US set to allow Israeli citizens to visit without visa

The US Visa Waiver Program currently allows citizens of 40 mostly European and Asian countries to travel to the US for three months visa-free

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to make the recommendation that Israel be admitted to the programme no later than Tuesday

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US President Joe Biden, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. Photo: White House / Planet Pix via Zuma Press Wire/ d pa

Published: 1:38am, 25 Sep 2023Updated: 2:15am, 25 Sep 2023

The Biden administration is poised to admit Israel this week into an exclusive club that will allow its citizens to travel to the United States without a US visa despite Washington’s continuing concerns about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinian-Americans.

US officials say an announcement of Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program is planned for late in the week, just before the end of the federal budget year on Saturday, which is the deadline for Israel’s admission without having to requalify for eligibility next year.

The Department of Homeland Security administers the programme, which currently allows citizens of 40 mostly European and Asian countries to travel to the US for three months without visas.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to make the announcement on Thursday, soon after receiving a recommendation from Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel be admitted, according to five officials familiar with the matter who spoke on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been publicly announced.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Blinken’s recommendation is expected to be delivered no later than Tuesday, the officials said, and the final announcement will come just eight days after US President Joe Biden met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.