Posted on 02/09/2003 6:13:40 AM PST by Israel Insider
The U.S. State Department issued a statement over the weekend calling on all non-essential U.S. embassy employees in Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to evacuate the region, due to growing tensions between the United States and Iraq. American citizens are being urged to avoid travel in the Middle East, but Israel's embassy in Tel Aviv will continue to operate on a regular schedule.
An official travel warning issued on Friday stated: "The Department of State has authorized the departure of dependents and non-emergency personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem on a voluntary basis. Private American citizens in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza should evaluate rigorously their own security situations and should consider departing."
Despite the advisories, U.S. embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel; Amman, Jordan; Damascus, Syria; and Beirut, Lebanon, and the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem remain open to provide services to U.S. citizens.
"The embassies will continue to operate on a regular schedule, but we are allowing non-essential workers and their family members, who are interested in leaving, to depart," U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv spokesperson Paul Patin explained. Patin said some U.S. diplomats had already left Israel during the course of the weekend.
The U.S. State Department added that private citizens should not travel to the area, and urged tourists currently in Israel and the Middle East to depart as soon as possible.
The State Department advisories are the result of predictions that U.S. President George W. Bush will launch a military strike against Iraq in the near future. State Department spokesperson Lou Fintor said, "This decision results from an overall assessment of the security situation in the region, a rise in anti-American sentiment and the potential for violence and terrorist action against American targets, especially as the international community continues to focus on the issue of Iraqi disarmament." He added, "This is not to say that military action against Iraq is imminent, (the departures) merely represent a prudent measure as we prepare for various contingencies in the region."
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer and his aides plan to remain in Israel and have no intentions of leaving, even if a war breaks out with Iraq, Yediot Aharonot reported.
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Perhaps. Just be glad you aren't one of the bad guys--I guarantee you that their ride's gonna be worse :)
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