In a statement on Aug. 9, the ministry pointed to a State Department warning for Americans in Israel in the aftermath of a rocket strike on Eilat and the neighboring Jordanian city of Aqaba a week earlier. The travel advisory urged Americans in Eilat to locate bomb shelters, but failed to mention that the Aug. 2 rocket attack on Aqaba killed one person and injured another three.

"In addition, rockets have been fired recently into the Eilat and Aqaba areas," the U.S. travel advisory said. "U.S. citizens in Eilat and southern Israel are advised to ascertain the location of the nearest bomb shelter."

Officials said the Tourism Ministry has been concerned that the U.S. travel advisory would hurt vacation plans by Americans to Israel. The ministry has urged Washington to change its advisory to avoid mass cancellations.

"Differentiating Israel from its neighbor that actually suffered loss of life is improper and lacks balance," the Israeli ministry said.

The U.S. embassy in Jordan also reported a rocket attack on Aqaba. The embassy, which did not cite the killing of a Jordanian taxi driver, said non-essential embassy travel to Aqaba had been "discouraged" for two days.

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov has been rebuffed in efforts to discuss the travel advisory with U.S. ambassador James Cunningham. In Washington, the State Department dismissed the Israeli complaint.

"They are based on our best judgment of the assessment of risk wherever American citizens are traveling," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "So I would say that it's not our judgment that the risk is identical between the two locations."

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