Sinai: Israelis who came to rest on Passover tell of a hostile attitude from the locals

Despite the severe travel warnings issued by the Israel Defense Forces, according to the Airports Authority, about 2,500 Israelis crossed the border into Sinai to celebrate Passover. Although almost seven months have passed since the war began, Israelis who came to vacation in the last few days in Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh discovered that the locals did not Just happy to see them and couldn’t wait for them to come back.Rita, who came to Dahav with her partner, told about the hostile treatment they received: “When they heard that we were Israelis, they cursed us and spat at us. We felt that we were in real danger and unfortunately the policemen on the spot did not help us. It was an unpleasant situation. They shouted at us that Israel is killing children and that we should be destroyed. Even so, there is no Israelis in Sinai and now I understand what a mistake we made coming here. There was no physical violence but the feeling was unpleasant.”

Some Israelis who stayed in Sharm el-Sheikh and strolled through the local market in order to buy souvenirs received similar treatment. “We came to the market to buy souvenirs and all kinds of necklaces and suddenly one of the locals who heard that we were speaking in Hebrew started cursing that we should be murdered and that we are a nation of murderers,” says Udi who returned from Sinai in the last few days. “We were embarrassed and later some other young people joined him and surrounded us and shouted at us that we were not welcome here. There were some shop owners who defended us and chased away the cursers but we left the place. It is not worth visiting Sinai at this time when they could easily lynch us. We have been several times In the past, we have not encountered this kind of attitude. We will not return to this place. There are those who do not condemn the massacre and even say that we have been supporting them for years.

A veteran tour guide in Sinai pointed out that a separation should be made between classical Sinai and the cities in Sinai: “In classical Sinai, in the villages and on the beaches, you will not encounter a hostile attitude towards Israeli vacationers. They are not involved in politics, they are looking for a living. The problem is in the cities where Egyptian citizens live who are affected by what is happening in Egypt in relation to to Israel against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and in such places it is likely that Israelis will encounter a hostile relationship.”