Israel war disrupts Holy Land tours from city

38 Mumbaikars on a Christian pilgrimage in Bethlehem had to cut their trip short due to the war between Israel and Palestine. They missed key Christian sites and are unsure if the tour will be rescheduled.

MUMBAI: On Saturday, when the war between Israel and Palestine broke out, 38 Mumbaikars were in Bethlehem. “As advised by the Indian embassy, we stayed in our hotel all day. Everyone was panicky because of the war, but we were all safe,” said Manu Oommen Samuel, the tour operator.

Israel war disrupts Holy Land tours from city

The following day, when the situation had calmed down a bit, the operator arranged for a bus to Cairo, the next leg of the tour. The Israel portion, so significant for the Christian community, had to be cut short, leading to the pilgrims missing key places of importance in the Christian pilgrimage. Israel is where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, did his preaching, was crucified and buried, and finally, where he rose again.

“We will spend the night at Taba, the border between Israel and Egypt, and then continue the rest of our journey tomorrow,” said Samuel. With all the restrictions at the pilgrimage sites, the pilgrims were disheartened at missing sites dear to their belief, but glad they had got to spend the previous days there. The tourists had left Mumbai on October 2, spending the first two nights in Jordan as is customary. They are scheduled to return on October 12.

Samuel’s tour was not the only one disrupted. Royal World Tours, scheduled to leave Mumbai on Saturday night, as of now stands to be rescheduled at a later date, depending on how the war situation pans out. Any changes in price will be decided later.

Another tour likely to be disrupted is operated by Shalom Holy Land Tours, which has been taking 500 to 600 pilgrims every year for almost two decades. This year’s batch was scheduled to take off on Saturday but are now unsure about their plans and will take a call in the next few days.

“September and October are very busy seasons for the Holy Lands tour as the weather in the Mediterranean countries is cooler, and there are holidays in India,” said Sachin Morey, founder and managing director of Shalom Holy Land Tours. “If we cannot do the Israel portion of the tour, it will have to be postponed. But it is the most important bit. The parts in Jordan and Egypt are just add-ons.”

Most of the pilgrims going on the tour are senior citizens who have saved up and have been waiting to go on the tour, explained Morey. “They are hoping and praying that we are able to do the tour, as it is the journey of a lifetime for them and dear to their hearts,” he said.