[The State Department justifies the decision with the deteriorating and unpredictable safety situation in the region](t.co/0tvSfhwFC1). The embassy stresses that in consequence to safety incidents, it can impose additional travel restrictions or bans on American officials and their families at any time, without announcement - including in the Old City of Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank. According to the Times of Israel, Ambassador Michael Huckabee was said to have said that those embassy employees who want to leave Israel should do so today. This would mean that in the short term, communication with Israel could be interrupted.
