Kerry says he'll 'investigate' visa denials to Israelis
Kerry announced the move in a letter Thursday, published by Al-Monitor, to House Representative Nita Lowey (D - NY). The letter acknowledges that the US has rejected more and more visa requests from young Israelis aged 21-26, and vows to "do more to encourage and assist young qualified Israelis to visit the United States."
Kerry stresses in the letter that there has been a disturbing trend of rejecting Israeli visa applications - but that the US government is also not specifically targeting Israelis.
"We reviewed data on refusal rates for tourist visas for Israelis from the ages of 21-26 and found that visa rejection rates have doubled from 16% to 32%," Kerry admits. "We know that despite a two-thirds approval rate, this increase has led to the perception by some that young Israelis are unwelcome to travel to the United States."
"Clearly, that is not the case," the letter continues. "Israel is one of our closest friends and allies, and we welcome interchange between Israelis and Americans in every manner, including travel by Israelis to the United States."I'm sure this is all just a coincidence (not!). Read the whole thing. I wonder what the rate of visa denials is for young Saudis in the same age bracket. Anyone want to bet it's in single digits?
Labels: John Kerry, travel visas, United States, US-Israel relationship
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:38 AM
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