Dear friends,

As you all know, Israel is currently going through very difficult times.
We are at war with a terrorist organization whose sole purpose is our annihilation.
But the Israeli people are strong and we will endure this act of hostility, as we have before.
All of us hope this will open the eyes of our leaders to finally bring peace to this pain-stricken region.

Whatever the outcome may be, we are quite certain the war will end soon.
We also know Israel and Israelis will overcome it and move on.
The Israeli people, as sad as it might seem, are accustomed to these events and know how to rise from the ashes of war and rebuild what has been destroyed.
It has always happened in the past and it was always swift – we overcome, we learn and we move on.

This ability of ours leads us, the Israel ICPM 2024 production team, to believe we can still realize our plans to carry out all that is needed to hold an amazing ICPM event in Israel as scheduled.
However, the decision whether or not to hold the event is in your hands, the participants.

Therefore, we would like to put forward the two options we have and let you select the one right for you:

1. We cancel (or postpone) the event. 
   Just one note about this - in 2025 the International Speleology Congress will be held in Brazil, so it will probably not be then.   
2. We continue as scheduled with the following conditions:
1. We set a last-chance cancellation date – 01/01/2024.
2. If by this date there are not enough registered participants
   OR
   we realize we’re unable to hold the event, we will alert you all and refund all payments already made.
3. We urge all participants who wish to buy plane tickets in advance to make sure to purchase a totally refundable ticket.
4. As we know the price of these tickets is higher, we’ll make an extra effort to lower the event’s participation fee as much as possible.

No matter the status, on 01/01/2024 we’ll provide a registration report and a final go-no-go decision.
If at 01/01/2024 responsiveness is not high but is enough for us, we might be able to pull off a “mini” event for those who still wish to arrive.
Same idea, but of little less magnitude.

We all hold the belief that realizing this event is a major step towards returning to normality.
We know the Israeli caving community will be very anxious to take part in this cosmopolitical and uniting event, and we’ll be very happy to meet all you folks in person and show you the beautiful sides of Israel and Israelis.

So – take the time to think it through and then:

• For those of you who wish to register and haven’t done so yet – please register ASAP
• For those of you who already registered but wish to cancel – please let me know ASAP

I want to stress out that we by no way perceive a decision not to attend the event as a lack of support on your end.
We understand the challenges and hope that everyone will make the right decision for him or herself.

Best wishes and hopes of peace,

ICPM 2024 Israel