Israel has informed the US that Americans of Palestinian descent will be allowed to land at Ben-Gurion Airport as negotiations continue for a visa waiver for Israelis visiting the US, Army Radio reported on Sunday.
The decision was made after discussions by the Shin Bet and the defense establishment, although it is still unclear what the inspection for these citizens will be at the entrance to the country.
According to the report, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked updated US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides a few days ago about the decision. An American delegation is set to arrive in Israel at the end of January to work on the process which is still expected to take much longer.
In November, Shaked stated that the process granting a visa exemption for Israeli travelers to the US will not be finished before 2023.
Israel will also have to lower its rate of visa refusals to 3%. “There are several things that can be done to meet this threshold,” said Shaked in November. “For example, we asked Mayorkas’ team that if a person opens a visa application but ends up not submitting it, it would not count as a refusal. Today, such cases count as if a person who did not complete the form was rejected."