Starting in the morning, Palestinians with American citizenship are allowed to travel freely in Israel than in the past. According to the agreement with the United States, in order to bring Israel into the visa exemption program, a "reciprocity" pilot was launched on Thursday, according to which Israel will be allowed free movement for American passport holders as it is possible for Israeli passport holders in the United States.
Documents obtained by Israel Hayom indicate that Palestinians with American citizenship living in Judea and Samaria will be able to enter Israel and visit relatives in Gaza. Those living in enemy countries who hold an American passport will also be granted free entry to Israel, and American citizens living in Gaza will be able to travel abroad through Allenby Crossing.
Allenby Crossing, Photo: Moshe Shai
The Shin Bet approved the pilot, according to which there is no more categorical denial of the entry of Palestinians with American citizenship from Judea and Samaria into Israel. In individual cases, it will be possible to examine and deny entry at the individual level for one of four reasons: security, criminal, immigration and health.
In the past, Israel did not make progress with the entry into the visa exemption program due to the security problems involved in the free movement of Judea and Samaria residents in Israel. Now Meir Ben-Shabbat, former head of the National Security Council and head of the Misgav Institute for Zionist Strategy, tells Israel Hayom that the security concerns are indeed justified.
The fears are justified. Meir Ben Shabbat, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
According to Ben-Shabbat, "Freedom of movement of Palestinians with American citizenship may be exploited by terrorist elements to improve inter-organizational and inter-regional coordination, both on the operational and strategic levels. Such people will be able to travel unhindered between Gaza, Judea and Samaria and abroad – something that is not easily possible for them today."
Asked whether this is a reason to give up the visa exemption project, Ben-Shabbat says: "Not necessarily. The defense establishment will have to get to know this population better and increase supervision in order to prevent the dangers."
What response should Israel give to the conflict between security and American demands for freedom of movement?
"Terrorist activity and ties to terrorist elements constitute a violation of the law, and it does not matter what nationality it is made. Therefore, in addition to tightening supervision of those with such citizenship in order to prevent its exploitation, security officials will also be able to arrest those who take advantage of this situation. Moreover, at the outset, a strict enforcement policy and strict punishment will have to be adopted in order to deter those with this citizenship from taking advantage of the freedom of movement it will grant them," says Ben-Shabbat.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us