Israel Embassy welcomes PHL lifting of travel ban

The Israeli Embassy in Manila on Friday welcomed the Philippine government's decision to lift the travel ban in parts of Israel. Earlier in the day, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed Manila is lifting the travel bans on Israel and Gaza. "The Embassy welcomes the lifting of the travel ban by the Department of Foreign Affairs," the Israeli Embassy said on its Twitter account. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez, in a post on his own Twitter account, cited "improved security conditions in Israel and Gaza" as the basis for lifting the ban. Lifted were Alert Level 2 for central and southern Israel, and Alert Level 4 for Gaza, Hernandez said. Alert Level 2 entails a restriction phase for central and southern Israel, and Alert Level 4 entails evacuation or mandatory repatriation for Gaza. Last Nov. 23, the DFA issued an advisory asking Filipinos to defer travel to Gaza and central and southern Israel. About 120 Filipinos live in Gaza, almost all of them married to Palestinians and are long-time residents there. - VVP, GMA News