"I knew that I was brave, but I didn't understand just how brave," says Shultz. "When I came here and was all alone, I realized just how afraid people are."
24 July 2007
NUWEIBA, Egypt - The tourist season in Sinai should be in full swing, but the beaches, markets and hotels along the peninsula's long strip of coastline are empty. Only a few tourists dare cross the border to vacation in a region that before the terrorist attacks and warnings of the past few years was thronging with Israelis.
The tourists who have come are not sorry. Tami Schultz, 43, of Jerusalem, was the only holidaymaker on the beach she visited last week, and she spent her days reading and skin diving at the coral reef. After a few days, her children came to join her.
"I knew that I was brave, but I didn't understand just how brave," says Shultz. "When I came here and was all alone, I realized just how afraid people are."
The anti-terrorism authorities have said that the Sinai region, Egypt in general and all other Arab countries are extremely dangerous for Israeli tourists. Under the heading "very high concrete threat," the National Security Council's Web site states that Israelis visiting the Sinai run a very high risk of being kidnapped or hurt. The site advises all Israelis there to leave immediately.
So to enjoy your vacation you have to forget about the threats.
"Do you think no one told me that behind those mountains there are people who want to kill me?" asks Schultz. "I see the fear all around me, but I do not feel it. Perhaps the lack of other tourists here gives me a sense of security. Who would waste a bomb on three people?"
Even so, it's obvious that any Israeli tourist here is maintaining a certain level of alertness not normally part of a vacation. The frequent police patrols on the beaches and roads are a reminder of the danger, as are the new roadblocks where all Egyptian citizens are checked.
"We are doing everything possible, but terrorist attacks occur all over the world," says an Egyptian security officer. "You have them too, right?"
The owners of the beach facilities are also keeping their guard up, craning their necks every few minutes to listen for distant noises and paying attention to who is driving the vehicles entering their area.
The electric gates at the beaches' entrances also have a new purpose. Whereas last year they were intended to prevent the uncontrolled entry of cars, a new consensus prevails on what they symbolize. In most cases, if the arm is down, the beach is closed. If the arm is up, tourists are welcome. The beach operators who continue to run tourist facilities hope they will survive the summer. "We have guests in seven of our 50 rooms, which means that relative to other beaches, we are very busy," says the manager of one of the sites, where in other years rooms had to be reserved months in advance.
At another site, the owner asks the guests to stay a little longer. "If other tourists see an Israeli car, it will encourage them to stop here," he says. A few minutes later a taxi full of tourists pulls up, but it turns out that there is nothing here for the beach operator. The passengers only want to use the washrooms.
The absence of Israelis is particularly conspicuous at the Nuweiba market. In the past a trip to Sinai always included a visit to the small local market that sells souvenirs and clothes. But now the fear of terrorist attacks seems to be keeping away even the tourists who have come this far. Last Friday afternoon the market was completely devoid of Israelis, and the only visitors were small, vocal groups of young Egyptians.
At Ananda Beach - one of the few that remains open, the owners are more optimistic. "We will keep on waiting," says Iz al-Din Galbana. "The Israelis always come and go in waves. Everything will be all right."