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Purveyor

(29,876 posts)
Sat Apr 20, 2013, 02:21 PM Apr 2013

Congress Should Not Reward Israel With Visa Waivers

There are currently several pieces of legislation being considered in the U.S. Congress that would include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program -- thus allowing Israeli citizens to enter the U.S. without first obtaining a visa. Several Senators and members of Congress have already signed on as co-sponsors. Because countries seeking to qualify for visa waivers must provide "reciprocal privileges to citizens and nationals of the United States," I would advise those current sponsors and those who might be considering signing on in the future to first take a long, hard look at the Department of State's (DOS) Travel Advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

According to the DOS, "U.S. citizens are advised that all persons applying for entry to Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza... may be denied entry or exit without explanation." The DOS Travel Advisory specifically notes that "U.S. citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect of being Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin... may face additional, often time-consuming, and probing questioning by immigration and border authorities, or may be denied entry."

More disturbing is the treatment meted out to Palestinian Americans. Again, according to the DOS "Israeli authorities might consider as Palestinian anyone who has a Palestinian identification number, was born in the West Bank or Gaza, or was born in the United States but has parents or grandparents who were born or lived in the West Bank or Gaza. Any such U.S. citizen might be required by the Government of Israel to travel to Israel using a Palestinian Authority passport [even if they do not want it]. Without the PA passport, such U.S. citizens might be barred from entry... or may face serious delays at points of entry".

For more than 35 years now, we have been documenting this discriminatory treatment by Israeli authorities. We have presented the DOS with the complaints of hundreds of American of Arab descent who, upon entering Israel or the Occupied Territories, have reported being: detained for hours of humiliating questioning; forced against their will to secure a Palestinian passport; strip searched; forced to surrender cameras, computers, or phones (some of which have been destroyed or not returned); or denied entry and forced to buy a return ticket back to the U.S.

MORE...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-zogby/congress-should-not-rewar_b_3122128.html

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