One of the conditions for the visa exemption to the United States was the free passage of Palestinians with an American passport and the possibility of entering Israel like any Israeli citizen who wishes to fly to the United States. Now, we are publishing for the first time that in mid-July, the policy will change permanently and not as a pilot, and every Palestinian with an American passport will be able to enter Israel and travel the country freely.
In an interview with Israel Hayom, Gil Beringer, deputy director general of the Population and Project Authority in charge of the US visa exemption, explains the move: "Until now, when a Palestinian wanted to enter Israel he would go through a certain process, starting in the middle of next month, the policy will change in such a way that does not require legislation - any Palestinian holding an Israeli passport will be able to enter Israel for 90 days as a tourist."
The long lines and bureaucracy on the way to ending? The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Photo: Joshua Yosef
"It is important to emphasize that there will be exceptional cases, there will be tests and there may also be labor pains. This is a process that includes the implementation of systems and quite a few complexities and we believe that everything will work properly, but there may also be bumps along the way," adds Berringer.
The decision to allow Palestinians to enter Israel is made about three months before the date on which the visa exemption process is supposed to end – September 30. According to the requirements of the Americans, all the processes should already work completely before the final process, and now, as mentioned, one of the biggest and most significant obstacles on the way to visa exemption towards a full solution.
The price Israel will pay is the entry of Palestinians as tourists. Passengers at Ben Gurion Airport, photo: Moshe Shai
"I am very optimistic that it will happen, I believe it will happen and we are on our way there, I am working on it day and night so that it will succeed and together with me, of course, large teams in cooperation with the Americans," Beringer concludes.
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