The US announced a visa waiver programme on Thursday, enabling Israelis planning a trip to the US for 90 days or fewer to enter without a visa as the Israel-Hamas conflict heats up.
Israel joined a select group of 40, largely European and Asian, nations whose residents are permitted to visit the US for a three-month period without a visa after the US announced on September 27 that it was accepting Israel into the visa waiver programme.
At the time, the US announced that beginning on November 30th, Israelis would no longer need a visa to enter the country. The Department of Homeland Security stated in a news release that the programme was running as of Thursday.
In a news release on Thursday, officials gave no explanation for the revised schedule. But only a few days after Israel was approved for the visa waiver programme, Hamas started attacking a number of targets in southern Israel. Since then, as it gets ready for a ground invasion, the Israeli military has attacked several points in the Gaza Strip nonstop.
Israelis must first register with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization in order to participate in the waiver programme. Homeland Security stated in the news release that this is an automated method that aids in determining if the person is qualified to travel. Up to 72 hours may pass during the process. They can then go to the US after that.
Israeli citizens must have a passport with biometric capabilities to be eligible. The government stated that those without such a passport must still apply for a US visa.
There are three important requirements that nations must achieve in order to participate in the visa programme. Two of those criteria, a low percentage of Israelis who filed for visas but were denied, and a low percentage of Israelis who overstayed their visas, have both been met by Israel over the past two years. Israel has had difficulty achieving the third. That basically means that when travelling to or through Israel, all US citizens, including Palestinian Americans, must be treated similarly.
Many detractors claimed that despite American claims, Palestinian Americans still encountered prejudice when visiting Israel.
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