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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 084876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CASC PTER AMGT ASEC IS GZ WE
SUBJECT: TRAVEL WARNING - ISRAEL, THE WEST BANK, AND 
GAZA 
 
¶1.  The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the 
risks of traveling to Israel, the West Bank, and the 
Gaza Strip, and about threats to themselves and to U.S. 
interests in those locations.  The Department of State 
urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security 
factors when planning travel to Israel and the West Bank 
and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip.  This warning 
replaces the Travel Warning issued January 15, 2009, to 
update information on the general security environment 
in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. 
 
---------------------------------- 
The Gaza Strip and Southern Israel 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The State Department strongly urges that American 
citizens refrain from all travel to the Gaza Strip. 
This recommendation has been in effect since the deadly 
roadside bombing of a U.S. Embassy convoy in Gaza in 
October 2003.  It applies to all Americans, including 
journalists and aid workers.  American citizens should 
be aware that as a consequence of a longstanding 
prohibition on travel by U.S. Government employees into 
the Gaza Strip, the ability of consular staff to offer 
timely assistance to U.S. citizens there is extremely 
limited. 
 
¶3.  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strictly controls 
travel within the area of the crossing points between 
Israel and the Gaza Strip, and has essentially sealed 
the border.  The security environment within Gaza and 
along its borders, including its border with Egypt and 
its seacoast, is dangerous and can change at any time. 
 
¶4.  From December 27, 2008, through January 17, 2009, 
the IDF conducted a major military operation in Gaza 
that included aerial and naval strikes, followed by 
large-scale ground operations.  Israel and Hamas, a 
State Department-designated foreign terrorist 
organization that violently seized power in Gaza in June 
2007, declared separate truces to end the fighting. 
Occasional small clashes continue to occur along the 
border.  Rockets and mortars are still being fired into 
Israel from Gaza, and the IDF continues to conduct 
military operations inside Gaza, including airstrikes. 
The IDF has also declared an exclusion zone along the 
border with Israel and has taken lethal measures against 
individuals who enter it. 
 
¶5.  In the past, some rockets have travelled more than 
40 km and landed as far north as Yavne and Gadera and as 
far east as Beersheva.  As a result of possible IDF 
military operations in Gaza and the ever-present risk of 
rocket and mortar attacks into Israel from Gaza, U.S. 
Government personnel travelling in the vicinity of the 
Gaza Strip border, to include the city of Sderot, 
require approval from the Embassy's Regional Security 
Office. 
 
------------------- 
The West Bank 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  The security environment in the West Bank has 
improved markedly since June 2007, with a significant 
increase in the number of trained Palestinian Authority 
security forces deployed to urban areas such as Jericho, 
Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jenin.  Nonetheless, 
demonstrations and violent incidents can occur without 
warning.  Vehicles have also been the target of rocks, 
Molotov cocktails and gunfire on West Bank roads.  The 
Department of State urges Americans to exercise caution 
 
STATE 00084876  002 OF 004 
 
 
when traveling to the West Bank. 
 
¶7.  The IDF continues to carry out security operations 
in the West Bank.  Israeli security operations can occur 
at any time, including arrest raids to arrest terrorist 
suspects that lead to disturbances and violence. 
Americans can be caught in the middle of potentially 
dangerous situations.  Some Americans involved in 
demonstrations and other such activities in the West 
Bank have become involved in confrontations with Israeli 
settlers and the IDF.  The State Department recommends 
that Americans, for their own safety, avoid 
demonstrations. 
 
¶8.  All those who pass through the West Bank should 
exercise particular care when approaching and transiting 
Israeli military checkpoints.  Travelers should be aware 
that they might encounter delays and difficulties, and 
might even be denied passage through a checkpoint. 
American citizens should be aware that the ability of 
consular staff to offer timely assistance to U.S. 
citizens in the West Bank is limited. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Travel Restrictions for U.S. Government Personnel 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶9.  American U.S. Government personnel travel 
extensively throughout the West Bank to carry out their 
official duties.  USG personnel on official business 
travel more freely in the cities of Jericho, Ramallah, 
Bethlehem and Jenin due to the improved security 
situation there.  Personal travel in the West Bank for 
U.S. Government personnel and their dependents is not 
allowed except for limited mission-approved purposes and 
in the areas described below.  U.S. government personnel 
and family members are permitted to travel to Jericho, 
or to transit through the West Bank by using routes 1 
and 90 to reach the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, or the 
Dead Sea coast near Ein Gedi and Masada.  They are also 
permitted to travel north on Route 90 from the 
Allenby/King Hussein Bridge to the Sea of Galilee.  Use 
of these routes is approved for transit purposes during 
daylight hours, with stops permitted at only Qumran 
National Park off Route 90 by the Dead Sea.  Each 
transit requires prior notification to the Consulate 
General's security office.  Personal travel by U.S. 
Government personnel and family members to Jericho takes 
place only on certain designated days and requires prior 
notification.  U.S. Government personnel and family 
members are permitted both official and personal travel 
on Route 443 between Modi'in and Jerusalem without prior 
notification, during daylight hours only. 
 
--------------------------- 
General Safety and Security 
--------------------------- 
¶10.  Israeli authorities remain concerned about the 
continuing threat of terrorist attacks.  Two fatal 
bulldozer attacks on civilians in July 2008 and a March 
2008 shooting, all in Jerusalem, and a February 2008 
bombing in Dimona are reminders of the ongoing 
precariousness of the security environment. 
 
¶11.  In early January 2009, short-range rockets were 
fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. 
 
¶12.  American citizens are cautioned that a greater 
danger may exist around restaurants, businesses, and 
other places associated with U.S. interests and/or 
located near U.S. official buildings, such as the U.S. 
Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in 
Jerusalem.  American citizens are also urged to exercise 
a high degree of caution and to use common sense when 
patronizing restaurants, nightclubs, cafes, malls, 
places of worship, and theaters, especially during peak 
hours.  Large crowds and public gatherings have been 
 
STATE 00084876  003 OF 004 
 
 
targeted by terrorists in the past and should be avoided 
to the extent practicable.  American citizens should 
take into consideration that public buses, trains, and 
their respective terminals are "off-limits" to U.S. 
Government personnel.  U.S. Government personnel have 
been directed to avoid protests and demonstrations. 
Personnel have also been urged to maintain a high level 
of vigilance and situational awareness at all times. 
 
¶13.  The State Department urges American citizens to 
remain vigilant while traveling throughout Jerusalem, 
especially within the commercial and downtown areas of 
West Jerusalem and the city center.  Spontaneous or 
planned protests within the Old City are possible, 
especially after Friday prayers.  Some of these protests 
have led to violent clashes.  The Old City of Jerusalem 
is off-limits to U.S. Government personnel and their 
family members after dark during the entire week and 
between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Fridays. 
 
----------------------- 
Entry/Exit Difficulties 
----------------------- 
 
¶14.  The Government of Israel considers American 
citizens who also hold Israeli citizenship or have a 
claim to such dual nationality to be Israeli citizens 
for immigration and other legal purposes.  For example, 
an American citizen child of an Israeli parent will be 
considered an Israeli citizen by Israeli immigration 
officials and Israeli law will apply to the child's 
travel to, and departure from, Israel. 
 
¶15.  American citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect 
of being of Arab or Muslim origin are likely to face 
additional, often time-consuming, and probing 
questioning by immigration and border authorities, or 
may even be denied entry into Israel.  If they are 
determined by Israeli authorities to have a claim to 
residency status in the West Bank or Gaza, or to have a 
claim to a Palestinian identification number, such 
American citizens may be required by the Government of 
Israel to use a Palestinian Authority travel document to 
transit Israel to enter the West Bank or Gaza.  Such a 
determination could be made for American citizens if 
they or their immediate family members or grandparents 
were born in the West Bank or Gaza, currently reside 
there, or lived there for any appreciable amount of 
time. 
 
¶16.  American citizens who hold a Palestinian Authority 
ID, as well as persons judged by the Israeli authorities 
to have claim to a Palestinian Authority ID, will be 
considered subject to Israeli law and to regulations 
that Israel applies to residents of the West Bank and 
Gaza, regardless of the fact that they hold U.S. 
citizenship.  A Palestinian ID number might be active or 
inactive.  If active, the Government of Israel may stamp 
the Palestinian Identification Number in the U.S. 
passport, and the American citizen may be required to 
obtain Palestinian Authority travel documents prior to 
departing Israel.  In addition, American citizens having 
or eligible for a Palestinian Authority ID who entered 
Israel via Ben Gurion Airport might be required to 
depart via the Allenby Bridge to Jordan.  Upon arrival, 
such persons may wish to consider asking Israeli 
immigration authorities from where they will be required 
to depart.  Additionally, American citizens who have (or 
who are eligible to receive) a Palestinian Authority 
Identification Number are likely to be refused entry to 
Israel via Ben Gurion Airport and told that they must 
enter Israel from Jordan via the Allenby (also known as 
King Hussein) Bridge. 
 
¶17.  In June 2009, the Israeli government began 
selectively limiting certain travelers to either the 
occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, or to 
 
STATE 00084876  004 OF 004 
 
 
Israel and Jerusalem.  To date, the Israeli government 
has not provided information about which categories of 
travelers can expect to be subject to these 
restrictions.  Nonetheless, Israeli border officials at 
Ben Gurion Airport began requiring certain travelers to 
sign a form that states s/he is not allowed to enter 
territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority 
unless s/he obtains advance authorization from the 
Israeli "Territory Actions Coordinator," and that 
violating this restriction may result in the traveler 
being deported from Israel and barred from entry for up 
to 10 years.  At the Allenby Bridge crossing, as well as 
at Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli border officials also 
began using a new entry stamp for certain travelers that 
states "Palestinian Authority Only."  Since travelers 
entering via the Allenby crossing must transit Israeli 
checkpoints and Israeli-controlled territory to reach 
Jerusalem or Gaza, this restriction effectively limits 
travelers who receive this stamp at Allenby to 
destinations in the West Bank only.  This stamp has been 
known to be used even with travelers who have no 
Palestinian or other Arab ancestry, and who would not 
seem to have any claim to a Palestinian Authority ID. 
 
¶18.  The United States Government seeks equal treatment 
for all American citizens regardless of national origin 
or ethnicity.  American citizens who encounter 
difficulties are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy 
in Tel Aviv or the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem 
at the telephone numbers below. 
 
¶19.  Americans in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza 
Strip are strongly encouraged to register with the 
Consular Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the 
U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem through the State 
Department's travel registration website, 
https://travelregistration.state.gov.  U.S. citizens who 
require emergency services may telephone the Consulate 
General in Jerusalem at (972) (2) 628-7137, after hours 
(for emergencies): (972) (2) 622-7250, or the Embassy in 
Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7575, after hours (for 
emergencies): (972) (3) 519-7551. 
 
¶20.  Current information on travel and security in 
Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip may be 
obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888- 
407-4747 within the United States and Canada, or, from 
overseas, 1-202-501-4444.  For additional and more in- 
depth information about specific aspects of travel to 
these areas, U.S. citizens should consult:  the Country 
Specific Information for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; 
and the Worldwide Caution.  These along with other 
Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts and Country Specific 
Information are available on the Department's Internet 
website at http://travel.state.gov.  Up-to-date 
information on security conditions can also be accessed 
at http://usembassy-israel.org.il or 
http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov.  Additionally, 
Americans are encouraged to sign up to receive security- 
related information from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv 
via email at the following link: 
http://telaviv.usembassy.gov/consular/acs/ind ex.aspx 
¶21.  Minimize considered. 
CLINTON