The US Department of State has said that Israel has not met the requirement to join the US Visa Waiver Program, following a statement from Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the country is expected to join the program soon.
Minister Netanyahu announced earlier this week that Israel is expected to join the program, which would permit its citizens to travel visa-free to the US.
However, not long after Minister Netanyahu made such an announcement, the US Department of State came out with an official statement, saying that Israel has yet to meet some requirements before it joins the US Visa Waiver Program, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the deputy spokesperson of the US Department of State, Vedant Patel, said that Israel still has significant work to complete to meet all the requirements that have been set.
In addition, Patel said on Wednesday that there is no update on the status of the visa waiver program while noting that the authorities of both countries will continue working together towards fulfilling the requirements.
“Israel’s future admission into the visa waiver program is something that’s mutually beneficial to the US and Israel. And we continue to work on this issue. We continue to work with our Israeli partners towards fulfilling all of the requirements,” the statement of Patel reads.
Among the requirements that Israel has yet to meet is to grant free passage for Palestinian Americans at its airports as well as into the West Bank.
However, despite this being one of the most important requirements, the Jerusalem Post explains that it is still unclear whether Israel plans on changing its approach towards Palestinian Americans, a thing which has concerned US authorities.
“Participation in the Visa Waiver Program requires that Israel provides equal treatment and entry rights to all US citizens and nationals [including Palestinian-Americans], at Israel’s ports of entries and checkpoints, just as the United States would grant such visa-free travel privileges to Israeli citizens,” Patel stressed.
Previously, in an attempt to speed up the visa exemption process, the Israeli authorities said that the country would allow fingerprint sharing with the US.
The spokesperson of the supreme state body, Knesset, said that a bill on the matter has already been approved for the second and third reading and noted that it is expected to be approved soon.
Since Israel has not yet reached a visa-free travel agreement with the US, all of its citizens are required to apply for a US visa when planning to reach the country.
Citizens of Israel planning to travel to the US are required to apply for the type of visa corresponding to the purpose of their trip.
Those wishing to enter the US for tourism purposes need to apply for the US Tourist Visa. When applying for this type of visa, all applicants must submit Form DS-160, a photo, their valid passport, a letter stating the purpose of their trip, the receipt of paid visa fee, a criminal record, and proof of sufficient financial means, among others.
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