The United States government’s decision to include Israel in its Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is being denounced by rights activists, US citizens of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim origin, as well as some US lawmakers. The decision was announced by the US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, September 27. Under the program, citizens from one country can travel to the other without a visa for a maximum period of 90 days. Israel will become the 41st country to be included in the program, with effect from November 30.
Several US and Israeli government officials praised the decision as another sign of the extremely close relationship between the two countries. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it a “critical step forward” and Israeli ambassador to the US Micheal Herzog said it was a “significant milestone” in the relationship between the two countries.
However, the decision has been strongly condemned by rights groups. Many have pointed to the continuing Israeli discrimination against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims with regard to travel and called the US decision tantamount to an endorsement of Israeli policies. Jehad Abusalim, executive director of the Jerusalem Fund, responded to the news by saying, “today, the Biden administration granted Israel’s most right-wing government admission into a visa waiver program that appears to discriminate against US citizens based on their identity and background.” Beth Miller, the political director for the Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said that the decision “handed a massive victory to the most extremist and racist government in Israeli history.”
On Tuesday, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) filed a lawsuit against the US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to try and get an injunction to block Israel’s entry into the program. The rights group also stated that the Department of Homeland Security is “not following the law by redefining the meaning of reciprocity, a central tenet of the [Visa Waiver Program] which requires that participating countries treat all American citizens equally.” It claimed that Israel’s entry into the program amounts to the US endorsing an “apartheid, separate and unequal system enforced by Israel over Palestinians, one that is applied to Americans as well.”
According to reports, Israel was approved into the program after a two-month trial period during which the US government closely monitored the entry of US citizens into Israel. However, rights groups dismissed this exercise claiming that it “provided no real opportunity for assessment.” The US State Department reported that during the two-month period, Israel allowed tens of thousands of US citizens of Palestinian origin registered in the occupied West Bank and Gaza to enter without a visa, but rights groups claim that the numbers were only temporarily boosted to gain entry into the program and that the US did not have any similar data prior to the trial period.
Reports have also noted a number of issues with respect to the “reciprocity” principle. Israel’s acceptance comes with a number of exceptions, such as Palestinian Americans from Gaza must first obtain permits from the Israeli military to enter and exit Israel. Similarly, Palestinian Americans from the occupied West Bank will need to obtain permits to use Israel’s airports.
