Over 12,000 Palestinians holding American citizenship residing in the West Bank have reached Israel in the first few weeks after Israel was obliged to facilitate travel restrictions so it could be accepted in the United States visa waiver program.
Recently, the government of Israel agreed that all US citizens, including those holding Palestinian ID cards or passports from enemy states, would be eligible to enter Israel on a 90-day tourist permit, VisaGuide.World reports.
As part of negotiations for its acceptance into the Visa Waiver Program, authorities in Israel responded positively to the US side’s request to ensure equal access to all American citizens at the points of entry and exit from the country, also taking into account those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In addition, the government allowed any American to hold a tourist visa, which gives them the opportunity to stay in Israel for a period of 90 days, taking into account those holding a Palestinian ID card.
Up to this point, the policy has only applied to Palestinian-Americans living in the West Bank.
However, authorities in Israel urged that in mid-September, it will also apply the easing of restrictions, to a large number of Palestinian-Americans living in Gaza.
Nationals from the US who hold a driver’s license recognised by authorities in Israel are eligible to drive in Israel even if they also have a Palestinian ID card.
However, local media reports note that the pre-conditions for US visa waiver for nationals from Israel continue to require additional measures to be taken by the government of Israel.
“Israel’s entry into the visa waiver program will not happen and is not going to happen until we see reciprocity and the many preconditions we have been talking about for a long time. Things like normalization and regional integration,” the US Deputy Speaker Vedant Patel stressed.
He said that this is being considered as a good thing and a significant opportunity to continue cooperating in different fields, taking into account trade between people and the flow of goods as well as ideas.
Earlier this month, authorities in Israel announced that they would implement additional travel relaxations for Palestinian Americans in the Gaza Strip.
It was also emphasized that from September 15, Palestinian Americans from Gaza who meet needed security prerequisites would have the opportunity to enter Israel on a tourist visa and also depart from Ben-Gurion International Airport, according to the overseer of the Visa Waiver pilot at Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority.