More than three million foreign citizens safely visit Israel and the West Bank each year. Nonetheless, travelers should also take into consideration that US government personnel are not permitted to use public buses there due to past attacks; that they must notify the embassy before traveling in areas surrounding Gaza and south of Beersheva, and that they are prohibited from transiting Independence Park in central Jerusalem during the hours of darkness.
Further, unless authorized, all personal travel by US government personnel is prohibited in the West Bank, with these exceptions: they are permitted to visit Bethlehem and Jericho; to transit the West Bank using Routes 1, 443 and 90; to go to Qumran off Route 90 by the Dead Sea, and to stop at roadside facilities along routes 1 and 90.