UK lists J’lem separately on new COVID- 19 advisory

Jerusalem was registered as a separate entity to Israel in the UK’s latest COVID- 19 travel advisory on Thursday that lists the countries from which travelers may enter parts of the UK without the need to quarantine.

Conservative Friends of Israel expressed outrage at the listing.

“The announcement of a travel corridor with Israel is excellent news,” the CFI said. “However, the decision to define Jerusalem as a territory separate from Israel is offensive and hostile.”

The group pointed out that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, and “to describe Jerusalem as anything other than an integral part of Israel is a fiction divorced from reality and the travel advice must be immediately corrected.”

The statement issued by the UK’s Department for Transport read: “The travel corridor applies for Israel in its entirety and Jerusalem in its entirety. For the Occupied Palestinian Territories, only East Jerusalem is included in the travel corridor. The remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territories are not included.”

The UK and most of the world, with the noted exceptions of the US and Russia, among others, does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The travel advisory notice said that starting on Saturday morning, travelers from Israel arriving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland would not be required to go into quarantine. Israel was one of several countries added to the UK’s safe travel corridor list.

At the moment, travelers from the UK to Israel must enter quarantine for 12 days.