(Communicated by MFA Spokesperson’s Bureau)
 
In accordance with the Government’s decision of 5 August 2015 to close a number of Israeli missions abroad in the course of 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to close the following missions:
 
The Israeli embassy in Minsk (Belarus), the embassy in San Salvador (El Salvador), the consulate in Philadelphia (USA), the consulate in Marseille (France), and the regional office for the Caribbean states (located at the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York).
 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will utilize the resources that will become available to increase existing activities and will maintain its interests in the areas in which the missions will be closed, boosting the services offered by the embassies that will be expanding the area of their responsibilities. The Ministry will also ensure that its employees in the missions to be closed, Israelis and local staff alike, will not be suffer from the closing of the missions.