Good news as part of the ongoing saga of visa waiver for Israelis flying to the US:
The US State Department has pledged to keep Israel on the limited list of countries that can enter the visa waiver program each year, Israel Today has learned. Required from a country seeking to be included in the program.
The process, which has already reached advanced stages, stalled following the Likud's opposition to legislation in the Knesset without which it cannot be completed.
Initially, the office of the opposition leader, MK Benjamin Netanyahu, told the Americans that it would support the legislation, but after the decision to dissolve the Knesset, the Likud decided to make it conditional on concessions by the coalition regarding other laws, and no consensus was reached.
According to the agreement reached with the Americans, Israel and the United States will be able to submit one thousand queries to each other each year regarding the criminal record of those seeking entry. Opening the criminal record to a foreign country requires primary legislation in the Knesset, for which the coalition has no majority.
PM Lapid and President Biden sign "Jerusalem Declaration" last week, Photo: Emil-Salman
While the Likud initially said openly that they were opposed to legislation for political reasons, they later changed their position and hung the opposition on the invasion of privacy involved in the law.
Either way, if the US had not "kept the queue" for Israel, the process could only have ended in 2024 at the earliest.
During President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, he was asked about the visa waiver, and replied that "we are working very, very hard to remove obstacles in this matter, and I hope we will resolve it within a few months."
The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, also estimated in an interview with Israel Today last month that the exemption would take effect during 2023.
The visa waiver is considered a "personal project" by Niles, who was very frustrated when the issue got stuck due to political disputes in Israel.
Unusually, the ambassador posted a tweet on his Twitter account, in which he called on Israel to do its part to advance the process, and even came to the Knesset in an attempt to fail to mobilize the support needed to pass legislation on the issue.
In addition to Biden and Naydes' statements, the issue of visa exemptions was also included in the "Jerusalem Declaration" signed by Biden and Lapid.
"The United States and Israel reaffirm their commitment to continue their joint and accelerated efforts to enable Israeli passport holders to be included in the US visa waiver program as soon as possible," the statement said. Political in Israel.
US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides (Archive), Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"Sure the law will pass"
At her inauguration today (Sunday), Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked attacked the Likud and Netanyahu over the visa waiver, and later wrote on her Twitter account: "If the opposition refuses, I asked the coalition to bring the law to a vote without consent. I am sure it will pass."
I call on the chairman of the opposition, Netanyahu, to allow the passage of the necessary law to exempt visas to the United States for the benefit of the citizens of Israel.
If the opposition refuses, I have asked the coalition to bring the law to a vote without consent.
I'm sure he will pass.
pic.twitter.com/owSXltwlYy
Ayelet Shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) July 17, 2022
Despite the close relations between Washington and Jerusalem, Israel has to this day remained off the list of countries whose citizens are exempt from issuing visas to enter the United States. One of the main reasons for this is the relatively high percentage of denied visa applications. 3% of the applications submitted from the relevant country will be rejected, while in Israel the number for a period was more than 6%.
As part of the contacts with the Americans, it was explained to them that the percentage of refusals in Israel is artificially inflated, both because of mistakes made by many Israelis in the long visa application forms, and because of the Israeli tradition of going on a "post-military trip". Start working or studying, so their requests are denied.
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