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House Democrats Urge Israel to Be Left Out of US Visa Waiver Program, Citing ‘Discriminatory’ Policies
by Andrew Bernard
A paper showing an Israel visa stamp in front of a US passport. Photo: Flickr.
20 House Democrats on Friday sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to keep Israel out of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) because of restrictions Israel places on some US citizens at Israeli border crossings and the West Bank.
Noting that US law requires reciprocity between governments in order to be considered for the VWP, the letter says that Israel “has consistently refused to extend fair treatment to US visitors attempting to travel through Israeli controlled entry points” and that Americans face “discrimination” at Israel’s borders.
The letter, which was organized by Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), was signed almost entirely by members of the House Progressive Caucus. It further urges Secretary Blinken to pressure Israel to withdraw any “discriminatory” regulations imposed by Israel’s Coordinating Office for Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT).
In September, COGAT published revised residence and entry procedures for foreigners in the West Bank. “I continue to have concerns with the published protocols,” said US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides when the regulations were published, “particularly regarding COGAT’s role in determining whether individuals invited by Palestinian academic institutions are qualified to enter the West Bank, and the potential negative impact on family unity.”
The conditions placed on foreign spouses of Palestinians and Palestinians with US citizenship have been among the most controversial aspects of the regulations for US policymakers.
“Israel has imposed discriminatory restrictions on people traveling to the Palestinian West Bank, a move that impacts families in my district, especially Palestinian Americans who will find it harder to see family,” letter signatory Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL-3) said on Twitter Monday. “This is wrong and must end.” Other signatories to the letter included “Squad” members Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07). The other members of the Squad did not sign.
While many of the changes introduced by COGAT are superficial updates to existing policy, some long-standing Israeli policies like additional screening for political activists also potentially run counter to the reciprocity conditions of the VWP. Other obstacles to acceptance include the US requirement that 97% of visa applications be successful, a rate that Israel has historically not been able to achieve.
Nonetheless, Israel does have significant congressional support for entry into the VWP. In November 2021 a bipartisan House letter for Israel’s acceptance into the VWP received 53 signatures, while a Senate letter in December 2021 received 18.
