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Israel to include Palestinian Americans from Gaza in US visa waiver pilot

Palestinians who satisfy certain security criteria will be able to enter Israel on a tourist visa

August 7, 2023 13:23
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This picture taken on March 7, 2021 shows an Israeli El Al Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on the tarmac while Turkish MNG Airlines Airbus A300 cargo plane lands at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. - Israel took another step towards post-pandemic normalcy on March 7, opening restaurants, bars and cafes to vaccinated "green pass" holders, with about 40 percent of the population fully inoculated against the coronavirus. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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(JNS) Israel plans to further ease travel for Palestinian Americans living in the Gaza Strip next month, marking the next step in the country's bid to join the United States Visa Waiver Program.

By September 15, Palestinian Americans from Gaza who satisfy certain security criteria will be able to enter Israel on a tourist visa and fly out of Ben-Gurion Airport, said Gil Bringer, who manages the Visa Waiver pilot at Israel's Population and Immigration Authority.

Israel's chances of joining the program, which would allow Israeli citizens to travel to the United States without applying for a visa, hinge on a six-week trial period during which Israeli authorities will offer free passage to most Palestinian Americans.

The pilot, launched on July 20, has already allowed some 2,500 Palestinian Americans to travel through Ben-Gurion Airport instead of using land crossings with Jordan and flying in and out of Amman.