|
Listen now
|
U.S President Joe Biden has confirmed it will allow Israelis to travel visa-free to the U.S. despite condemnation and concerns over Israel’s treatment of Palestinian and Arab-American travellers.
In a statement on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Israel had been designated for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and that Israeli nationals will be able to travel to the US without a visa by November 30.
“The designation of Israel into the Visa Waiver Program is an important recognition of our shared security interests and the close cooperation between our two countries,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
“This designation, which represents over a decade of work and coordination between the United States and Israel, will enhance our two nations’ collaboration on counterterrorism, law enforcement, and our other common priorities.”
The move comes just days after Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the Biden administration was set to admit Israel – a top U.S. ally in the Middle East – to the programme in a move Cohen welcomed as “great news”.
It also follows a high-profile meeting last week between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where the two leaders pledged continued cooperation.
But the prospect of Israel’s entry into the VWP has faced widespread condemnation from Arab-American civil rights advocates.
That is because one of the main elements of the programme is what is known as “reciprocity”; countries in the VWP must allow visa-free travel for American citizens in exchange for a similar easing of visa requirements for their own nationals travelling to the U.S.
However, scores of U.S. and other foreign nationals of Palestinian and other Arab descent are routinely turned away by Israeli authorities, who control all access to the occupied Palestinian territories.
For example, Israel in 2019 blocked U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting the country and the occupied Palestinian territories over “their boycott activities against Israel”.
In Wednesday’s statement, the Biden administration said Israel “made updates to its entry policies to meet the VWP requirement to extend reciprocal privileges to all U.S. citizens without regard to national origin, religion, or ethnicity”.
“This important achievement will enhance freedom of movement for U.S. citizens, including those living in the Palestinian Territories or traveling to and from them,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.