Israeli detained with bullets in guitar case

Israel's consul-general in Cairo, Dudu Ben-Kalifa, and the Foreign Ministry's consular division dealt with the issue.

By HERB KEINON
Bullets [file] (photo credit: REUTERS)
Bullets [file]
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A 23-year-old Israeli woman was arrested at the Taba crossing on Friday on her way to Sinai and held for 40 hours in an Egyptian jail, because 16 bullets were found in her guitar case.
This is just the latest case of Israelis being held in custody in foreign countries because bullets – generally left in bags from their army service – are found in their belongings at border crossing points. In addition to Israelis traveling to Egypt, it has also happened to Israelis in India, Azerbaijan, Thailand and Uzbekistan.
Israel’s consul-general in Cairo, Dudu Ben-Kalifa, and the Foreign Ministry’s consular division dealt with the issue.
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Israeli citizens to check their cars, suitcases and bags for bullets or other weapon parts before crossing the country’s borders, either by land or air, in order to save themselves and their families unnecessary anguish.
“Bringing weapon parts into a foreign country is a criminal offense, which may lead to investigation, detention and legal proceedings, which – in the best case scenario – will result in a prolonged delay in the country and the payment of high fines,” the statement read.
The worst case scenario could include extended periods of time in detention. In 2018, for instance, one Israeli was detained for over a month in Azerbaijan when five bullets were found in his possession, and another women – traveling with a bag used by her daughter who was serving in the IDF – was detained there for three weeks.
A year earlier, two Israelis were arrested because of similar infractions in Uzbekistan, with one man being held for 12 days. And this is by no means a new phenomenon. In 2005, an Israeli man was held in an Indian jail cell for three weeks and under house arrest for three months, because he inadvertently had a bullet shell in his bag.


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