TOI reports that Israel will begin easing travel restrictions for Palestinian-Americans in a significant step toward its goal of being welcomed into the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in the coming months, the State Department announced on Wednesday.

Starting Thursday, US citizens on the Palestinian Authority’s population registry will be allowed to travel to and through Israel — including through Ben Gurion International Airport — for up to 90 days, a senior State Department official said during a briefing with reporters. The program, which Israel has called a pilot, was first reported by The Times of Israel last month.

Palestinian-Americans will thereby join all other US citizens who have long been able to travel to Israel for up to three months for business or pleasure.

Until now, Ben Gurion was off limits to those Palestinians, and they were forced to travel to Jordan and fly out of Amman, with all the additional fees and travel time that entails. Israel bars the Palestinians from having their own airport for obvious security concerns.

The change announced Wednesday is a key component of the US requirement that all countries in the VWP extend reciprocal travel privileges to all American citizens, just as the US ensures to all nationals from the 40 countries that are already in the program.

The new policy was enshrined in a reciprocity memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides and Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, Netanyahu’s office said.

Source - TOI/Twitter - Image - Gili Yaari/Flash90