Irish pilgrimage to Israel cancelled

Two hundred Irish people including the Bishop of Kerry, Dr William Murphy, are expected to arrive back in Dublin from Tel Aviv today at the end of a 10-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. However another Irish pilgrimage due to leave for Israel today has been cancelled on the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Dr Murphy and his party were part of a Diocesan pilgrimage visiting holy sites in Israel including Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem, one of a series of scheduled trips organised by the Irish tour operator Joe Walsh Tours (JWT).

Mr Cormac Walsh of JWT said yesterday the company had confirmed that none of the party was in danger and would be flown home as scheduled.

Mr Walsh said the group had been travelling extensively and were all in good spririts. They were expected to check in for the flight home, and expected no delays at the airport.

The tours take place every 10 days throughout September, October and November. They are popular with Irish pilgrims, many of whom are elderly, as they use direct flights between Dublin and Tel Aviv.

Mr Walsh said JWT was not cancelling the tour scheduled for today and would take the participants out at a later date.

JWT was informed by the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday it strongly advised against sending any more pilgrims to the area while the prospect of violence continued.

The Department added that it was not forbidding travel to Israel but was "strongly advising against it".

In a statement the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said he was "deeply concerned" about events.

According to the Department areas most likely to be affected by continuing violence included holy sites in the towns of Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron, the old city of Jerusalem, Nazareth and Tiberias. Dr Murphy's party was scheduled to leave Tiberias yesterday for Tel Aviv.

In Dublin, the Defence Forces have said that the families of six army officers were evacuated from Israel. The officers are serving with the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organisation in the region and will stay on.