When 1,600 Israelis aboard a Mano Maritime cruise were stranded off the Greek island of Syros on Tuesday as protesters blocked their entry, it was a jarring reminder that Israeli tourists today can face hostility simply because of their passports.
The images were unsettling: Israelis – many of them families with children, others pensioners – trapped in a floating hotel while port authorities debated what to do, as crowds waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans on the dock.
This is a scene that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago – a time when the question for an Israeli tourist to Greece was whether to order tzatziki or Greek salad, not if they would be allowed to disembark at their intended port of call.
The Syros incident is a dramatic example of an accelerating trend. In recent months, Israeli travelers have reported being denied entry to restaurants in Spain, doxing campaigns in Indonesia, and being detained in European airports because of their IDF service.
On Tuesday night, a group of Israeli youths said they were attacked by an anti-Israel mob at a popular nightclub in Rhodes, and two Israelis attending the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium this week were briefly detained for questioning by local authorities about their military background.
For a people that loves to travel – and for whom trekking to the far reaches of the globe is a post-army rite of passage – the cumulative effect of these incidents is chilling.
The growing anxiety of not knowing where is safe
Anxiety is rising. Caution is in the air. There’s growing chatter about “safe” versus “unsafe” countries – not just among seasoned backpackers but also among families planning summer vacations, businesspeople weighing conference destinations, and retirees considering cruises.
Under these circumstances, it’s tempting for people to retreat and decide their vacation funds are best spent only in places where they’re wanted.
While many locales around the world remain perfectly welcoming, governments everywhere should understand that tourism is a two-way street. If countries want Israeli visitors, who often spend generously, then they should speak up for their right to travel in dignity and safety.
Greek authorities have stated that they will work to prevent a recurrence of what happened on Tuesday. That’s as it should be. Israelis enjoy traveling to Greece – some 620,000 visited in 2024 – and Greek merchants, in turn, appreciate having Israeli customers.
Greece is a country whose government is not hostile to Israel, and such countries should be rewarded with our travel. The same cannot be said of places such as Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia, whose governments are openly hostile. But even in friendly countries like Greece, there will be individuals who want to make noise and cause discomfort.
These groups want to intimidate Israelis. It’s important they do not succeed. There is a real danger in letting the loudest, angriest activists dictate where we can go and how we travel.
If Israelis begin to believe the world is closed to them – if they write off destinations because of one viral incident or one shouting crowd – a small, loud minority is given way too much power. They want Israelis to bow their heads and stay at home.
The best answer is, as it has always been, to travel openly, safely, and proudly, facing difficulties with the resilience and pragmatism that have carried this country through far greater challenges than a blocked port or a hostile glare.
So what’s the way forward? A mix of caution and confidence.
Israelis should travel with their eyes open – consulting travel advisories, avoiding obvious flash points, and heeding local advice. Yes, it’s wise to think twice before waving an Israeli flag, walking in certain areas with a kippah, or sharing information about your military background too freely. And if hostility or discomfort is encountered, there’s no shame in choosing a different beach, a different city, or a different route.
But Israelis should not surrender their right to see the world because of a handful of demonstrators or activists. When protesters gather to block a port to Israelis, it’s not the end of the world. It’s a sign of the upside-down times in which we live and a test of how we respond.
The world remains beautiful, vast, fascinating, and – despite some high-profile incidents – largely open. Israelis should keep exploring it with the wisdom to know when and where to go, the caution to be careful, and the courage not to be deterred.