The federal government will help Canadians in Israel and Iran to fly home once they reach neighbouring countries, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday. With airports closed across the region, Ottawa has stationed consular officials on the other side of certain crossings on the Israeli and Iranian borders to help those fleeing either country to get home.
“We are planning commercial options for Canadians in Israel and Iran to leave the region through certain neighbouring jurisdictions,” Anand said, adding, “We have deployed additional consular services to aid Canadians who want to leave the region. We’re looking at additional options, which include working with our allies.”
Canada has joined on allies in recent years to co-operate on everything from staging a military evacuation in Sudan to facilitating commercial evacuation flights out of Lebanon last year.
Anand is urging Canadians in the region to register with Global Affairs’ Registration of Canadians Abroad database, so that they can get the latest updates on ways to get home.
“I am extremely concerned for all Canadians and we’ll keep working on this file 24/7 to ensure their safety,” Anand said.
When asked whether she’s calling on Canadians to leave the region immediately, Anand suggested otherwise.
“We are assisting departures for Canadians who wish to leave, and we are here for you,” she said.
Canada this week urged its citizens to “avoid all travel” to Israel as the country exchanges missile attacks and airstrikes with Iran. Canada has advised against visiting Iran for years. Ottawa and most of its allies have repeatedly called for de-escalation while saying Israel has a right to defend itself.
Countries are evacuating their nationals from Israel and Iran by air, land and sea as conflict rages between the bitter rivals.
Days of attacks and reprisals by the two enemies have shuttered airspace across the Middle East, severely disrupting commercial flights and leaving people unable to get in or out of the region easily.
Some governments are using land borders to get their citizens out by road to countries where airports remain open.
Thousands of foreigners have already left since the conflict started last Friday when Israel launched surprise missile strikes on Iran.
Israel
Meanwhile, to facilitate tourists’ departure from the, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism is assisting tourists currently in Israel to register for departure flights from Israel. A digital registration form is being distributed through various digital platforms, to incoming tourism organizers’ offices, hotels, tour guides, and other industry stakeholders.
The form includes only full name, phone number, and email address, in accordance with privacy protection laws and regulations.
Tourists wishing to register are invited to fill out the following form: https://govforms.gov.il/mw/forms/TouristEvacuationFromIsrael@tourism.gov.il?displang=en
The Ministry of Tourism says it will consolidate the list in a digital vault and transfer it, only as needed, to the National Security Headquarters and the Ministry of Transportation, so that coordination with relevant airlines can be arranged to facilitate tourists’ departure from the country.
On Thursday, the ministry said there were 32,000 tourists in Israel and 22,000 had been registered on the “Safe Return” list.
It added all land border crossings to Jordan and Egypt are open, and some tourists prefer to exit via these routes.
The Ministry of Tourism has opened a virtual office that provides tourists in Israel with information services through digital channels in Hebrew and English. The service is available 24/7 through digital channels:
Email: virtual@goisrael.gov.il
- WhatsApp messaging application through phone number: +972-53-583-5808
- Facebook page: Israel Virtual Tourist Office
Simultaneously, the Ministry is in contact with industry stakeholders, including hotels and other accommodation facilities, to locate tourists who need assistance due to the security situation.
If this article was shared with you by a friend or colleague, you may enjoy receiving your own copy of Travel Industry Today with the latest travel news and reviews each weekday morning. It’s absolutely free – just CLICK HERE.