Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted in an election. officials worried about Israeli spies getting into the country and, of course, Israel's treatment of Arab Americans at the border. One reason was a high visa rejection rate - concerns that young Israelis, fresh out of the Army, would overstay their visas. Israel has been trying to get into the program for decades, but Israel never qualified. LASENSKY: And occasionally, by the way, when the government official gets you outside the meeting room, they bend your ear about a family member or a travel problem that they're facing.ĮSTRIN: There's a list of 40 countries, from Latvia to Croatia to France, where you don't need a visa to come to the U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Obama years, worked closely with Israeli officials. SCOTT LASENSKY: You talk to average Israelis, it's the first, second and third issue they bring up.ĮSTRIN: Scott Lasensky, senior adviser to the U.S. Just to get a visa appointment can take months. state is its own dream.ĮSTRIN: The Harry Potter park in Orlando is why 12-year-old Smadar Eshchal and her mom Aily want to go to the U.S. MOSHE COHEN: Miami, San Diego, California.ĮSTRIN: One guy, Moshe Cohen, tells me, dude, every U.S. Right under a sign that says consular services, there is quite a line of people lining up with folded papers in their hands. visa-free, and that is something Israelis have wanted for a long time, like the Israelis I saw waiting outside the U.S. ![]() If you let in Palestinian Americans freely, we will let Israelis into the U.S. ![]() Now, what prompted all of this was the U.S. And it just feels like every time I go through a checkpoint, it's like I won.ĮSTRIN: Catch that? He says, it's like I won. Like, I would literally drive through the checkpoint, make a U-turn and come back. MOHAMMED MANASRAH: I drove through every single checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel I could within this week. And I've heard some pretty wild stories from Palestinian Americans, like Mohammed Manasrah. passports can now simply pass through military checkpoints and go wherever they want as an American tourist. And, you know, I was like, really? You know, I was shocked.ĮSTRIN: Palestinians in the West Bank with U.S. She recently came to visit family in the West Bank when an Israeli border guard told her the news.ĪMAR HUSAIN: He was like, yeah, now you're like a tourist, and you can go wherever you want. Palestinian American Amar Husain is a therapist in Brooklyn. You no longer have to cross by land through Jordan, which can take twice as long. ![]() passport, you can now use Israel's international airport, just like any other American traveler. But there are already big changes for tens of thousands of Palestinian Americans. It's all part of a bid to get Washington to lift visa requirements for Israelis traveling to the U.S.ĮSTRIN: Now, to be clear, Israel is still restricting travel for the vast majority of Palestinians because they don't have U.S. But now Israel is lifting travel restrictions for Palestinians and Arabs who are U.S. ![]() For decades, some American citizens have hours of security checks they face, intrusive questioning and demeaning treatment at Israeli airports and checkpoints.Īnd those Americans are Americans of Palestinian or Arab descent.
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