He must have known it would not have been easy to get in there.
Israel is very strict about visitors, when we went their immigration officers took over the whole ship and saw every single passenger face to face themselves, if you had certain countries visited stamped in your passport - they wouldn't let you in!
Having said that once on the coach and out walking we felt very safe (and didn't see armed guards around either as in some countries).
Wouldn't like to go it alone there though --- brave and foolish