Israelis check if Goa is safe for Israelis

Panaji, Nov 7 : The Goa Police said Saturday that it was 'natural' for officers from Israel's Mumbai consulate to inspect the North Goa coast as it was frequented by Israeli tourists.

"They will obviously want to see the security arrangement here after what happened in Mumbai," Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande told reporters, referring to last year's terror attack on Mumbai that left 170 people dead.

"Mumbai is only 500 km away. And a lot of tourists from Israel visit Goa," he added.

Goa receives several thousands of tourists from Israel, mostly ex-soldiers who travel the Himachal Pradesh-Goa tourist circuit after a mandatory stint in the Israeli armed forces.

"They come to Goa during our season, at a time when it is off season in places like Manali in Himachal Pradesh," Deshpande said.

He said the police did not know the exact number of Israeli tourists visiting the state each year.

There are two Jewish prayer houses in Anjuna and Morjim, both beach villages in north Goa, which have now been kept under discreet observation by the state police.

"We are taking every precaution and have made substantial arrangements for the safety of every tourist coming to the state," the official said.

The Israeli delegation toured several places in North Goa including the prayer houses and coastal hotspots frequented in large numbers by Israeli tourists.

The Israeli government has in the past issued several travel advisories asking their tourists to exercise caution while travelling to Goa and other parts of India.

--IANS