U.S. Advises Americans to Put Off Travel to Israel
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Version 0 of 1. The United States government on Monday suggested that Americans avoid travel to Israel if possible because of the increasingly deadly Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza and the rockets fired into widespread parts of Israeli territory including cities. A travel warning posted on the State Department website, which recommended that citizens “consider the deferral of non-essential travel” to Israel, essentially expanded a longstanding advisory urging American citizens to avoid travel to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a stronger warning against travel to Gaza, where the Israeli military has been warring with Hamas and other Palestinian militants for the past two weeks. “The security environment remains complex in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, and U.S. citizens need to be aware of the risks of travel to these areas because of the current conflict between Hamas and Israel,” the State Department warning said. “Long-range rockets launched from Gaza since July 8, 2014, have reached many locations in Israel – including Tel Aviv, cities farther north, and throughout the south of the country,” it stated. “Some rockets have reached Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, including Bethlehem and Hebron.” The advisory urged American visitors in Israel and the West Bank to “familiarize themselves with the location of the nearest bomb shelter or other hardened site, if available.” |