23 thoughts on “Israel’s Visa Waiver Fraud – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. It should be corrected: Americans visiting Israel today do NOT need a visa to so this is a one way restriction.
    also if Israel would want to spy on the US you really think they need this visa waiver? you know how many Israelis have European passports and do not need a visa??? This has nothing to do with Israel having to change its ways with Arab Americans due to moral reasons not visa issues and I agree that it must change.

        1. @ free man: There is some sort of document required for Americans to enter Israel. You may call it a visa or an entry permit or a birthday invitation for all I care. The fact is that this permission is being refused to 10% of American citizens seeking to enter Israel. If you want to argue that Israel already waives visa requirements for Americans, that’s terribly misleading since it is using the entry permit as a form of visa and it is denying entry in very significant numbers and using racial profiling to do so. Both are anathema to all Americans except Israel Lobby water carriers in Congress.

          1. You completely misunderstood the data. The 10% rejection rate stated is for Israelis applying for US visas, not the other way around. This rejection rate nearly doubled in 2013 from the year before. The regulatory problem with granting Israelis free entry into the US without a visa is that under current regulations, the rejection rate must be must be much lower than 10% – around 3%. Here is a link to a Ynet article explaining this:

            http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4504367,00.html

            The actual rate of US visitors denied entry into Israel is tiny, only 0.023%. Here is a link to another Ynet article quoting that figure.

            http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4405060,00.html

            How could you have possibly believed the rate of US citizens denied entry into Israel is anywhere near 10%?

          2. Whatever I misunderstood, you did as well. The rate went up 80%, not “nearly double.” How could you have possibly allowed yourself to make such a mistake??

            At any rate, the Roll Call article doesn’t specify what the rate of rejection is for Israel. But the “actual rate” you quote of .023% is ridiculous. Simply not credible. Michael Oren claims only 150 Americans were rejected. Knowing how official Israel works I’m betting that those 150 are the ones whose rejections were actually documented. What I’m betting is that there are many more rejections which simply aren’t recorded. There could be scores of ways & reasons to do this. But that number is false & patently ridiculous.

          3. 1. All entries to the state of Israel are documented and record kept in central database.
            2. In your comment rules you ask for credible sources of information, does your bets considered a credible source of information ? if so please provide the data.

          4. @ Nonsense:

            1. All entries to the state of Israel are documented and record kept in central database.

            Sure, they are…except the ones that aren’t. Just. Because. Not to mention 1001 ways in which these numbers can be massaged.

            Unlike Michael Oren, I speak clearly about what I know and what I believe. I believe Oren’s numbers are false. Oren will claim as truth what he believes or even what he wishes were true. I will never do that.

            I would challenge you to research this issue & find the official numbers you claim exist. I would want to know the numbers of Americans who are not permitted to enter Israel. Not just those who may receive an official rejection stamp on their passport. When you come up with that number & can prove it’s credible, then we can talk further.

          5. Doesn’t the one who comes with the claim needs to come with the data ?
            You claimed there are undocumented entries, prove it.

      1. Richard, now this is getting interesting: did you EVER visit Israel??? did you need a Visa? Whose facts are lies mine or yours?

        1. You’re talking different languages!

          The law about visas is referring to advanced notice and applying for a visa. Israelis need to do this to go to the USA. It’s not only security but also a source of income.

          Everyone entering Israel needs a visa but gets it (or not!) at the airport at immigration on arrival. It may be a student visa, a tourist visa, a work visa, etc but there is no need for advance request.

          1. @ Shmuel: Correct. Would all the other nattering naysayers stop making these claims about visas. It’s clear that Americans entering Israel need a visa or some sort of document permitting them entry. If you didn’t need an entry permit you couldn’t be stopped and 10% of Americans attempting to enter Israel ARE stopped.

            When I travelled to Israel (twice) I got visas.

    1. I have to concur with Ronit. American citizens do not need a visa to enter Israel. However Israel, like any other country in the world, has the right to refuse entry to anyone at the border. Recent reports here have cited an 80% rejection rate for young Israelis seeking a visa to the US. I’d be interested to see any documentation that corroborates a 10% rejection rate for Americans visiting Israel. Seriously. Any link at all would do. That having been said, I imagine young rootless Israelis are probably rejected because so many of them use their time in the US to work illegally. All you have to do is go to just about any mall in the US and almost every kiosk is manned by young Israelis selling everything from Dead Sea products to e-cigs. They can’t all be spies… but they can’t possibly all be working legally either. I think that’s the main concern. The US Embassy in Tel Aviv even released a video warning young Israelis against working illegally in the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LiorPHmGyY

      1. @ Pea: Before you ask for documentation read every link in my post & you will save me the trouble of having to lead you to it. The Hill article notes a 10% refusal rate. Nor do I believe the 80% rejection rate for young Israelis. Now you provide proof for that claim.

        1. I was mistaken. The actual statistic is that the visa rejection rate for Israelis seeking to enter the US has increased by 80% since last year from 2.5% to 9.7% as per this article in Haaretz: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.576109 – that figure is also in your first Roll Call link. Also, I read every single link in this article and still don’t see any mention of a 10% refusal rate for American citizens seeking entry into Israel. I don’t know what “Hill” article you are referring to. Not meaning to be a nudnikit but 10% is really high! I’d like to share that info with my friends who are complaining about how difficult it is for them to get a visa to the US. That and the articles about the way Palestinian Americans are treated at the border are shameful. Thanks!

  2. The internal contradiction in this post is exquisite: you dismiss Israeli security fears, despite everything that Israelis have endured in terms of terrorism and murder, while maximizing (daresay exaggerating) the threat of “Israeli spies” on “US infrastructure” etc.

    1. I think you have this one wrong as well: If Israel has high security issues, and the US has security issues, then visa waiver is not appropriate,is it? If Israel hassles American citizens, then the US will need to hassle most Israelis as suspected spies. Fair is fair — except where Israel is concerned.

      My understanding is that Israel did not, does not, meet the standards of the waiver program. Plain and simple.

    2. Well on the Interpol’s wanted list are 57 Israeli citizens (most of them are Jews). That is relatively much compared to other European countries. Finland 10 persons, Sweden 45, Netherlands 38 etc. The Israelis are wanted for fraud, organized crime membership, narcotic smuggling, illegal arms trade etc . The Israeli (Jewish) close and comprehensive links to Russian, Ukrainian and US organized crime organization are well known and documented. Pretending that Israel is full of frightened victim Jews is somewhat hilarious considering the news coming from Israel. Israelis have their strong contribution in narcotics smuggling (chemical drugs), illegal organs trade networks, blood diamonds, illegal and legal arms trade, “technology transfers” etc.

      Also considering, that many Israelis have made war crimes and crimes against humanity, all countries should demand a visa from Israelis and demand a detailed report what they personally have done on the occupied areas. See the video of Jewish soldiers detaining and dragging a 6 year old child. Should these swines in the video be allowed to enter any country? Not even with a visa…

      1. Of course, Interpol is probably just anti-semitic, like the 160 or so UN member states which reguarly vote resolutions condemning Israeli lawlessness! If Israeli “explanations” regarding its state aggression provide any guidance, all 57 have been forced into criminal activity against their will and better intentions.

    3. If Israel is upset about Palestinian “terrorism”, then perhaps it should treat the Palestinians with decency, courtesy, and respect, per the moral teachings of Judaism. As long as Israel treats the Palestinians like sh*t, it’s going to have a “terrorism problem” – funny how that works, isn’t it?

  3. What about American citizens not of Palestinian or other Arab descent – including American Jews – who are not allowed into Israel or inordinately hassled at Ben Gordon or Allenby simply because of our politics? It’s nowhere near as bad as what Arab-American suffer, but it’s another real problem. What’s the US government doing to ensure equal treatment for us?

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