Due to heightened security conditions and the potential for violence in the Old City, U.S. government employees are restricted from entering the Old City from Sunday, October 4 through Tuesday, October 6 without prior approval from the U.S. Consulate. Similarly, U.S. government employees are restricted from the West Bank for other than Mission-critical business, subject to approval of the U.S. Consulate. Personal travel to Jericho and Bethlehem, which is still allowed, must be approved by the U.S. Consulate in advance of travel. We recommend that private U.S. citizens take into consideration these restrictions and the additional guidance contained in the Department of State’s travel warning for Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank when making decisions regarding their travel in the Old City and in Jerusalem.
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warning for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, located at 71 Hayarkon, telephone (972) (3) 519-7575. The Consulate General in Jerusalem is located at 14 David Flusser, telephone (972) (2) 622-7230. If you are a U.S. citizen in need of urgent assistance outside of business hours, you may call the emergency after-hours number either in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7551 or Jerusalem at (972) (2) 622-7250.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
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