US delegation to review ‘Israel’ visa waiver after FlyDubai incident
- ‘Israeli’ Transportation Minister Miri Regev proposed a mandatory $13M “aviation visa”.
- Officials expect the initiative to be rejected due to risks of reciprocal travel restrictions being placed on ‘Israelis’ abroad.
A US delegation is scheduled to land in ‘Israel’ in the coming days to conduct a formal review of whether the country continues to satisfy security obligations under the US Visa Waiver Program, Channel 12 news reported.
The American delegation, currently stationed in the United Arab Emirates examining international aviation security protocols, is set to evaluate ‘Israel’s’ compliance with the bilateral conditions agreed upon in 2023.
The 2023 accession granted ‘Israeli’ citizens access to travel to the United States using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) rather than applying for standard non-immigrant visas.
The upcoming scrutiny stems from exposed security vulnerabilities involving foreign commercial airliners flying into ‘Israeli’ airspace.
Concerns intensified following an alleged attempted attack on a flydubai flight and revelations that approximately 1,240 crew members from countries lacking diplomatic ties with ‘Israel’ entered the country over the preceding year.
‘Aviation visa’
In response to the exposed aviation gaps, ‘Israeli’ Transportation Minister Miri Regev submitted a proposal to ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials outlining a new “aviation visa” requirement.
Under Regev’s draft plan, all arriving air passengers and flight crew would be subject to mandatory pre-approval by the Population and Immigration Authority at least 48 hours before departing for ‘Israel’.
Additionally, Regev requested an allocation of $13 million and 10 dedicated staff positions to enable her ministry to carry out regulatory oversight responsibilities for incoming charter flights.
However, Channel 12 reported that government officials consider the likelihood of Regev’s visa proposal being adopted to be minimal.
Authorities raised concerns that establishing such pre-screening mechanisms could trigger mirror regulations against ‘Israeli’ citizens traveling internationally.
