Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Lee (李淳) on Friday defended the government’s choice to evacuate citizens from Israel, saying that the decision is left up to officials on the ground to decide based on the latest information.
Speaking to legislators during a question-and-answer session, Lee said that a flight evacuating Taiwanese from Israel is to depart at “around” 5pm on Friday Taipei time, with the exact time remaining confidential for security reasons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday announced the flight departing from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv with an initial stopover in Fiumicino International Airport in Rome.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
When asked by legislators the day before about the possibility of evacuating the 147 Taiwanese remaining in Israel, the ministry said there was currently no plan to do so.
Questioned about the change of heart on Friday, Lee said the decision was made by front-line diplomats.
Due to changes in the security situation in the Gaza Strip over the past three days and conversations with Taiwanese expats, the local office decided to charter an evacuation flight, he said.
Asked if the ministry was to raise its travel warning for Israel from orange to red, Lee said that most of the nation’s global peers are keeping their alerts on orange, which advises against nonessential travel.
Evacuations may be made under both orange and red alerts, he added.
Alerts for the West Bank and Gaza Strip remain at red.
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