Despite festive announcements in Israel that an official US decision will soon be issued to exempt Israelis from the need for a visa to enter its territory, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said that the process granting a visa exemption for Israeli travelers to the US will not be finished before 2023.
Shaked spoke after her meeting with US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and other officials in Washington. The minister affirmed that long processes are due before reaching a final decision.
According to Shaked, there are obstacles that must be overcome first.
Her meeting in Washington focused mostly on finding solutions the remaining obstacles remaining before Israel can be added to the Visa Waiver program.
The first was the high rate of application refusals for Israeli applicants that must be reduced to under 3% by September 2022. At the moment, refusal rates for Israelis stand at over 6%.
The other hurdle will be granting the US access to Israeli criminal records to adjudicate visa requests from citizens— something that will require Knesset legislation, Shaked explained. There are some Israeli parties reluctant to take this step.
Other obstacles include Israel’s treatment of Palestinian Americans at Ben Gurion Airport, which the US has identified as a barrier to Israel’s inclusion in the waiver program.
During their meeting, Shaked and Mayorkas agreed to establish a joint team that will address the various outstanding issues.
It is noteworthy that the US team is scheduled to visit Israel in January for sessions with their Israeli counterparts, Shaked and Mayorkas agreed to hold monthly talks to review the ongoing process.
Shaked predicted that Israelis will be able to travel to the US without a visa starting 2023.
The initial understanding on this issue was achieved following the meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, at the end of last August.
