BENGALURU, 6 APRIL

A large number of Christians from Bengaluru who normally go on the pilgrimage to Holy Land (parts of Israel, Egypt and Jordan where the events of Bible happened) between April and June cannot go this year due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Ministry of Tourism in Israel has issued an advisory urging operators to suspend all Holy Land tours due to the war.

Christopher Harris, a City-based tour operator who specialises in Holy Land tours, told Salar News “The prevailing situation in Israel and the neighbouring countries has dented the hopes of hundreds of Christians who go on Holy Land trips. On average, I used to send around 1,500 people every year on group visas on the tour. This time with no assurance from the Embassy of Israel in India, those wanting to go on the tour have put their plans on hold.’’

Victor David, another operator in the City, said a lot of attractions in the Holy Land are not in the conflict zone. “Gaza is located 75km from Jerusalem, but people cannot visit any more due to the advisory. People will have to wait till there is peace again in the strife-torn Israel for tours to begin again.’’

On an average, around 15,000 people from Karnataka visit the Holy Land with Bengaluru alone accounting for 5,000 of these visitors, Harris said. “The trip costs Rs 1.50 lakh per person for 10 nights and 11 days, which are inclusive of hotel booking, airport transfers and tickets to pilgrimage sights. The pilgrims will only have to pay for the souvenirs they buy from Holy Land,” the tour operator said. 

Most of the pilgrims wanting to go on the tour are senior citizens who have saved for the trip over the years, Harris said. “They are hoping and praying that we can do the tour, as it is the journey of a lifetime for them and dear to their hearts,” he said. 

Absconding tourists

Lionel Rajashekar, another tour operator, said: “The Israel Embassy in New Delhi has become strict with visas as six people from Thiruvananthapuram had absconded while in Israel. Those absconded included women in their late 60s’’.

Harris said: “It’s a huge risk, and over the years travel agencies have learned to weed out people who they feel might jump. The first red flag is customers who are not concerned about the package cost. They stay back and start working as housemaids for two years, make money and then return to India after serving a short jail term where they even earn a stipend while in jail.’’ 

Harris said: “There is a huge demand for caregivers and which is the key attraction for the visitors to abscond. Workers engaged full time are paid 5,571.53 Israeli New Shekels (NIS), which is equivalent to Rs 1.2 lakh per month.”

Seven Keralites who were part of a tour group went missing in Israel in July last year. Green Oasis Tours and Travels, the travel agency that organised the trip, alleged that the missing tourists “absconded in search of jobs” in the West Asian country.

Israel is a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention but has yet to adopt national refugee legislation. A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2022 factsheet on Israel shows over the past 15 years, more than 80,000 people have sought asylum.

With Israel's construction sector suffering a severe manpower crisis after the conflict with Hamas, some 10,000 workers from India made their way to the strife-torn country earlier this year. The Israeli construction industry has been facing a deep crisis and several ongoing projects are getting either stalled or delayed.—Salar News