US authorizes departure of non-emergency government staff from Israel
The US State Department on Friday authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and their family members from Israel due to safety risks, according to an updated travel advisory.
The department said the decision reflects security concerns and warned that the US Embassy may further restrict or prohibit travel by US government employees to certain areas of Israel, the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank without advance notice.
It said persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.
The advisory urged US citizens to reconsider travel to Israel and the West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest, and said they should not travel to Gaza due to terrorism and armed conflict.
It also advised against travel within 4 km (2.5 miles) of the Lebanese and Syrian borders and within 11.3 km (7 miles) of the Gaza demarcation line.
The department said the security environment remains complex and can change quickly, and that violence can occur without warning.
US citizens in Israel were advised to remain vigilant, avoid demonstrations and review contingency plans.
“We, the filmmakers of Iran, condemn the suppression of people’s protests under any pretext. Protest is the natural and civil right of every human being. No power has the right to consider itself above the people,” the signatories wrote.
In a statement on January 25, the editorial board of Iran International said more than 36,500 people were killed during the targeted suppression of the Iranian protesters on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Referring to the killing of demonstrators, they added: “Shooting at people who have taken to the streets with empty hands is a crime against the right to life and has no justification.”
The statement, titled “We stand with the people of Iran,” comes after weeks of unrest and follows similar declarations by other civil and professional groups.
Earlier, more than 60 writers and activists in the field of children’s and young adult literature from several countries issued a separate statement condemning the killings on January 8 and 9.
On February 16, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations announced a day of public mourning and school closures on February 18 in response to the deaths of more than 230 children and teenagers during the January protests. The move amounted to a strike by teachers and a call on families to keep students at home.
In their statement, the filmmakers pointed to nearly five decades of governance despite what they described as vast natural and human resources, arguing that justice, welfare and security have not been achieved. They cited organized corruption, plunder of public wealth and what they called a “fear-inducing ideology” as drivers of widespread poverty and despair.
Among the signatories are Pegah Ahangarani, Mahnaz Afshar, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Jafar Panahi, Katayoun Riahi, Saman Salour, Kianoush Ayari and Asghar Farhadi.
The filmmakers concluded that they would document “these days and these wounds” and defend freedom of expression while standing alongside the Iranian people.
