News / Foreign Policy

US issues new travel warning for Israel, Palestinian territories

Thursday, 19 February 2015 2:03 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 19 February 2015 4:27 PM ]

Palestinian girls run away after an Israeli airstrike on a house in the northern Gaza Strip. (file photo)

The United States has warned its citizens against traveling to Israel and Palestinian territories over an escalation of violence and security risks in that region.

The US State Department said on Wednesday that increased violence in Jerusalem al-Quds and surrounding areas has reached levels not seen in a decade.

“The security environment remains complex in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, and US citizens need to be aware of the continuing risks of travel to these areas,” the State Department posted on its website.

“A rise in political tensions and violence in Jerusalem (al-Quds) and the West Bank has resulted in injuries to and deaths of US citizens,” the statement added.

The statement said six US citizens were killed and several others injured in Jerusalem al-Quds and the West Bank in 2014 due to a surge in violence.

US government employees are also prohibited from visiting volatile areas and from using public buses due to security concerns, according to the State Department.

The latest travel warning replaces a previous warning issued in September.

The new warning comes several months after the Gaza Strip faced a deadly Israeli onslaught.

Last summer, about 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children, were killed in a 50-day Israeli offensive, which started in early July and ended in late August.

Over 11,100 others, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women and 410 elderly people, were also injured. Some 100,000 people remain homeless in the besieged coastal strip.

AHT/HRJ

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