The US administration decided to restrict access to the West Bank for diplomatic and government personnel due to the deteriorating security situation. The US Embassy in Tel Aviv announced that all US government employees and their families are temporarily restricted from traveling to the West Bank.
The decision was made due to growing security concerns and instability in the region. The travel restriction will remain in effect until Wednesday, July 29, 2026 unless extended or revoked.
The move comes amid a period of intensified Israeli settler attacks and Israeli military operations, particularly in the Nablus governorate. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have carried out more than 1,330 attacks since the start of 2026.
OCHA documented that these attacks caused loss of life or property damage to Palestinians in around 250 communities. According to the agency, as of July 20, 18 Palestinians have lost their lives in incidents linked to settler attacks. This figure exceeds the total number of deaths in the entire year of 2025.
Most recently, an attack by the Israeli military and settlers on Friday killed four Palestinians in the town of Tel, southwest of Nablus. According to the UN, two Israelis also died during the same events.
The US State Department had been advising reconsideration of travel to the West Bank since February 2026. US government employees needed special permission to enter the area, with limited exceptions in place.
Since the war Israel launched on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, military and settler attacks, raids, arrests, demolitions and forced displacements have continued unabated in the West Bank.
