US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Photo: Reuters

The US on Wednesday announced Israel’s admission into the much-coveted US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which will allow visa-free  travel to the United States for Israeli citizens without a visa.

“This designation, which represents over a decade of work and coordination between the United States and Israel, will enhance our two nations’ collaboration on counterterrorism, law enforcement, and our other common priorities,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, and the stringent requirements it entails, will make both of our nations more secure.”

By Nov. 30, citizens and nationals of Israel will be able to apply for authorization to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes without first obtaining a US visa.

Amid a looming US government shutdown that has lawmakers divided over a potential budget deal, Wednesday’s announcement brought both Democrats and Republicans together to welcome Israel’s entry into the VWP.

“Israel is one of America’s closest allies and an important trading partner,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV). “By adding Israel to the Visa Waiver Program, we’ll strengthen the US-Israel relationship and help increase tourism and business travel to the United States.”

In June, Rosen and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) co-led a bipartisan letter with 63 of their Senate colleagues urging the Biden administration to admit Israel into the program.

Despite the overwhelming bipartisan support for Israel’s admission, the effort was opposed earlier this month by 15 Democratic Senators, led by Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), who argued that Israel had failed to meet the program’s strict reciprocity agreements because of the different process involved for Palestinian-Americans seeking to visit the West Bank or Gaza.

“It is clear that Israel is not in compliance with this law as it relates to reciprocal treatment for all US citizens, and is not on track to come into compliance before the Sept. 30, 2023 deadline,” the 10 Sept. letter said. “Indeed, our reading of the MOU [memorandum of understanding] is that it envisions that the program would be launched with a two-tiered system that discriminates between different groups of US citizens — a system that clearly fails to meet the reciprocity requirements of the law.”

The announcement also brought together both Israeli government and opposition figures in welcoming the news.

“I commend the American acceptance of Israel into the US Visa waiver program,” said Benny Gantz, leader of Israel’s opposition National Unity Party. “A significant breakthrough that many in both the current and previous government worked hard to bring to fruition; particularly in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, and in the security forces.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the decision as a “significant and joyous moment for all Israeli citizens.”

Jewish and pro-Israel groups that had long advocated Israel’s admission into the program also welcomed the news on Wednesday.

“Our countries, and our people, are already intertwined and this will allow individual Israelis and Americans to more easily experience this relationship themselves,” American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement. “This is an important expansion of the US-Israeli relationship, and will directly benefit Israeli citizens and Israeli-American and Palestinian-American families.”

One Arab-American advocacy group, however, launched a lawsuit in federal court to halt Israel’s admission, arguing that Israel discriminates against Arab- and Palestinian-American citizens at the border.

“The requirements of the Visa Waiver Program are clear and unambiguous,” American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Executive Director Abed Ayoub said in a statement announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday. “The US government is obligated to ensure that all Americans are treated equally. It is our intent to hold the US government accountable for any actions that create separate classes of US citizens. Admitting Israel into the Visa Waiver Program would be an endorsement of discrimination against Palestinian and Arab Americans.”

A US judge in Detroit denied an emergency motion, saying the Department of Homeland Security did not receive sufficient notice of the lawsuit.

Despite the concerns of critics, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement praising Israel’s entry into the VWP that “this important achievement will enhance freedom of movement for US citizens, including those living in the Palestinian territories or traveling to and from them.”