Israel sharpens travel warning for Israelis in UAE, PM’s office says

Israel PM's office sharpens travel warning for Israelis in UAE. (Pexels/Photo by veerasak Piyawatanakul)

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office said on Thursday the National Security Council has sharpened its travel warning for Israelis staying in the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE’s Israeli and Jewish community has grown more visible since 2020, when the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a U.S.-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords.

“We are emphasizing this travel warning given our understanding that terrorist organizations (the Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad) are increasing their efforts to harm Israel,” the National Security Council (NSC) said.

The NSC warned of possible attempts to target Israeli and Jewish individuals in the UAE, especially around Jewish holidays and Shabbat.

There was no immediate comment from the UAE’s foreign ministry.

The warning comes amid concerns of retaliatory attacks following its recent military operation against Iran and as Israel faces mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

In March, the UAE sentenced three people to death for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who was killed in November in the Gulf country. Such crimes are rare in the UAE, which is largely viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East.

Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Chizu Nomiyama.