Israelis tend to love vacationing in Sinai, a small peninsula situated in Egypt that was once occupied by Israel before its return as part of a peace deal. Sinai is somewhat like the Israeli beach town of Eilat — they’re both on the Red Sea and boast some of the world’s best scuba diving. But, that’s about where the similarities end. Sinai is much cheaper, far less developed, and, well, filled with Egyptians as opposed to Israelis. But, Israelis love vacationing there and will rent a small cabin or sleep outside, often welcomed by the local population.
However, occasionally the Israeli government issues a stern warning to travelers that terrorists are plotting to kidnap unsuspecting Israeli tourists. In fact, last year the Egyptian government apprehended terrorists suspected of plotting to kidnap Israelis.
Well, it’s that time of the year again and the Israeli government issued another warning to Israelis to return immediately if they are vacationing in Sinai.
This time might be a bit different, though, as the prime minister’s anti-terror office instructed families to attempt and get in touch with vacationers. This step could signal that an Israeli has been kidnapped or directly targeted, although that worry is currently merely rumors and speculation.
Tension in Sinai has also escalated in recent years. In 2005 and 2006 dozens of vacationers were killed in two attacks in the peninsula. Further, fallout from Israel’s most recent strikes on the Gaza Strip have continued to galvanize extremism.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
