were given the green light.

In the meantime, they are supporting youth movements “through their decision-making process and as they navigate a complex and changing environment” as they work to find “the best outcome” for their participants. These may include Israel tours running with delayed departures, adjusted dates, or for those scheduled for later in the summer, going ahead as planned.

Movements were also looking into “contingency planning, including alternative programming” should Israel tours not happen, they added.

Central to any decisions made was “the safety and security of participants”, and organisers said they would do their utmost to “protect funds and then recover as much as possible” if tours were cancelled.

This summer, six youth movements had planned Israel-only trips, while three had organised Israel-Europe programmes.

Israel tour costs in the region of £4,000, but for the first time ever, UJIA offered a subsidy of over £2000, in partnership with Mosaic Teens, to participants who had only limited experience of Israel and the Jewish community, as well as their usual means-tested bursaries and interest-free loans.