Israelis told to leave Egypt, Jordan

JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday warned nationals who may be visiting regional allies Egypt and Jordan to leave immediately, citing a very high concrete threat to their safety. The counter-terrorism unit attached to the prime minister s office, listed Israel s only two Arab allies in the Middle East with six enemy states as countries with a very high concrete threat . Israelis were advised to avoid visiting the eight countries and leave immediately should they be there already, it announced in a statement. The bureau said the threat level applied to Egypt as a whole but was especially prevalent for the Sinai, a Red Sea area popular with Israelis during holidays. Aside from Egypt and Jordan, the six other countries were Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Israelis can theoretically only travel to such countries, with which Israel has no relations, if they have a foreign passport. Tensions have soared recently in the often bumpy relations between Egypt and Israel over claims that Israeli soldiers killed Egyptian prisoners during the 1967 Middle East war. Israel s anti-terrorism bureau issues frequent warnings against travel to Sinai, where tens of thousands of Israelis have traveled during holidays such as next month s eight-day festival of Passover. More than 80 people, mostly Egyptians, have died over the past two years in attacks in the Sinai, which Israel says is now home to various extremist networks.