US embassies and consulates closed Sunday due to al-Qaeda threat
US embassies and consulates in Israel and in 13 Muslim countries will be closed on Sunday due to intelligence regarding an al-Qaeda threat to attack the embassies and the people waiting in line outside them.
Spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to U.S.
facilities overseas and said some diplomatic offices might stay closed
for more than a day.
Other U.S. officials said the threat was in the Muslim world, where Sunday is a workday.
American diplomatic missions in Europe, Latin America and many other places are closed on Sunday.
Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The Department of State has instructed certain U.S.
Embassies and Consulates to remain closed or to suspend operations on Sunday,
August 4. The Department has been apprised of information that, out of an
abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting
our installations, indicates we should institute these precautionary steps. It
is possible we may have additional days of closings as well, depending on our
analysis.
The Department, when conditions warrant, takes steps like
this to balance our continued operations with security and safety.
However, beyond this announcement we do not discuss specific threat
information, security considerations or measures, or other steps we may be
taking.
For further information, we refer you to the Worldwide
Caution put out by the Department dated February 19, 2013, repeated below:
As a matter of general practice, U.S. citizens should avoid
areas where large gatherings may occur. Even demonstrations intended to be
peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
You should avoid areas of demonstrations, and exercise caution if in the
vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.
Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your
surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for
updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance, take appropriate steps to
enhance your personal security and follow instructions of local authorities.
We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or
residing in Israel enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment
Program (STEP). STEP enrollment gives you the latest security
updates, and makes it easier for the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. consulate to
contact you in an emergency. If you don't have Internet access, enroll directly
with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
I understand keeping people away from possible locations of terror attacks, but shouldn't there be more of a response than that? Oh wait, that would mean admitting al-Qaeda still exists even though Osama Bin Laden was killed, wouldn't it?
Jordan disrupted a major terrorist attack in Amman this month, and security services reportedly arrested 11 jihadis
who intended to attack multiple targets – including the U.S. embassy
and popular shopping areas – with heavy weaponry including car bombs and
machine guns.
That the attack was thwarted comes as good news for this American
ally, where King Abdullah's rule has come under increasing pressure amid
the Arab Spring. But the failed operation was also, in many respects, a
witch's brew of America's most vexing policy challenges, raising
questions about the path ahead.
For one, the failed attack raised additional fears about our
diplomatic security. After all, American diplomats and diplomatic
installations were among the targets. In light of the recent debacles in
Benghazi and Cairo on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the
plot raises the question: was the United States sufficiently staffed and
prepared at the Amman embassy? If you've ever seen the fortress we call
an embassy in Amman,
the answer is probably "yes." But the bigger question is: how do we
address this apparent surge in attempts to harm American diplomats in
the region?
Then there is the issue of Syria. Jordanian Information Minister Samih Maayatah announced that the suspects had entered Jordan from neighboring Syria. And as a Jordanian security source told Reuters, "Their plans included getting explosives and mortars from Syria."
These revelations underscore the cost of American indecision. The
U.S. has stood on the sidelines while Syria descended into civil war.
Washington ignored the death toll as it climbed over 30,000, and the
refugee count as it neared a quarter million, insisting that
intervention on any level would only attract more radical jihadi types
into an already complex situation. A year and half later, in addition to
what can only be deemed a sectarian mess, the jihadis have arrived,
anyway. The debate continues about whether the fighters are affiliated
with al Qaeda or not, but it doesn't matter. There is a jihadi component to the Syria war, and it's now spilling over into Jordan, where Washington has a stake in the survival of the regime.
The Iraq angle is equally troubling. The Jordan Times
cited Jordanian press sources as noting that the disrupted cell
"gathered intelligence and consulted with the Iraqi branch of al Qaeda
via the internet."
The resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq, a franchise of the al Qaeda core once thought to be largely defeated, is now undeniable.
I went to a wedding tonight, and someone came up to me and told me he'd read on the blog that I'd be there.
I got on a bus this morning and someone came up to me and told me that he'd spent Shabbat in my house because his mother read my old humor and Matzav lists and now he reads my blog.
I met someone else this morning who told me that he and his family spent Shabbos in my house when they made aliya. Unfortunately, they're back living here now, but he reads my blog.
This doesn't happen in Israel, where most of the people who would come up to me and say that are fellow bloggers. Occasionally, yes. But not as often as here.
Oh and at the wedding tonight, the groom's sister, who interned at the JPost a couple of summers ago (where she told me she was instructed to read my blog and one other - I won't tell you all which one so as not to insult the rest of my friends) asked me how the blog was going....
But the jet lag caught up during the wedding and I have to drive someplace else tomorrow (later today) so just one post for the next couple of hours.
After last weekend's debacle in Cairo, the Israeli government has decided to shut down its embassy in Amman for the weekend, where a 'million man march' against Israel is planned.
Israel evacuated its embassy in Jordan Wednesday evening, hours before a Facebook organized march under the banner (in Arabic) of "No Zionist embassy on Jordanian territory."
Unlike in Egypt, where diplomats lived with their families, in Amman the Israeli delegation serves without their families, and comes home for weekends.
The decision came just days after the 13-hour rampage at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, during which six security guards locked themselves behind a steel door while mobs ransacked the embassy.
Here's some video.
Let's go to the videotape.
About five years ago, I was at a Shabbat table with an Israeli diplomat who had just been transferred to Africa (where she had to fly to Europe at least once a month to buy Kosher food) from Jordan. She said Jordan was considered a plum assignment because you went home every weekend. Between last year's attack on the Israelis going home and Wednesday's story, it may not be such a plum assignment anymore.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
