VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #2689 2221127
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101111Z AUG 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 8994
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 2820
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 2628
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 5432

UNCLAS STATE 082689 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC CVIS KPAL PREF PREL IS
SUBJECT: LIMITATIONS ON AMCITS TRAVEL IN WB AND JERUSALEM 
DEMARCHE 
 
REF: JERUSALEM 1324 
 
¶1. (U) Action Request:  The Department requests that Embassy 
Tel Aviv approach the GOI to gain clarifications on the 
recent changes made in entry/exit procedures at Allenby 
Bridge and Ben Gurion Airport that affect American citizens. 
Objectives follow in para. 3. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Background:  According to reftel, there are 
increasing reports of Amcits experiencing problems traveling 
to and from Jerusalem and the West Bank.  Reportedly new 
restrictive measures include the use of a Palestinian 
Authority area only stamp and the provision of a form to some 
entrants restricting them from the West Bank.   The GOI did 
not inform the USG of these new restrictions and has yet to 
provide clarifications to this policy.  Incomplete 
information has limited the ability of the USG to properly 
inform the traveling public of the details of this new 
program.  For many Amcits this has led to serious 
inconveniences and financial hardships.  The Department has 
worked with posts to update both the Travel Warning (TW) and 
Consular Specific Information (CSI) for Israel, the West Bank 
and Gaza to reflect these new restrictions; however, we still 
lack complete details regarding the policies in place and to 
whom this policy applies.  The Department has engaged with 
the Embassy of Israel on these issues and will continue to do 
so.  The Department requests that Embassy Tel Aviv approach 
the GOI to formally request further clarification on the new 
policies being implemented by the GOI and to underscore to 
the GOI that the U.S. expects all Amcits to be treated 
equally, including those of Arab and Palestinian origin. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Objectives: 
 
-- Request clarification on the policies in place at Ben 
Gurion and Allenby.  Specifically, inquire as to the 
circumstances and types of travelers that are being subjected 
to the new entry stamp and the new entry restriction form and 
the reasoning behind these changes.  Highlight that this 
information must be appropriately shared with the American 
traveling public. 
 
-- Request that employees of the Coordinating Office for 
Government Activities in the Occupied Territories (COGAT) be 
instructed not/not to require a letter or fax or any other 
kind of statement or support from the Embassy or Consulate 
General when individuals made subject to these restrictions 
apply for permission to enter areas of the PA from Israel or 
to enter Israel from PA controlled areas.  The fact that an 
individual is a U.S. citizen, and bears a U.S. passport, is 
sufficient evidence of the USG's interest in that 
individual's free passage.  Reference may be made to the 
notation on the first page of all U.S. passports, which 
states, "The Secretary of State of the United States of 
America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the 
citizen/national of the United States named herein to pass 
without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all 
lawful aid and protection." 
 
-- Underscore to the GOI that it is the expectation of the 
USG that all Amcits are treated equally, regardless of their 
national origin or other citizenships.  GOI restrictions that 
unfairly impact Palestinian American or Arab American 
travelers are not acceptable. 
CLINTON