Twenty House progressives urged the Biden administration last week to exclude ‘Israel’ from the Visa Waiver Program and to “address discriminatory restrictions” on U.S. citizens while travelling to and from the occupied West Bank.
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last Thursday to highlight restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to the West Bank and arguing against Israel’s inclusion in the program.
Seen by Jewish Insider on Monday, the letter says, “Unfortunately, ‘Israel’ has consistently refused to extend fair treatment to US visitors attempting to travel through Israeli-controlled entry points.”
‘Israel’ does not currently meet the strict standards necessary for inclusion in the program. Talks on the issue between the Biden administration and the Israeli occupation government are ongoing.
During his visit to Washington last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised administration officials for their work on the VWP issue, and said that “we are looking forward to getting this completed.” Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said in late 2021 she expected ‘Israel’ to be added by 2023.
Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Policy Rob Silvers told the Jewish Insider in December 2021 there are “no timelines announced” for the project.
“It is incumbent on Israel as a key U.S. ally and beneficiary of significant aid to treat U.S. citizens with dignity and respect regardless of race, religion and ethnicity and it is especially pertinent at this time,” in light of the VWP discussions, the letter reads.
“Israel has consistently refused to extend fair treatment to U.S. Palestinian-American visitors attempting to travel through Israeli controlled entry points.”
The letter was also signed by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Marie Newman (D-IL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Ron Kind (D-WI), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), John Yarmuth (D-KY), James McGovern (D-MA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and André Carson (D-IN), as well as Washington, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton.
Many of the signatories are frequent critics of Israeli occupation of Palestine and its policies, and some have previously written to the administration on this issue in more strident terms.
The letter highlights new restrictions on West Bank entry that the signatories describe as “onerous and discriminatory” and say “impact the ability of Americans to travel and reside in the occupied West Bank, and lead to many Americans being denied entry.”
The signatories urge the State Department to “act to mitigate the effects” of these regulations by establishing a reporting system and hotline to track how many Americans are denied entry to the West Bank, with monthly reports on this data, as well as to pressure ‘Israel’ to withdraw “discriminatory” entry regulations.
The letter adds that facilitating travel between the U.S. and ‘Israel’ “is an admirable goal” but argues that “the strengthening of this critical relationship cannot be at the expense of American grandparents who simply wish to visit their grandchildren, or at the expense of those Americans who conduct… lawful activity in territories controlled by Israel.”
Under Israel’s current regulations, US citizens with “dual citizenship from five countries” are not allowed to visit the occupied West Bank, and Americans are allowed to be rejected entry on the basis that they have “political positions deemed unacceptable by Israeli authorities”, according to the letter.
Earlier this year, the Israeli occupation government published a 97-page document introducing a number of strict restrictions on traveling to the West Bank, including being required to go through a rigorous questioning procedure.
The restrictions were met with stiff opposition from American officials, who reportedly said in May that a failure to reevaluate the restrictions could lead to a punitive postponement or even suspend Israel’s inclusion in the visa waiver program, which would allow visa-free entry of Israeli citizens to the U.S.
