The Biden administration has announced a significant development in its relationship with Israel. Israeli citizens will now be allowed to enter the United States without a visa, marking a positive step in the two nations’ diplomatic efforts. This decision comes at a time when President Biden is engaged in complex discussions with Israel on various issues.
In return, Israel will need to take reciprocal actions towards American citizens, including Palestinian Americans who often face challenges when traveling to Palestinian territories to visit their loved ones.
According to administration officials, this decision was made after monitoring a pilot effort that began in July. Since then, Israel has allowed over 100,000 U.S. citizens, including tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans, to enter the country without a visa.
This change means that any U.S. citizen wishing to visit the West Bank can now fly into Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and travel to the Palestinian territory overland, eliminating the previous requirement for many Palestinian Americans to go to Jordan first.
While the technical arrangements for Israeli citizens are still being worked on, they will be able to travel visa-free to the United States by November 30, according to administration officials.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated that this achievement will enhance freedom of movement for U.S. citizens, including those living in the Palestinian territories. The entry of Israel into the visa waiver program is expected to enhance collaboration between the two nations on counterterrorism and law enforcement.
Some prominent groups had raised concerns about allowing Israel into the program before ensuring equal treatment of American travelers, including Palestinian Americans. In a letter to Mr. Blinken, 15 Democratic senators expressed their concerns about discrimination based on ethnicity and religion.
The State and Homeland Security Departments’ announcement emphasized that Israel had met the criteria of the agreement and had made sufficient changes to provide reciprocal privileges to all U.S. citizens, regardless of their national origin, religion, or ethnicity. It was also noted that Israel’s rate of nonimmigrant visitor visa refusals had been below 3 percent for the previous fiscal year.
On Tuesday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee filed a lawsuit in Michigan opposing the agreement. The group alleged that Palestinian Americans faced discrimination during the pilot phase, including at checkpoints and car rental services.
With the addition of Israel, the United States now has visa waiver agreements with 41 countries, primarily in Europe and Asia. However, border officers still have the authority to deny entry at the port of entry.
According to administration officials, the program improves security by enabling countries to exchange traveler information more efficiently, including passenger lists.
The Biden administration is currently faced with important diplomatic goals regarding Israel. They are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reconsider proposed changes to the judiciary that some view as undermining democratic governance. Simultaneously, they are working towards curbing anti-Palestinian actions and policies within the Israeli government, while also seeking to facilitate normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, requiring Mr. Netanyahu’s support in making concessions to the Palestinians.
Discussions on normalization have primarily focused on Saudi Arabia’s demands of the United States and have yet to progress to the point of specific demands on Palestinian rights by American and Saudi officials towards Israel.
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