Youth exchanges between West Germany and Israel may fall victim to continued unrest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, exchange program officials say.
The programs, financed largely by the national government here and other public sponsors, report no significant cancellations. However, officials concede that many youth groups and their sponsors may in the future opt for nations other than Israel. Their choice of Israel implied a show of solidarity that was strongly encouraged when Israel’s image here was favorable.
Youth exchanges with Israel suffered badly in 1982 because of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Experts fear this may be repeated because of image problems resulting from extensive media coverage of unrest in the occupied territories and the measures taken by Israeli security forces to counter disturbances.
Apart from the exchanges, West German tourism to Israel also may suffer because of the unrest. Several travel agents said in interviews that people who planned trips to Israel are worried. Some trips to Israel have been canceled, the travel agents said.
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