Photo by Kreyg Scott Photography
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Israel is seeking entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver program, which allows reciprocal, short-term travel between member states and the U.S. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed by the U.S. and Israel laying out criteria for Israel’s entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
Instead of ensuring that the rights of all Americans are respected, the MOU allows Israel to continue to implement biased travel procedures against American citizens based on their ethnicity, national origin, religion, and personal beliefs. In signing it, our government has agreed to continued, blatant discrimination against Arab Americans, especially Palestinian Americans, and others who advocate for Palestinian human rights.
To add insult to injury, the Administration has not released the full MOU to the public. While we continue to strongly oppose Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program because their treatment of our community violates the spirit and letter of the reciprocity requirement of the law, we are also demanding that our government release the actual agreement that allows Israel to deny our U.S. citizenship.
Please join us in insisting that Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas officially release the Memorandum of Understanding.
By James Zogby, president of Arab American Institute
