JERUSALEM (JTA) — Moments after President Donald Trump announced his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem released a security alert that warned against traveling to some areas of Jerusalem.
The alert referenced “widespread calls for demonstrations in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza,” and warned against personal travel to “the areas of Jerusalem’s Old City surrounding the Damascus Gate, Herod’s Gate, Lion’s Gate, and Chain Gate, Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount, and in the West Bank, to include but not limited to Bethlehem, Jericho, Qumran, Wadi Qelt, Al Auju, St. Geroniumus/Khogla Monastery, St. George Monastery, Nabi Musa, the Inn of the Good Samaritan, and the parts of the Dead Sea that lie within the West Bank.”
The warning added that Americans should avoid areas where crowds have gathered and where there is increased police and/or military presence.
“We recommend that U.S. citizens take into consideration these restrictions and the additional guidance contained in the Department of State’s travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza when making decisions regarding their travel,” the statement said.
Palestinian violence against settlers and soldiers in the West Bank has traditionally increased with the announcement of peace plans and other such guidelines.
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