U.S. to allow Israelis visa-free entry : NPR

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International travelers wait to have their passports checked at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, 2014. The new agreement to allow visa-free U.S. entry to Israeli tourists and businesspeople requires Israel to end bans and restrictions on Palestinian Americans and other Arab Americans traveling to Israel.

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

TEL AVIV, Israel — The State Department says it will allow Israeli tourists and businesspeople to enter the U.S. without visas, as part of an agreement that requires Israel to end bans and restrictions on Palestinian Americans and other Arab Americans traveling there.

Starting Nov. 30, Israelis will be able to travel to the U.S. for trips of up to 90 days without needing to wait months for a visa.

Under the deal, Israel agreed to stop barring or restricting entry to Arab, Palestinian and Muslim Americans. The move has already been phased in, and thousands of Palestinian Americans with residency status in the occupied West Bank have visited Israel as a result.

Some Democratic senators expressed concern that Palestinian Americans still face discrimination. An Arab American rights group is seeking an injunction against Israel entering the visa-waiver program.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials say it will monitor Israel’s actions.

Under the deal, Israel adopted U.S. airport security standards and tightened its passport rules for new immigrants. There were concerns that the U.S. would receive an influx of Russians who have gained Israeli citizenship since last year.

Israelis have sought to be in the so-called visa-waiver program — along with some 40 other countries — for decades.

One of the main reasons Israel had not been allowed in was its practice of banning from its main airport thousands of Palestinian Americans who are listed in population registries in the occupied territories.

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