Journey With Jonathan: Entry #1
I had the easiest entry I've ever had at the Tel Aviv airport with my US Passport: No questions. No search. No interrogation. No hint of difficulties. I submitted my passport, and within seconds was I given the visa printout.
The reason for this, I suspect, is the current request by Israel to have Israelis exempt from visa requirements for entry to the United States, to be among the countries granted an automatic visa waiver.
Arab American organizations, including the ADC (Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee) and others have waged a vigorous battle demanding that Israel not be granted that privilege until they stop the harassment, profiling, and often outright denial of entry for Palestinian Americans.
One of the conditions of the US visa waiver program (allowing entry without obtaining a prior visa) is a low rejection rate (under 3%), which the Israelis attained recently as a result of the reduction in travel throughout the pandemic. Most important, however, is the reciprocity requirement. Organizations like ADC, AMP (American Muslims for Palestine), and Right to Entry have vigorously campaigned not to grant this privilege to Israelis until assurances have been provided that they will not discriminate against US citizens who are of Arab or Palestinian origins, including those who hold palestinian ID cards. Arab and Palestinian Americans have been denied entry, the right to use the Tel Aviv Airport, or even travel to Jerusalem, despite having US passports, without obtaining additional permits (which are rarely given).
Whether the current easing of harassment, which I experienced, is a temporary feature (long enough to obtain the coveted visa waiver status for Israelis) or whether it is a genuine improvement for Palestinian Americans remains to be seen, but it is a reminder to us that persistent advocacy does work and sometimes even achieves results.
-Jonathan Kuttab
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