State Department advises caution, avoidance to 3 areas of Middle East
- Terrorism and armed conflict were cited as reasons
- The State Department cannot guarantee safe travel out of Gaza
- The guidance comes after Israel eased travel for Palestinian Americans
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(NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of State is urging Americans to exercise extreme caution or outright avoid traveling to several Middle Eastern areas.
The department is advising zero travel to Gaza due to terrorism, civil unrest and armed conflict.
“The U.S. government is unable to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Gaza as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there,” according to the department.
If an American decides to travel to Gaza, the U.S. government recommends being prepared to do it without help from the State Department.
The department is advising those traveling to either Israel or the West Bank to “exercise extreme caution” due to threats of terrorism and civil unrest.
The guidance comes weeks after Israel eased travel for Palestinian Americans from the Gaza Strip as part of final preparations for a deal enabling Israelis to enter the United States without visas.
