Israel to allow Palestinian Americans entry in bid to qualify for US visa waiver programme

Israel announced Wednesday that it would be allowing all American citizens, including dual-nationality Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to enter the country through its international airport as part of an agreement to qualify for a visa waiver programme with the US.

Israel has pushed for years to secure visa-free entry for its citizens to the US, a privilege enjoyed by 40 countries, mostly in Europe and Asia.

But that request has been thwarted over the US government's demand that the country provide equal treatment at its borders to all American citizens, including Palestinian Americans, who are often barred from entering the country through Israel's Ben-Gurion airport. Instead, those travelling to the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip must enter via neighbouring Jordan or Egypt.

Other Americans of Arab origin or Muslim faith say they've suffered similar restrictions, as well as US citizens with political views Israel finds objectionable.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US ''will monitor not just their implementation of these policies, but their compliance with these policies and compliance with other other facets of the Visa Waiver Programme'' and decide on September 30 whether to admit Israel.

Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said the regulation would take effect Thursday and will strengthen ties between the countries and ''brings us closer to full qualification for the terms of the US government to the visa waiver programme.'' The Israeli statement avoided mention of the word Palestinians, but said the protocol would allow entry to ''every single American, including Americans with dual nationality, American residents of Judea and Samaria'' — the biblical terms for the occupied West Bank — ''and American residents of the Gaza Strip.''

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)