Security Message to U.S. Citizens
U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem
November 21, 2012
Effective immediately, the U.S. Consulate General has declared the Jerusalem light rail network to be off-limits to U.S. government employees until further notice. Official personnel and their family members continue to be prohibited from using public buses and bus terminals or stations.
We take this opportunity to remind U.S. citizens that, due to demonstrations in several areas of the West Bank, the U.S. Consulate General has cancelled, until further notice, all non-official travel by U.S. Government employees to Jericho and Bethlehem, as well as travel through the West Bank on Routes 1 and 90. Non-official travel by U.S. government employees to other areas of the West Bank remains off-limits, as outlined in our current Travel Warning.
U.S. citizens in Jerusalem and the West Bank are advised to avoid demonstrations and large crowds and to remember that even peaceful protests can turn violent with little or no warning. U.S. citizens should exercise extra caution and defer travel to the West Bank to the extent possible.
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Internet website where the Worldwide Caution, Country Specific Information for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found, including the current Travel Warning for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. You can also follow the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or, for callers outside of the United States and Canada, on a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
U.S. citizens are advised to maintain valid travel documents and enroll with the Department of State or the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem through the State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program website,
https://travelregistration.state.gov. For further information, U.S. citizens may telephone the Consulate General in Jerusalem at (972) (2) 630-4000 or the Embassy in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7575 during working hours. After hours (for emergencies), U.S. citizens may telephone either the Consulate General at (972) (2) 622-7250 or the Embassy in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7551. Up-to-date information on security conditions can also be accessed at
http://usembassy-israel.org.il or
http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov.