In New Row, Israel At Odds With US Over Visas

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By ARON HELLER
Associated Press March 28, 2014 Updated 22 minutes ago


TEL AVIV, Israel — With the United States irked at Israel over its settlement policies and the lack of progress in peace talks, an obscure diplomatic classification has emerged as a new sticking point between the two close allies.

To ease the travel of its citizens, Israel is pressing to join 38 other countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program — a prestigious club of nations whose citizens don't need a preapproved visa to visit America. So far, their efforts have not only been rebuffed, but Israel has seen a spike in the number of young people and military officers rejected entry to the U.S.

Washington says Israel has not been let into the program simply because it has not met the requirements — and has pointed in part to Israel's treatment of Arab-American travelers, drawing sharp denials by Israeli officials of any discrimination. U.S. officials say there is no policy in place to make it more difficult for Israelis to get "B" visas, which allow a 90-day stay in the United States for business or travel purposes.

Figures show that the percentage of Israelis whose visa requests are rejected is lower than that of many other countries, and other countries' rejection rates have grown as well amid an overall stricter approach taken by American Homeland Security officials. For example, in 2013 Belarus had a rejected rate of 20.7 percent, Bulgaria's was 19.9 percent and Ireland's was 16.9 percent.


Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/03/28/3058432/in-new-row-israel-at-odds-with.html?sp=/99/101/131/

[cosmicone]

1. Israel is acting like a spoiled trust-fund brat

wait ... it is living off a US taxpayer financed trust fund, the payments of which never stop no matter what the brat does.

[Ash_F]

2. The State Department gives a crap about the mistreatment of Arab-Americans?

~Pleasantly surprised

[NorthCarolina]

3. U.S. military aid to Israel was $2.775 billion in 2010, $3 billion in 2011, $3.07 billion in 2012

and $3.15 billion per year from 2013-2018. I think they'll get over it.

[okaawhatever]

4. What have the Irish been doing to have 16.9% of their visa requests turned down? Hmmm.......

[Purveyor]

5. I don't know. Perhaps you should research it and start a thread with your

results.

[amandabeech]

6. The Celtic Tiger got clawed by the IMF and European banks

after the 2008 crash. Unemployment and underemployment there is very high.

Historically, bad economic times in Ireland mean increased immigration to the U.S., documented or undocumented. There are very welcoming Irish-American communities in several northeast and midwest cities where undocumented Irish immigrants can find work off the books.

My guess would be that the US is rejecting visa applicants based on the possibility of permanent visa overstay.