AMCIT EVACUATION FROM THE GAZA STRIP

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 002759 SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/OCS/ACS/NESA, NEA/IPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC GZ KPAL PREL IS ISRAEL RELATIONS COUNTERTERRORISM SUBJECT: AMCIT EVACUATION FROM THE GAZA STRIP REF: JERUSALEM 02871 ¶1. Summary: On July 8, in a joint effort between Embassies Tel Aviv and Amman and the Consulate General Jerusalem, 68 American citizens were removed by bus from the Erez border crossing to the Allenby Bridge. From there they crossed into Jordan, where other buses brought them to Amman. End summary. ¶2. Responding to requests for logistical and liaison help from ConGen, on July 7 representatives from Embassy Tel Aviv's Regional Security Office and Consular Section met with Lt. Colonel Uri Singer, Head of the Foreign Relations and International Organizations Department at the Erez crossing, in an attempt to create a protocol that would allow Amcits to leave the Gaza Strip. At the time, the number of people requesting evacuation was numbered at around ¶150. Lt. Col. Singer confirmed that a July 8 evacuation would be possible, pending Shin Bet vetting of the proposed evacuees, but requested clarified lines of communication between USG entities and the GOI, and a different format for the submission of Amcits' names. ¶3. Working late into the night July 8, the Embassy formatted the Amcits' vital data and forwarded it to the GOI for security vetting. Clearance was granted for around 100, of whom only 68 were eventually evacuated, due to the Amcits' own lack of proper preparation, documentation or timely presentation on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing. ¶4. Two buses and one van traveled across green-line Israel from Erez to Allenby Bridge. RSO and CONS Tel Aviv escorted this convoy, in accordance with an agreement with the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) requiring that the evacuees be under RSO Tel Aviv control. Also present was the Embassy's Nurse Practitioner to handle any health-related issues, especially those that might result in an evacuee's request to be allowed to stay in Israel or the West Bank to seek medical treatment. ¶5. Prior to departure en route Allenby Bridge, RSO Tel Aviv was advised that approximately seven special cases would require attention. There were AmCits without Palestinian passports and an East Jerusalem ID card holder without the proper documentation to travel. RSO Tel Aviv personnel at Allenby Bridge worked with the GOI authorities, ensuring that the GOI procedures were met. ¶6. As requests for help have continued to pour in to ConGen ACS, Embassy Tel Aviv stands ready to aid in any further efforts to assist American citizens who seek to depart from the Gaza Strip. JONES