NI Jews using Israeli contacts in search for missing Co Down man Oliver McAfee

Oliver McAfee, a gardener from Dromore, was last seen on November 21 when cycling on the Israel National Trail.

Steven Jaffe, co-chair of Northern Ireland Friends of Israel (NIFI), said his group has initiated Facebook adverts to raise awareness.

“The belief of the police and search teams is there is every likelihood Ollie is still alive,” he said.

“If Ollie has come back from the desert where he went missing it is likely he may have sought out Christian organisations or individuals. So Northern Ireland people who have friends in Israel, should send them Ollie’s details.”

He asked people to show support by liking the site set up by Oliver’s friends: www.facebook.com/helpusfindollie.

Paula Tabakin lived in Israel for 27 years, serving two in the Israeli army, and now lives in Belfast. She said NIFI are using contacts in Israel to raise awareness, including friends she has in the area where Oliver was last seen.

“In my experience this is a rather unusual case,” she said. “I have not heard of very many people going missing in Israel, especially not tourists.”