“A real and profoundly muddled anomaly” exists with respect to the currency restrictions imposed on British tourists visiting Israel and the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well, the Foreign Office admitted, according to The Guardian today.
The paper noted that British visitors to Israel are restricted to a 50 pounds sterling ($120) travel allowance, while visitors to Jordan, which is within the sterling area, have no restrictions imposed. Does this mean, the Guardian asked, that tourists in East Jerusalem and the West Bank can spend as freely as they wish, since Britain has not recognized Israel’s sovereignty in those areas? Emphatically not, replied the Foreign Office. In that case. The Guardian persisted, “doesn’t this really imply that Britain recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over its occupied territory?” Emphatically not, the Foreign Office replied again but conceded that an “anomaly” exists.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
