US: ‘Israeli visa waiver in the pipeline’

“We’re very, very focused on the program” which would allow Israeli travelers to enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, Mayorkas said.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israel may soon join the 40 countries which enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S., according to statements from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania,” Reuters reported Mayorkas as saying Tuesday at a travel industry event.

“We’re very, very focused on the program” which would allow Israeli travelers to enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, Mayorkas said.

Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan was quick to declare victory on his Twitter account, writing that Israel “is continuing to work in full force to ensure that Israeli citizens will be able to enter the US freely without a visa.”

The “clear statement from Mayorkas” indicates that Israel is “approaching this goal,” he added.

An Israeli government source told Kan News that they expect official visa-free travel for Israelis visiting the U.S. to come to fruition by 2022.

During an August meeting in Washington D.C. between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the issue of visa waivers was discussed.

In a post-meeting statement, Biden said that he planned to “strengthen bilateral cooperation with Israel in ways that would benefit both US citizens and Israeli citizens, including by working together towards Israel’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.”

But based on previous promises from the U.S. about visa waivers, it may be too soon for Israelis to celebrate.

Danny Ayalon, Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S. and one-time deputy foreign minister, wrote an op-ed published in September 2021 about his experience with American vows to initiate a visa waiver program nearly two decades ago.

“In 2002, when I started my term as Israel’s ambassador to Washington, I received the same ‘promises’ from then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and his consular staff that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was just given at the White House,” wrote Ayalon.

Despite repeated assurances that the waiver program would be implemented, it never happened.

If the program failed to materialize “under four years of Trump, the most pro-Israel president ever, with the most friendly team and the warmest ambassador,” Ayalon wrote, “it’s doubtful the longed-for change will arrive because of the Biden-Bennett meeting.”

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