Jerusalem–Israel's foreign ministry has warned its citizens in Egypt to take precautions as anti-government protesters took to the streets there for a third day, but it stopped short of issuing a travel ban.
The warning calls on Israelis in Egypt to “pay close attention” to the rapidly-developing situation, after three days of unprecedented protests against the autocratic rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
Yossi Levy, a foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP that the warning, issued Wednesday, was based on the recommendations of the Bureau for Combating Terrorism, a unit that is part of the Israeli prime minister's office.
“The ministry of foreign affairs recommends Israelis who are staying currently in Egypt to pay close attention to developments in Egypt,” he said.
It also urges them “to be very cautious and to obey the instructions of security officers on the ground and to keep their distance from demonstrations and the centre of town,” Levy added.
He said there were no plans for a full travel warning for Israelis at present, but that the situation was being monitored.
Thousands of Israelis visit Egypt every year, though most of them stay inside the Sinai peninsula, which is cheap and close to home.
In November, Israel issued a sharply-worded travel warning urging all its citizens to leave Sinai immediately, citing “credible” information that they could be targeted for kidnap by Islamic extremists.
Pro-democracy activists vowed on Thursday to step up the largest anti-government protests in Egypt in three decades, despite mass arrests and mammoth security following two days of street clashes.
