Israel Accepted into U.S. Visa Waiver Program

As Israel rejoiced at being named the 41st member of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program – easing Israelis’ ability to enter the U.S. – so did most of the American Jewish community, and here in Atlanta.

“We are very excited that Israel has finally been accepted to the U.S. visa waiver program, a long awaited and very welcome development which reflects the close relations between our countries and the high level of trust and collaboration that we enjoy,” said Anat Sultan-Dadon, Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States in a statement to the AJT. “Israelis and Americans will now be able to travel between our countries with greater ease and accessibility.”

Sultan-Dadon added that “in Atlanta and in the Southeast region, this major development follows another welcome development with the recent launch by Delta [Air Lines] of daily direct flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv, allowing for the further strengthening of our relations and connectivity between our peoples.”

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Delta announced its daily flights between Atlanta and Israel effective in April. And in June, it announced its strategic partnership with Israel’s El Al Airlines, implementing reciprocal codeshare and frequent flyer benefits.

Commenting about Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, Drake X. Castenada, in Delta’s corporate communications department, stated, “While we aren’t able to speculate” whether this might increase Israelis flying through Atlanta, “we, of course, certainly welcome the opportunity for more Israelis to have expanded opportunities to travel to the U.S.”

In addition to Atlanta, Delta also flies between Israel and New York City and Boston.

Others were more boldly optimistic. “We are thrilled about Israel joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program,” said Lorin Maugery, Israeli tourism consul to the U.S. in the Southeast. “Inclusion in the program will increase Israeli travel to the U.S., which is likely to increase demand for airlift that will probably result in the addition of flights and frequencies, and that will, in turn, help to increase U.S. travel to Israel. For Israel and the U.S., this is a win-win situation we are excited about.”

It was also a decision that had been in the works for years. In fact, in making the announcement on Sept. 27, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, said the designation represented more than a decade of work and coordination between the U.S. and Israel.

President Joe Biden’s administration notably gave credit to former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid who preceded Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest government, saying the previous prime ministers were responsible for much of its progress.

In his announcement, Mayorkas said that by Nov. 30, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization will be updated to allow citizens and nationals of Israel to apply to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without first obtaining a U.S. visa – which has often entailed lengthy and costly efforts, especially during the height of the COVID pandemic. Eventually, all U.S. citizens may request entry to Israel for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.

American Jewish organizations as diverse as the Jewish Federations of North America, Hadassah, the Orthodox Union, J Street, and the American Zionist Movement all heralded the announcement. However, some U.S. senators expressed concern about whether all U.S. citizens, especially those of Palestinian origin, would receive the same treatment by Israel as Jewish visiting travelers.

In fact, lawsuits were immediately filed against the U.S. government for allegedly endorsing discrimination against Palestinian and Arab American citizens. “The U.S. government is obligated to ensure that all Americans are treated equally. It is our intent to hold the U.S. government accountable for any actions that separate classes of U.S. citizens,” said Abed Ayoub, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, according to an Israeli newspaper.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed this issue saying that the visa waiver is an “important achievement” that “will enhance freedom of movement for U.S. citizens, including those living in the Palestinian Territories or traveling to and from them.”