Trinis in Israel warned: Stay close to shelters

ISRAEL’S non-resident ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and Caricom Itai Bardov has urged foreign nationals in Israel to stay close to emergency shelters amid growing tensions with Iran and the risk of military escalation.

In an interview with Newsday on June 17, Bardov – who is based in Panama and also serves as Israel’s ambassador to Panama, Barbados, Guyana, and Suriname – said his office had no confirmed reports of Trinidad and Tobago citizens currently in Israel.

“We are not aware of any TT citizens in Israel…Who may want to leave. There might be, but we have no information about any citizen of Trinidad and Tobago,” Bardov said.

He stressed that the situation in Israel was “pretty precarious” and advised all foreign nationals to strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. “Once the sirens go off, you must get into a shelter. Most casualties so far were not in safe rooms, didn’t reach them in time, or chose not to go,” he said.

According to Bardov, Israel is communicating to foreigners in multiple languages, using all available media to ensure both citizens and foreigners know how to protect themselves. He explained that shelters are widely available – in homes, hotels, and public areas – and urged anyone in Israel to know the nearest one at all times.

He confirmed that Israel had shut down its main airport, airspace, and ports to civilian traffic, but said the government is helping other countries with evacuations, including through routes via Cyprus and neighbouring countries.

“If you are in Israel and want to leave, contact your government, your consulate, or our embassy in Panama. We are assisting and have already helped thousands,” Bardov said.

Looking ahead, Bardov advised Caribbean nationals planning to travel to Israel to wait for official announcements. “Once we fully reopen, we will welcome tourism again. Right now, entry is not recommended, but notices will be posted once normal conditions return,” he said.

Bardov also defended Israel’s recent military actions, calling them a “preemptive strike” aimed at Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. “We had no choice but to defend ourselves,” he said, noting the daily barrage of ballistic missiles launched at Israel by Iran.

Meanwhile, TT’s Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs urged nationals to exercise extreme caution if residing in or travelling through the affected region. In a June 16 statement, the ministry recommended that all nationals register via its Registration System for Nationals Abroad at https://register.foreign.gov.tt, ensure travel documents are valid, and comply fully with all local safety directives.

Nationals were also encouraged to know the location of the nearest emergency shelter and prepare exit plans in case of worsening hostilities. The ministry reminded nationals that TT passport holders require a visa to transit or enter the United Kingdom and invited those needing assistance to contact the ministry at consular@foreign.gov.tt.

While some countries are evacuating nationals via Iran’s land borders, others continue to advise on how to remain safe or leave voluntarily.

The statement came after hostilities began between Iran and Israel on Friday. According to the UK Guardian, Israel attacked Iran in an attempt to “pre-empt a secret Iranian programme to build a nuclear bomb”, according to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened “severe punishment” and claimed residential areas had been targeted. Since then there have been missile strikes between both countries.

Trauma, sleepless nights in Israel

The conflict between Israel and Iran which began on Friday, with both countries firing missiles at each other, is affecting TT nationals living in Israel, some of whom were Jewish and others married to Israeli citizens. They are being urged to seek safety where possible.

Newsday spoke to Nicholas Jagdeo, executive director for the Understanding Israel Foundation, a local proxy for Israeli interests in TT, on June 17.

He said he knew approximately 20 TT nationals who were living in Israel.

He said his Israeli friends told him people had not slept in days as they were traumatised by what is happening in Israel.

“There’s also a really solid feeling of unity. There are people coming together, we’re seeing a huge round of resilience happening. October 7 was something that we didn’t see coming. There’s also a fear within Jewish communities worldwide, Jews who are not Israeli citizens, who are on the forefront of a lot of attacks because of what is happening. The Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry has issued security warnings asking people not to wear Jewish symbols.”

October 7, 2023, refers to an attack on Israel by the Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, which killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing Palestinian genocide, as named by Amnesty International and a UN Special Committee, which so far has seen approximately 50,000 people killed, over 100,000 people injured, and 1.9 million people displaced, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

According to Global Conflict Tracker, “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. In 1947, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan, which sought to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was created, sparking the first Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in 1949 with Israel’s victory, but 750,000 Palestinians were displaced, and the territory was divided into three parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (of the Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip.”

Jagdeo said there were approximately 150,000 Israelis stuck abroad who were not in the country when hostilities began. “The airport in Israel is closed for security measures because you can’t have a plane flying in and then an Iranian ballistic missile hits it and kills civilians. Israel is trying to make arrangements to get them home by boat but also they are looking to reopen the airport to get them home as quickly as possible.

“It’s just like Trinis when they were stuck abroad during covid19. The expense fell on those abroad, there isn’t any ministry of foreign affairs to house their citizens abroad. There are flights being arranged with one of the budget airlines.”

Jagdeo said Israel’s attacks since 2024 on the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Jordan and now Iran were in retaliation to attacks made against the country.

There are also concerns about how this latest conflict could affect surrounding countries. There are a number of TT nationals being held in refugee camps in Syria since 2018. Chairman of the Repatriation Committee appointed in 2023 to bring the refugees home, former Speaker of the House Nizam Mohammed, said the committee had made contact with Defence Minister Wayne Sturge and was waiting to hear from him about what the government would be doing about the situation.

"Internationally, emphasis is being placed on evacuation of these territories in the Middle East. We have our women and children in Syria, others in Iraq, that we are very concerned about. Should this situation escalate any further, it would be very difficult to gain access for purposes of evacuation. Their living conditions also contribute to the deep concern about their welfare."

Concerned Muslims of TT PRO Imtiaz Mohammed said Israel continued to break international law.

"There is an ongoing genocide in Palestine. The Palestinians cannot run from their lands but they have shown they are powerful in their ability to stand for what is right and for justice. We support them 100 per cent. We continue our fundraisers in TT to continue to help in getting humanitarian supplies to Gaza."