Shortly after putting the world on a war footing, U.S. President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that “the perimeters of a deal” have been agreed upon. The next day, aboard Air Force One, he said formal negotiations with Iran would resume that afternoon.
But in the time between Trump’s bellicose statement and his conciliatory one, the dream vacation planned by Danit and Ofer Amar changed destinations — from Athens to the Israeli city of Hadera.
“We spent the entire week looking at where we should fly and eventually decided to go to Athens toward the end of the week and return Monday or Tuesday,” Danit said. “We checked hotel and flight prices and were about to book, and then, boom, Trump’s posts began. He is running our lives too, of course. Then came Iran’s threats against Israel, and we realized Athens probably wasn’t going to happen.”
“We assumed flying there would not be a problem, but we were afraid we would not be able to return,” she said. “Then, instead of a short, inexpensive vacation, it would turn into a long and costly ordeal. The problem is that you cannot tell whether Trump is serious. I no longer believe him about anything.”
‘No need to cancel plans over every Trump reversal’
Unlike Danit and Ofer, many Israelis assumed Trump was merely talking — and they were right.
At least 95,000 passengers passed through Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, a high figure even during the summer travel season. Very few travelers canceled tickets, and foreign airlines, which until recently had been canceling flights frequently, operated as usual.
The first aircraft operated by German airline Condor landed in Israel on Sunday as the carrier launched direct service between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. Swiss International Air Lines, part of the Lufthansa Group, also resumed flights to Israel.
Nitzan and Ofir, parents of two children from central Israel, are scheduled to fly to Cyprus this week for a family vacation.
“On Friday, we sat down at the computer to make the final travel arrangements,” Nitzan said. “My husband has served more than 400 days in the reserves, and we have been dreaming about this vacation. Then on Saturday there were headlines again about the possibility of missile fire from Iran because Trump, for the umpteenth time, declared that he was serious about launching a major war.”
“The last time we were supposed to fly abroad, the war caught us and we remained in Israel,” she said. “This time, I told my husband, ‘I don’t care about anything. We are going ahead with our plans as usual and not disappointing the children.’ Because let’s be honest: We already understand that we are being strung along. And indeed, nothing happened. The bottom line is that there is no need to cancel plans over every Trump reversal.”
Northern Israel was also hurt by Trump’s statement, just as the region was experiencing an impressive recovery in visitor numbers during July.
“In May and June, we were at about 30% of the number of visitors we had before the war, but in July we reached as much as 80% of the numbers we were accustomed to seeing here,” said Inbar Shlomit Rubin, director of educational programming at the Jewish National Fund’s Agamon Hula nature reserve.
“The big test is August: Will we get through it without a war and be able to live here with some degree of normalcy?” she said. “We cannot continue living under this uncertainty and managing our schedules according to Trump’s posts.”
Travelers visit northern Israel, but hotels remain largely empty
According to the Upper Galilee Regional Council, hotels in the area recorded relatively strong occupancy rates last week, reaching 80% to 100% of the levels seen during quieter years. This week, however, occupancy is already very low.
“This cloud of war has cast a heavy shadow over the tourism industry,” said Danit Bitan, CEO of the Pastoral Hotel in Kibbutz Kfar Blum.
The Negev and Galilee Ministry will try this week to encourage Israelis to travel north. The “Yalla Galilee” events are set to begin Tuesday, with performances and activities at 15 sites across the Galilee and Golan Heights. An opening celebration featuring singers Osher Cohen and Noam Kleinstein will be held in Kiryat Shmona.
Despite the events, hotel occupancy remains low.
“People are afraid to book vacations in advance, and reservations are being made at the last minute,” Bitan said. “We explain that they can cancel without charge, but people are still waiting until the very last moment. The Galilee is suffering from uncertainty, and it will be difficult for the region to recover under these conditions.”
‘I am taking into account that something may still happen’
The IDF and its reservists are paying the institutional price for Trump’s indecision. That price may be manageable for the military as an organization, but it creates impossible difficulties for many military families.
Shahar Sela, whose husband, identified as Y., is a reserve deputy company commander in the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade, spent the night after Trump’s threats unable to sleep.
In addition to preparing for the possibility that her husband would be called up, Sela, an activist with a forum representing reservists’ wives, had to find somewhere safe to stay with their two children, 5-year-old Shaked and 3-year-old Lia.
“We do not have a protected room,” she said. “I had to pack a suitcase and prepare to drive north to his family if war broke out. I checked travel times on Waze. I had so many thoughts: How would I get the children out of bed? What would I do if there were an alert while we were on the road? I had a sleepless night trying to understand what was happening and what I would do.”
The Sela family
Her husband, who has been serving an extended period of reserve duty, surprised the family by coming home Friday.
“By Saturday evening, the calls had already started saying he might have to return,” she said. “Every such incident always causes regression in the children — bed-wetting, screaming at night, fears and anxiety. My younger child even asked, ‘Mom, why is Dad going back to reserve duty? There are no sirens.’ How am I supposed to respond to that?”
Trump’s announcement also changed the plans of G., a father of three.
“A week ago, I already said I was canceling my participation as an instructor at a festival because I saw where things were heading,” he said. “I did not know whether there would be a war, whether there would not be a war, whether they would call us up or not. You cannot schedule or plan anything.”
“You know that if you book a vacation abroad, there is a chance you will lose that money if you are called up,” he said. “There is no one to blame here, of course, but this is not a life. A very long period of uncertainty is exhausting. You are constantly on edge.”
“As far as I am concerned, Trump’s latest announcement is not the final word,” he added. “It could be some kind of deception. I am taking into account that something may still happen.”
First published: 02:41, 08.03.26