Israel’s security services estimate that more than 12 thousand “Palestinian-Americans” living in the Palestinian Authority have entered Israel in recent weeks thanks to the easing of limits on their movement, as part of the effort to comply with the US visa exemption program, Haaretz reported Monday. Israel’s security establishment believes there are tens of thousands of “Palestinians” with American citizenship living in the PA.
As part of the negotiations for becoming acceptance into the visa exemption program, Israel accepted the American side’s request to ensure equal treatment for all US citizens at the country’s points of entry, including those who live in the PA and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government agreed to allow any American to receive a tourist visa that allows a stay in Israel for 90 days, including all dual US-PA citizens.
Israel’s security services expressed concern about the move and warned that it involves serious risks.
As of mid-July, the policy regarding US visa waivers for Israelis has changed so that Israelis who are not encumbered by a criminal record can visit the US without a visa. At the same time, any “Palestinian” with an American passport is now able to enter Israel and travel freely around the country as a tourist.
And dual Palestinian Authority-US citizens are also allowed to enter Israel freely from the Gaza Strip, effectively ending Israel’s security blockade for dual US-PA citizens.
But wait, there’s more: in March 2017, the Knesset passed a law denying entry into Israel to anyone acting against the State of Israel. According to the new law, Israel’s Border Authority may refuse entry to any foreign citizen if there is reason to suspect that he or she poses a security risk or are a supporter of the BDS movement. Notable anti-Israel activists who were delayed or blocked from entry into Israel include Peter Beinart, Noam Chomsky, Mairead Maguire, Simone Zimmerman, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and others. Additionally, the Interior Ministry maintains a “blacklist” of organizations whose members are barred from entering the country.
Since the passage of the 2017 law, the percentage of applicants denied entry from the United States due to security issues or BDS support has topped by more than 20% the average of similarly rejected travelers from other countries. Now Israeli security officials have warned regarding the visa waiver that there are “previously-unknown problematic clauses in the deal that could pose a security threat to Israel, specifically the possible entry of hostile elements into Israel” (Haaretz, July 10, 2023).
Oh, but there’s even more: Israel’s security establishment fears the growth of a new US passport forgery industry in the PA and Gaza. This concern was realized last week when a PA Arab was caught with a fake American passport, with which he tried to enter Israel through a checkpoint in Judea and Samaria.
So far, Israel has attempted to slow down the flood of freely roaming PA Arabs into its territory by banning them from coming in with cars. They must walk through the border crossing and use public transportation.
Because, you know, Avis won’t lease a car to an American citizen who looks like an Arab…
In any event, the US government has already demanded clarifications about this policy. In other words, that barrier, too, will be removed from the all-out effort to infiltrate Israel with fresh, new Arab terrorists who speak fluent English.
You thought I was done? Far from it: a “Palestinian-American” who used up his three-month tourist visa, is entitled to extend his stay in Israel by an additional 90 days without leaving the country. That’s enough time to marry an Israeli citizen, find work, and petition the courts to be awarded Israeli citizenship. Expect a new thriving cottage industry of Israelis, mostly Arabs but not only Arabs, engaging in fictitious marriages to PA Arabs.
Final comment: over the past few decades we have observed a radical shift in the attitude of Israeli Bedouins regarding the Jewish State. From being almost on a par with the Druze in their loyalty and service in the army, Israeli Bedouins appear to sympathize more with the “Palestinians” than with Israel. The reason? Over the same period, Israeli Bedouins have taken wives from the Gaza Strip and the PA, who raised generations of Bedouin youths who are alien to the old pact with the Jews.
The new visa waiver program cannot but be a wash-rinse-repeat version of the same devastating phenomenon. In 20 years, the Jewish Press will likely run a story about the new plague of Arab Americans with Israeli citizenship who are devouring the country’s security from within. Get yourselves a gun permit if you qualify, and buy a weapon.
