Netherlands, Canada Advise against Unnecessary Travel to Lebanon

Canada issued a travel advisory to Lebanon.
Canada issued a travel advisory to Lebanon.
TT
20

Netherlands, Canada Advise against Unnecessary Travel to Lebanon

Canada issued a travel advisory to Lebanon.
Canada issued a travel advisory to Lebanon.

The Dutch government on Friday warned its citizens against any unnecessary travel to Lebanon due to armed conflict in the region.

The Netherlands had earlier this week warned against travel to the south of Lebanon, near the volatile border with northern Israel, and now said it also advised against travel to the rest of Lebanon unless strictly necessary.

Earlier, Canada issued a travel advisory on Friday calling on Canadian citizens to refrain from traveling to Lebanon unless it was for "essential" reasons.  

On its official X account, the Canadian government said: “Avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon due to an unpredictable security situation”.  

It also urged its citizens who are already in Lebanon, to make sure to carry their travel papers and identity cards at all times in the event that the armed conflict intensifies.



Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
TT
20

Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP

Members of the largest organization representing British Jews have said they can no longer "turn a blind eye" to the war in Gaza, adding "Israel's soul is being ripped out".

In a major break with the Board of Deputies of British Jews' policy of supporting the Israeli leadership, 36 of its members criticized the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Gaza in an open letter published in the Financial Times.

"The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out," said the letter, signed by around one in eight members of the Board of Deputies, AFP reported.

"We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent" about the loss of life since a two-month truce collapsed on March 18, as negotiations over the return of Israeli hostages broke down, the letter added.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

"Israel's soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to," added the letter.

The signatories accused the "most extremist of Israeli governments" of "openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank."

"We stand against the war. We acknowledge and mourn the loss of Palestinian life," they added.

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the Guardian that other members would "no doubt put more emphasis on the fundamental responsibility of Hamas for this ghastly situation."

At least 1,691 Palestinians have been killed since the resumption of the Israeli offensive, bringing the death toll in Gaza since the start of the war to 51,065, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.