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By Bradley Martin
(August 8, 2023 / JNS) As the Sept. 30 deadline looms for Israel to either gain entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which it has sought for more than a decade or have to restart its application, questions loom about whether Washington’s entry requirements would create security risks for Israel.
A sticking point has been that Foggy Bottom would require Israel to treat all U.S. citizens equally —meaning Israeli border and other police could not subject U.S. citizens with ties to Palestinian-controlled areas to any extra screening.
“We have made clear, both publicly and privately, that the Visa Waiver Program needs to apply to all American citizens in Israel, whether they be in the West — and that includes whether they be in the West Bank or whether they be in Gaza,” said Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, during a press briefing on Aug. 1.
“We understand that there can be different procedures for Americans in the West Bank because of the different security situation there,” he added. “But we have made clear that the program needs to apply for Americans there as well and to the extent Israel needs to make changes to how they’re implementing the program now, that is something that we fully expect them to do.”
Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS that any visa-free travel agreement between Israel and the United States must not compromise Israeli security.
“Israel has unique security needs,” he said. “Over 70% of Palestinian Arabs support terrorism against Jews and seek to destroy the Jewish state. Israel must thoroughly investigate whether Palestinian Americans who travel through its borders are part of a terrorist group or the BDS movement.”
If Palestinian Arabs cross Israeli borders, then they must be “thoroughly screened,” according to Klein.
The Visa Waiver Program allows most citizens of the 40 participating countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.
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