Israelis born in specified Arab countries will soon obtain entry visas to the U.S. with fewer restrictions than beforehand.
Since 9/11, the U.S. has imposed stringent regulations on Israeli Jews born in countries such as Iraq, Libya, Iran and Syria as well as in North Korea and Cuba, requiring their details be automatically transferred to Washington. The requests were then scrutinized in-depth, sometimes causing considerable delay and grief, marring the applicants’ stay and turning it into a bureaucratic nightmare.
The new regulations are based on the assumption that Israelis born in these countries who left many years ago, often driven out by force, should not be placed in the same category as people who are current residents of these countries.
The new regulations will stipulate that only Israelis who pay allegiance to these countries (hold passports, have residency etc.) will be subject to scrutiny. The potential travelers will not be inspected as meticulously and will receive the entry visas faster.
The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv declined to comment on the matter and noted that as yet there have been no changes in the regulations. However, officials said the issue has been in the works for a while now and that the U.S. is aware of the problems the current regulations have posed for potential tourists.
The planned change is partly due to efforts of Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom and various Congressmen in addition to the outcry it generated from the public.