Israel to allow all United States citizens visa-free entry

JERUSALEM, July 20 ------ Israel will allow all United States citizens, including those living in the Palestinian territories, visa-free entry as part of a reciprocal agreement, the prime minister's office said. "(This) will allow any American citizen to enter Israel, and subsequently when Israel is accepted into the program, will allow Israeli citizens to enter the USA without a visa," it said. "This is an important milestone, which brings us closer to fully complying with the American government's requirements for the Visa Waiver Programme nomination."

All US citizens, including dual nationals and US citizens living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, will benefit from the agreement, the statement said. Until now, Palestinians with United States citizenship could not enter Israel through Ben Gurion airport without obtaining visas, but had to enter through Jordan. Citizens of 40 countries are exempt from visas for short stays in the United States for leisure or business. Israel has been negotiating for years to be part of the program.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday that implementation of the deal would be monitored, adding that the United States would decide by September 30 whether Israel can be included in the programme. The announcement came as Israeli President Isaac Herzog is on an official visit to the United States, amid tensions between US President Joe Biden and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Washington considers "extreme".

Source: news.abs-cbn.com