Israeli Veterinary Services at the Ministry of Agriculture have banned the transport of livestock between Israel, Gaza and the West Bank following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among the 10,000 calves that were imported from Australia.


The infected cattle are under quarantine in special transit stations in the Arava desert in Israel.


Israeli livestock that have been immunised twice against the disease are exempt from the ban. The veterinary services have taken very strict measures to prevent any further spread of the disease, in view of the fact that it was recently diagnosed in the Judean Desert, south of Beth Lehem, and in Egypt.