Will Israelis soon be able to travel to the United States without a visa?

US Visa.

© Getty Images/Alexander W. Helin

Text by: Sami Boukhelifa Follow

3 mins

As surprising as it may seem, despite the very close ties that unite Americans and Israelis, Israelis must indeed apply for a visa at the American consulates in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv before being able to travel to the United States.

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From our Permanent Special Envoy,

Israel is not part of the Visa Waver Program.

This is a visa waiver program.

It is set up by the federal government of the United States.

Around the world, some forty countries are part of this closed, very selective circle.

We thus find mainly European countries, in particular France.

Nationals of these countries can stay in the United States for 90 days, without having to obtain a visa first.

All you have to do is do a quick online process and pay around twenty dollars. 

Accept information sharing

The subject is topical in Israel, because the Jewish state fulfills the main conditions to join this restricted club.

The main conditions, but not all.

At the start of this year, “

the Jewish state has taken a giant step

,” rejoiced the United States ambassador to Israel.

To be able to join the “Visa Waver Program”, the refusal rate for American visas in your country must be less than 3%.

To put it simply: out of 100 visa applications for the United States submitted, 97 are accepted, three are rejected.

This is now the case in Israel.

But that's not enough.

The Jewish state must still agree to share certain data of its citizens with Washington.

And then, there remains one last American condition, one that has posed a problem for years: reciprocity.

“ 

It's the very foundation of the Visa Waver Program

 ,” explains Tom Nides.

The US Ambassador to Israel posted an explanatory video on his Twitter account.

He details: “

American citizens, whatever their origin, their ethnicity, their religion, must also be able to travel to Israel, without restriction

”.

You don't understand where the ambassador is coming from?

Don't worry, he gives you an example: "

An Arab American, or let's be more precise: an American of Palestinian origin, must be able to board the plane in New York, land in Tel Aviv, and freely visit his aunt, who lives in Bethlehem

.

»

Important progress on the visa waiver program - watch this video for more information.

For US passports, “Blue is blue.”

pic.twitter.com/1FqaJu5b7D

— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) January 30, 2023

Blue is Blue

Israel does not recognize the dual nationality of Palestinians.

Whether you are a Palestinian American or a Palestinian with a European passport, for Israel you are uniquely Palestinian.

And as such, the Jewish state subjects you to the same movement and travel restrictions as the entire population of the occupied West Bank.

To go to the Palestinian Territories from the United States, you must therefore land in neighboring Jordan, then cross the land border.

If you wish to continue to Jerusalem, you will need a special permit, issued by the Israeli authorities.

Blue is Blue

,” says the US Ambassador to Israel, referring to the color of the US passport.

If a Palestinian has an American passport, he is an American.

No difference in treatment

”.

The ball is in the Israeli

court,” he concludes.

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Also to listen: Israel / United States, an unshakable alliance?

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