A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
State Department Travel Warning

According to an AP report, the State Department has apparently softened its travel warning to Israel and what it calls "the Occupied Territories."

Unfortunately, if one were to heed the updated travel warning, a visit to Israel wouldn't be much fun. Our State Department advises that "American citizens should stay away from demonstrations and generally avoid crowded public places, such as restaurants and cafes, shopping and market areas and malls, pedestrian zones, public transportation of all kinds, including buses and trains and their respective stations/terminals, and the areas around them."

Surprisingly, the State Department does not advise against taking cabs, which of course are far more dangerous than buses. I'm looking forward to my next trip, in which I shall arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, take a taxi to a hotel, and stay in my hotel room until I leave, when I shall take a taxi back to Ben Gurion Airport.

As for the reference to Judea, Samaria and Gaza as "the Occupied Territories", it is not consistent with the historic position of the State Department. For example, when Secretary of State James Baker was asked about the status of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, he responded, "They're clearly disputed territories. That's what Resolutions 242 and 338 are all about. They're clearly disputed territories." Similarly, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stated: "We simply do not support the description of the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 as occupied Palestinian territory."

The good news, of course, is that none of this matters, since President Bush is the most pro-Israel president in history. I think I even heard that in shul.
posted on 4/08/2005