Last week, the US State Department issued a warning advising American citizens to avoid visiting Israel.
The warning said that the Department of State urges US citizens to weigh carefully the risk of travel to Israel and Jerusalem at this time and to defer travel to affected parts of Israel (missile attacks have focused on the area north of an east-west line from the coastal city of Haifa to Tiberius on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, including those cities, and on Sderot and Ashkelon in the south).
In addition, the Department of State urged US citizens to defer travel to the West Bank and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip, a recommendation the State Department has maintained since the deadly roadside bombing of a US Embassy convoy in Gaza on October 15, 2003. The warning also referred to events in which citizens of Western nations, including Americans, involved in pro-Palestinian volunteer efforts were assaulted and injured in the occupied territories by Israeli settlers.
The warning also said that US government American personnel and dependents are prohibited from traveling to any cities, towns or settlements in the West Bank, except for mission-essential business or other approved purposes. US government personnel are prohibited from using all public transportation, due to the risk of bomb attacks.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on July 23, 2006
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006