20 progressive Democrats, who are Members of the United States Congress, have sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, urging him to refrain from adding Israel to the Visa Waiver Program.
In the letter, sent on October 27, the members of Congress claim that Israel does not meet the criteria to be added to the US Visa Waiver Program – which permits travelers to enter the US without a visa for business and tourism purposes – since the authorities of this country are unfairly preventing US citizens from traveling to the occupied West Bank.
“The law clearly states that to join the Visa Waiver Program, countries must offer “reciprocal privileges to citizens and nationals of the United States.” Unfortunately, Israel has consistently refused to extend fair treatment to US visitors attempting to travel through Israeli-controlled entry points,” the letter reads amongst others.
The Congress Members have also listed in their letter the restrictions which US citizens face when traveling to the occupied West Bank, which restrictions are approved by Israel’s Coordinating Office for Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT), VisaGuide.World reports.
Amongst others, these regulations prevent US citizens with dual citizenship of five countries from visiting West Bank under any circumstances and force Palestinians who are also US citizens to provide names and ID numbers of family members and friends.
The regulations, which came into effect at the end of April this year, oblige Americans who are spouses of Palestinians to place a deposit of up to $20,000 upon entry. At the same time, all Americans may be subject to an arbitrary and restrictive screening process and denied entry if their political position is deemed unacceptable by the Israeli authorities.
In their letter to Secretary Blinken, the Members of Congress recall that in its travel advisory, the State Department itself acknowledges that US citizens traveling to Israel have often been denied entry unfairly. They also state that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which administers the VWP, also concludes that Israel does not meet all the criteria to become part of the program.
The members have urged Secretary Blinken to press Israel to withdraw the COGAT regulations that are discriminatory as a condition for joining the VWP.
“We ask you to press Israel to withdraw any COGAT regulations for the West Bank that are discriminatory, to assure reciprocity that America required for our citizens, as a requirement for Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program,” the letter reads.
Further, the Congress Members asked Secretary Blinken to open a hotline for American citizens facing discrimination when traveling, the statistics collected from which could be used for future VWP evaluations.
The letter has been signed by Donald S. Beyer Jr., Rashida Tlaib, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Marie Newman, amongst others.
The US Visa Waiver Program permits the passport holders of the participating countries to travel to the United States visa-free for tourism or business for stays up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. Travelers under the VWP need to obtain a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before their trip.
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