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17 February 1998

TEXT: US ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR ISRAEL, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

(Americans advised to maintain readiness in event of emergency) (620)
Washington -- American citizens are being advised to avoid travel to
the West Bank and Gaza and to exercise caution in Jerusalem,
particularly in the area of the old city of Jerusalem, the State
Department announced February 14.
"The U.S. government believes there is a low probability of attack on
Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, and that the possib~ility of Iraq using
chemical and biological weapons is remote, but cannot be excluded,"
according to a travel warden issued by the American Embassy in Tel
Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem.
Following is the text of the travel advisory:
(Begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
February 14, 1998
The American Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in
Jerusalem are issuing the following Warden Message:
"~This message supplements the Public Announcement issued by the U.S.
Department of State on February 10, 1998 for the Middle East and South
Asia.
The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate General in Jerusalem
continue to closely monitor the situation with Iraq. The U.S.
government believes there is a low probability of attack on Israel,
the West Bank or Gaza, and that the possib~ility of Iraq using
chemical and biological weapons is remote, but cannot be excluded.
American citizens are advised to avoid travel to the West Bank and
Gaza and to exercise caution in Jerusalem, particularly in the area of
the old city of Jerusalem. The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem has
suspended personal travel of its employees to the West Bank and has
placed restrictions on official travel to the West Bank.
These are precautionary measures only. However, given the current
tensions in the region, the U.S. government believes it is important
for all citizens to maintain readiness in the unlikely event of an
emergency.
At this time the Government of Israel is distributing protection kits
to Israeli citizens and legal residents only. However, we understand
that the Government of Israel is putting in place arrangements to
determine the most effective ways to distribute gas masks to foreign
nationals and is in the process of acquiring adequate numbers of gas
masks to provide for non-Israeli citizens in Israel, Jerusalem, and
the areas of the West Bank under its control. The Palestinian
Authority has informed the U.S. government that it does not have
protection kits to supply in population or foreign residents living
within its areas of control.
For those American citizens who need to obtain a new passport or to
update their registrations, passport hours at the Embassy (71 Hayarkon
Street, Tel Aviv) are Monday through Friday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to
11:00 a.m. and Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.;
Consulate General in Jerusalem (27 Nablus Road, East Jerusalem)
passport hours are Monday through Friday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to
12:00 noon, except for the last Friday of the month.
The Embassy and Consulate General urge all U.S. citizens to monitor
local and international media for further development. Should the U.S.
government need to issue advice to U.S. citizens, the Embassy and
Consulate will notify the local media and activate our citizens warden
network immediately.
U.S. citizens contemplating traveling to Israel, the West Bank and
Gaza should take the above information into consideration and should,
in addition, consult the latest Consular Information Sheet on Israel
and the Occupied Territories dated December 23~, 1997."
This Public Announcement expires on May 14, 1998.
(End text)