Zimbabwe Jews urged to stay at home amid coup

Jews in Zimbabwe should stay indoors and Israelis should refrain from visiting the country,  Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

Jewish community leaders in Zimbabwe have instructed Jews residing in the African country to seek shelter indoors amid a developing military coup, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Zimbabwe’s army said it has taken over the country’s capital of Harare, detained longtime President Robert Mugabe and his wife, and seized control of a state-run broadcaster.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, 172 Jews and Israeli citizens currently live in Zimbabwe, with 108 residing in Harare and 64 in the city of Bulawayo.

Israel’s Ambassador to South Africa Lior Keinan is in direct communication with the Jewish community in Zimbabwe as the situation unfolds.

The Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning to Israelis, cautioning them against visiting Zimbabwe in the wake of the current disarray in the country.

The warning also suggests that Israelis currently in the southern African Nation remain in their homes “until the situation becomes clear.”

The warning notes that the decision to visit Zimbabwe is the sole responsibility of the individual and that it is a recommendation only and not forbidden by Israeli law.

Although Israel and Zimbabwe have had diplomatic relations since 1993, ties between the countries are fraught with tension. Zimbabwe’s state-run media routinely condemns the Jewish state, and the nations do not have mutual ambassadors.  Harare also officially recognizes an independent Palestinian state.

By: JNS.org and World Israel News Staff