AIBU to book flights to Tel Aviv for a September wedding?

[Depahf]

To book flights for Israel for September?

My closest friend is getting married in Tel AViv to her Israeli husband (they both live out there permanently now). I’m so desperate to go to the wedding. Do we think flights will be back on again?

(If you’re going to have a go at me for going because of the Gaza war, don’t waste your energy, I won’t be dissuaded on those grounds).

Seems a bit harsh, current travel advice aside, haven’t been but even going by this thread people say it’s nice.

If you can book a flight with BA and a hotel even one night stay at the UK airport it becomes a package so you don't have to pay the balance until much nearer the time and you have package protection.

As for hotels there can you book with payment due on check-in or cancellation 48 hours before? The longer you can delay paying the balance the safer your money is.

I'm not sure about war insurance but we bought specialist insurance during covid so we could fly against FCO advice. It wasn't expensive. It only covered us there and no cancellation costs.

Can't remember the company. This is was Battle... something. They covered areas of unrest and flying against government advice.

Thanks everyone! This is really helpful! I’ll wait a bit longer to book and then look into which flights I can cancel or get vouchers for, and good shout about booking.com cancellable hotels!

Are you actually able to book flights and accommodation there at the moment? If so, I would but ensure that they have good cancellation policies. So if the flights are cancelled you’d still be in a position to cancel your hotel. Id imagine they’re desperate for the business.

The comments here about ‘genocide’, etc. are ignorant to the extreme. The fact that Israel has to have the iron Dome in the first place should be a massive hint that it’s being constantly attacked for years. The fact that Gaza’s population surrounded by Hamas booby trapped buildings and on top of miles and miles of terror tunnels has risen during the war proves there is no such thing. And repeating it and misquoting the ICJ doesn’t make it so. But the hard of thinking will always be hard of thinking.

Mazel tov to your friend on the occasion of her wedding!

Israel has bombed and killed approaching 100,000 people in Gaza now, the majority children, and the majority female. Irrespective of the history of the conflict in the region, nothing justifies that.

You and I would agree that using the word 'genocide' is misguided. I don't give a flying shit about the semantics.

Anyway, this thread isn't about that, it's around the OP's travel plans.

I’d put it out of my mind completely for now but look at it again if the missiles stop firing. As things stand, you’d be mad.

Book El Al. If the war is over by then you’ll be fine. If it’s not there won’t be any inward or outward flights to TA and you’ll be refunded. Book and hope for the best!

The major insurance issue is what happens if you get stuck there. If things ramp up when you're in Israel, that's far worse than losing some money on a trip that doesn't happen.

I believe El Al gives flight credits but that's only useful if you intend to go another time. You should be able to book cancellable hotels and such so that's fine, but without proper insurance and with a decent chance of being unable to fly home that seems really risky.

(I'm an Israeli citizen by birth and haven't been back in a decade now. I have no intention of taking my - technically Israeli - kids any time soon. Both because of the danger, but also because I don't want us all to become a liability in a time of war. We have no idea how to cope in a shelter, what the rules are, we don't speak Hebrew and - thank G-d - we have never experienced this sort of danger. I have images of us wandering around in the street totally confused and half hysterical and causing a problem for everyone around us)

Don't be a wazzock. it's a close friend.

She can still agree or disagree with the state of Israels aims and go to a sodding wedding.

Honestly how preachy and self righteous do you have to be to wish ill on someone just wanting to celebrate a life event.

This might come as a shock to you but not all Jews or even Israelis hold the same opinions.

Why are you so desperate to book now?

It being a close friend somehow changes the ongoing genocide?

Putting your principles aside because someone is getting married makes you a gutless fool.

Fgs. Criticising the state of Israel for killing tens of thousands of people, a majority kids and women, is not anti-semitism.

Are you okay with the actions of the Israeli state? if so, why?

It is when we zoom in only on Israel, to the exclusion of all other belligerents in this conflict and others.

I am not "alright" everything that Israel does, but I recognise their right to fight a defensive war, following the atrocities of 7/10, which is existential. I am also not "alright" with the actions of several states and militant organisations across the globe.

I am "alright" with OP's right to attend a wedding in Israel, a damn sight more "alright" than I would be with someone visiting China, North Korea, Sudan et al. She has friends and/or family there and wants to know if it is safe to go. Constant demeaning of the word genocide is offensive to me, especially in this context.

I'm confused, this thread's about the OP travelling to Israel, and people have commented on that?

You are welcome to start a thread about the other bad things that are happening at the moment, though nothing is, imho, as wanton, or as one-sided, or as devastating.

I agree with you about use of the word 'genocide', I think it's misguided in this context.

People saying "surely it won't still be going on then" how long exactly do you think the conflict between Iran and Iraq has been doing on?

I had a posted deleted where I replied to a poster who suggested the OP should not go to Israel for moral reasons.

I suggested her strong views towards Israel was down to antisemitism. MN mods obviously don't agree that "applying double standards to Israel by requiring behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation is a key example of antisemitism", which is, at least according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition.

It goes on to say that "while criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country is not considered antisemitic, doing so to delegitimize, demonize, or hold the state to a higher standard often crosses into antisemitism." This is what I though PP was doing.

Except you've no idea whether that poster is 'applying double standards to Israel by requiring behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation'.

I will say this: of course there's discussion of Israel's (and the US') conduct on these boards than other countries. That's because it's a Westphalian democracy, with whom the UK is (informally) allied. The UK helps arm Israel, our press, broadly speaking, supports its military campaigns. That's not 'double standards', it's a function of our relationship with Israel, and its conduct. I've literally not seen anyone suggest, for example, that Hamas are anything other than homicidial nutters.

And the PP is posting on this thread, because, funnily enough, it's a thread about the security situation in Israel.

Accusing people of racism to shut down legitimate criticism of Israel is appalling behaviour.

You've no idea whether that's the case though, have you? How can you possibly speak for the poster in that way? I've friends who are boycotting travelling to the US at the moment because of broadly comparable reasons (Trump, ICE etc.) Are they racist against Americans, or do they object to the behaviour of the regime? You know the answer to this.

I would alone but I wouldn't take my children

I'm sorry you find the use of the word genocide offensive.

Some of us find the actual genocide offensive. 🤷

I wouldn’t risk it at the moment. I’d leave it until later.

When in September? To add a non war related spanner in the works, your dates may coincide with the high holy days. Even if people aren't rushing to fly TO Israel for the holidays, you may find flights get booked up by Israelis citizens and residents wanting to travel to visit family elsewhere. So last minute flights could be scarce and/or expensive whatever happens.

It’s not just Iran that has to stop firing….