Belgian ISIS members can travel to the US and Israel without visas
Greetings from Oakland, California, where I have been staying with relatives since Sunday while having meetings all day in San Francisco. I am leaving Wednesday morning back to Israel (for those wondering about Purim, because I live in Jerusalem, Purim is on Friday for me).
I've been warning for years that the citizens of all those Muslim terrorist-infested European countries may enter the United States (and Israel as well, although I trust Israel to do a much better job of screening and to keep out whomever should be kept out) without visas. In light of Monday's terror attacks in Brussels, that reality is sinking in.
Leading lawmakers identified Belgium as a hotspot for terrorism
months ago and are warning that many of the radicalized individuals
living there are still able to travel to the United States without first
obtaining a visa and undergoing thorough security checks.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday
afternoon that current flaws in the U.S. visa waiver program—which
facilities travel to the United States from partner nations including
Belgium—have created a loophole that could permit radicalized
individuals to legally enter the United States with minimal background
checks.
DeSantis is warning of these flaws on the heels of deadly mass
terrorist attack in Brussels on Tuesday that has killed at least 30 and
wounded hundreds more.
“The visa waiver reform, this is something we have been perusing and
the [Obama] administration has brushed us off at every turn,” DeSantis
said, explaining that current policy does not mandate more strenuous
checks on individuals identified as coming from terrorist hotspots, such
as the small Belgian town of Molenbeek, which has emerged as a principal training site for jihadists.
“It’s the case that if those folks are citizens of Belgium they
qualify for the visa waiver program and can hop on a plane and get
here,” he added. “Clearly, that is not adequate given what happened.”
The Obama administration “even takes the position it’s safer to allow
someone to come in on a visa waiver than make them get one, it’s kind
of crazy,” DeSantis said. You’re not going to be able to have
intelligence on everyone there because there are so many potential
recruits. It’s a clear vulnerability.”
What is worse, DeSantis said, is that the Obama administration has
been lax about deporting individuals who overstay their visas, meaning
that a radicalized person could disappear in America as they plan a
potential attack.
“There’s no enforcement once they get here,” DeSantis said. “Hundreds
of thousands of people come over and then overstay” their visas. “You
are not going to be removed under current policy under this
administration.”
DeSantis and other lawmakers first labeled Belgium as a hotspot for
ISIS terrorists in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks in Paris. At least
five of the Paris attackers were French nationals, two of whom had been
living in Belgium. Another one of the terrorists was a Belgian national.
Citizens from both countries are still able to freely travel to the
United States under the visa waiver program, which facilitates travel
between the American and a host of foreign countries.
“At least six of the Paris attackers could have attempted to enter
the country under this program,” DeSantis said in December, during a
congressional hearing on the visa waiver program’s flaws.
It has also been suggested the move by US authorities could be due to Mr Mahmood's brother having been refused entry to Israel eight years ago, but no official explanation has been given by the US Embassy.
...
Mr Mahmood later said his brother was refused entry to Tel Aviv when he flew there eight years ago, but the family were unsure whether that was linked to their refusal to fly last week.
Speaking at his Walthamstow home, he said: 'They are bringing out this thing that my brother was stopped at Tel Aviv.
'But if that was the case it should have been flagged up when we filled out our ESTAs - which was seven or eight weeks ago.
'He was touring a few countries nine or 10 years ago and decided to visit the Grand Mosque. Then he was stopped because he has a big beard, and that. It was not like he was prosecuted or convicted of anything afterwards.
'Maybe the authorities were being awkward. In the end he just came back home.'
...
Mr Mahmood's sister-in-law Sadaf Mahmood later told LBC radio that her husband was detained overnight in Israel before being put on a plane back to Britain, but the reason was never explained to them.
Just your typical normal family, right?
And then there's the Facebook page (pictured above)....
However, it has since emerged that a Facebook page claiming links to radical Islamist groups was set up by someone who has lived at the family's postal address, according to ITV News.
The account, which includes information suggesting it may have been published as a joke, was in the name of Hamza Hussain - a first name shared by Mr Mahmood's 18-year-old son. It reportedly lists the job titles 'supervisor at Taliban and leader at al-Qaeda'.
When asked about the account, Mr Mahmood believed hackers may have been to blame, adding: 'That could be anything, maybe a mistake.'
'The page is also linked to our home address and that could be coincidence. I don't know why it is linked there. The name is not even the same. The authorities must have linked it simply because of the name Hamza.'
Maybe Anonymous did it. Maybe Donald Trump (who is also being blamed) set it up.
Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Stay tuned. Bottom line: No one has the right to enter a country of which they are not a citizen or resident.
Like every terrorist family you ever heard about - UPDATED
Greetings from somewhere off the coast of Scotland, where my seat is as cramped as I said it would be. The white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only. I won't say more.
The big news back in London is that a British Muslim family was denied entry to the United States for a trip to Disneyland. No one is really saying why, but the British government says it will investigate. Britain is part of the visa waiver program (see the list above). You know, the one that Israel cannot get into because we deny entry to too many 'Palestinians.' This is from the first link in this paragraph.
Tariq Mahmood, 41, was due to fly from Gatwick on December 15 with
his brother, Zahid, and nine of their children and nieces, for a
holiday.
But the family were told they could not board their Norwegian flight
as they had been refused entry by the American authorities.
David Cameron today said he would look into the case after it was highlighted by the family’s local MP Stella Creasy.
Mr Mahmood, a gym owner from Walthamstow, told how the youngest
children — aged eight — were in tears as they had to go home without
any explanation for the decision.
He told the Standard: “I still don’t know why. I told them we had our
ESTA [US travel visa] approved six weeks ago. We’re just a normal,
law-abiding family trying to go on our holidays. None of us have ever
been involved in crime or mixed up in anything.
“We even said if there’s a problem with an individual can the rest of
us not fly? How can the eight and nine-year-olds have done anything
wrong? But the answer was the same.”
Mr Mahmood, a Pakistani-born British citizen, was meant to be taking
his daughter Hafsa, 14, and son Hamza, 18, to meet relatives in southern
California before the family visited Disneyland and Universal Studios.
The Mahmoods spent £9,000 on plane tickets and have been told they are not entitled to a refund.
But my friend Rusty Shackelford makes a good point:
https://t.co/IvopUeVWJp UK Muslims barred from flight to Disneyland were law abiding family ... said every neighbor of every terrorist ever
“USA has the right to issue and revoke visa — I fully understand that,”
Masroor wrote. “However not forwarding any reasons infuriates ordinary
people. It does not win the hearts and minds of people, it turns them
off. I am amazed how irrational these processes are but does USA care
about what you and I think? I don't think so! It is the emperor and it
does what it damn wills.”
He later wrote that he was invited to a meeting with the U.S. Embassy
to clear up the matter — and hoped to set up a website that focuses on
the issue.
Maybe someone in the US is starting to take the terror threat seriously... no worries. Obama will put a stop to it.
Report: Obama promises Europeans no changes to visa waiver program without their approval
Just a few days ago, the US House of Representatives passed HR 158, which would remove from the US's visa waiver program non-US citizens who visit or hold dual citizenship with countries known for terrorism or connections to ISIS (Syria, Iran, Iraq and Sudan were named). Now, Iran's FARS News is reporting that it won't happen without European approval (Hat Tip: Steve B).
"The Commission is currently examining the
measures announced by the Obama Administration as well as proposals
presented in the Congress to enhance the Visa Waiver Program," the
source told FNA.
Noting that the meetings are taking place at all
appropriate levels in Brussels and Washington DC on the issue, the
source said, "The Commission will continue these discussions with the US
authorities in the days to come and will also contact the EU Member
States."
"We are confident that the US, as a strategic
partner, will decide in consultation with the EU on the way forward,"
the source underlined.
As it currently stands, the Visa Waiver Program
(VWP) allows citizens of 38 countries — namely European states,
Australia, Japan and South Korea — to travel to the United States
without having to obtain a visa. However, the US House of
Representatives passed a bill (H. R. 158) on Dec. 8 that aims to exclude
from this program all dual nationals from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan,
and anyone else who has traveled to those countries in the past five
years.
...
The EU has a history of opposing such measures, which it perceives as
the "politicization of trade," within the framework of the WTO. Indeed,
in 1997, EU countries threatened formal counteraction in this forum over
the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA), which later resulted in a decision
by the Clinton administration to waive ILSA sanctions on the first
project determined to be in violation.
The European Union expects that the Obama administration will surrender control of the United States' borders to its whims - and it is highly likely that Obama will try to do that.
Irony alert: House passes bill forcing Europeans who visit Iran, Iraq and Syria to get a visa
It's probably the biggest hole in US security and, ironically enough, during the same week that Donald Trump proposed to bar non-US citizen Muslims from entering the United States until the government figures out how to screen them, the House has taken action to close the hole.
There are 38 countries with which the United States has a visa waiver program that allows those countries' citizens to enter the United States without obtaining a visa. Those countries are overwhelmingly European. The US House this week overwhelmingly (407-19 with only Democrats voting against) passed HR 158, a bill that would require Europeans who have visited Iraq and Syria (ISIS hotspots) to obtain a visa before entering the United States. At the last minute, Iran and Sudan (terror sponsoring states) were added to the list of countries that will cause non-Americans to need a visa to enter the US. The Iran lobby in the US is furious.
"Once again they punish Iranians for crimes committed by terrorists
virtually every one of us despise, oppose and are fighting," Ali Abdi, a
prominent Iranian-American human rights activist told BBC Persian.
"In fact we shouldn't punish anyone based on their place of origin."
Narges
Bajoghli, a filmmaker in New York, took to Facebook to encourage her
friends to contact their representative in Congress in opposition to
what she called "singling out a group of people based on their ethnic
background".
Twitter accounts and other Facebook pages dedicated
to organising to protest against the bill have also been created,
including @StopHR158, which references the official number of the bill.
The National Iranian American Council in Washington is lobbying to stop this bill from passing in the United States Senate. "These provisions impacting Iranian Americans were
added in backroom negotiations at the last minute without hearings or
accountability," the group said in a statement.
And the ACLU, one
of the leading civil rights organisations in the country, cautioned
Congress "to avoid passing legislation that would broadly scapegoat
groups based on nationality, and would fan the flames of discriminatory
exclusion, both here and abroad".
On social media many Iranian
Americans expressed shock that such limitations would be imposed on
people who travel to Iran but not Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.
Is this any different from Donald Trump's proposal earlier this week? Not by much.
Others called it a continuation of presidential candidate Donald Trump's
anti-Muslim rhetoric. 'It's so "Trumpesque"' tweeted Shayan, a German
of Iranian background who said he was worried that his trip to US may be
affected.
The Europeans are also said to be 'alarmed.' Apparently Congress was even more 'alarmed' after the Paris massacre was carried out mostly by European citizens who were born in, or children of people who were born in, Muslim countries.
But the truth is that this is probably the largest hole in US security north of the Mexican border. It allows citizens of other countries to enter without screening. That will change if the Senate passes the bill and both houses override what has to be an almost inevitable Obama veto.
Meanwhile, here in Israel, we don't need to worry about visa waivers. We aren't part of the visa waiver program, because our government has denied entry to trouble making Americans for years. And God willing it will stay that way.
Obama State Department prevents Israeli from playing in the NBA
The Dallas Mavericks thought they had waived Israeli Gal Mekel to the Indiana Pacers. But then the US State Department stepped in. At a time when the Obama administration is trying to legalize millions of illegal aliens, and has doubled the number of student visas from China the State Department refused to extend Mekel's visa to allow him to continue to play in the NBA. Mekel is returning to Israel, the Pacers didn't get the player they wanted, and the Obama administration has managed to hurt another Israeli.
The NBA granted the injury-depleted Pacers a hardship exemption that allowed them to sign a 16th player through last Thursday. When the State Department refused to move up the expiration date on Mekel’s visa even by one day, the Pacers, who had only 9 players on their active roster, backed out of the deal to sign another player before their waiver lapsed.
The Pacers were desperate to sign the Israeli star because only one of their five guards was able to play. Four of the five are injured.
Normally, visas for foreign-born players in the NBA are automatically transferable with the players to whom they are issued. More than 100 foreign-born players are currently in the NBA. This is the first instance many basketball analysts can recall where a foreign-born player was prevented from signing with a new NBA team because a visa could not be transferred.
Indiana wanted the 26-year-old Israeli shooting guard after his impressive start in Dallas, which included 19 points and 9 assists against the Pacers in Indianapolis on October 18.
Mekel was one of two Israelis in the NBA; the other is Omri Caspi of the Sacramento Kings.
Citing the 'current security situation in Tel Aviv,' the United States embassy has stopped issuing visas for Israelis who wish to travel to the United States.
Due to the current security situation in Tel Aviv, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv
remains open but is operating at reduced staffing until further notice,
and has canceled routine visa application processing and American Citizen services.
Emergencies involving an American citizen and visa applications will be
considered on a case by case basis. If you had a scheduled visa
appointment, you will receive an email informing you of the appointment
cancellation, and another email with a new scheduled appointment. If
the appointment is not convenient for you, you may reschedule your
appointment through the scheduling system. You are not required to pay a
new fee. We will update the website and our facebook on any developments. To ask for an emergency appointment, pleaseemail NIVTelAviv@state.gov (for visas) or AMCTelAviv@state.gov
(for U.S. Citizens Services) and explain the nature of your emergency.
We will respond to your email quickly with additional instructions.
The Visa Section of the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv processes
applications for nonimmigrant visas only. Immigrant visas are processed
at the Consulate General in Jerusalem. Click on the links below or on
the left side of the page to learn more about the Visa Section.
A quick check reveals that there is no such “security situation” Important Notice for the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. There isn’t one in Baghdad, Iraq or in Cairo, Egypt, either. No visa problems at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, either. And Yemen is a go, as is Tunisia.
The only other U.S. Embassy in the entire Middle East, other than Israel, where visa services has been suspended is in Damascus, Syria. But that gives cold comfort, given the U.S. Embassy in Syria closed for all
purposes on February 6, 2012. Oh, and Iran – no visas being given out
there, either. There hasn’t been a U.S. Embassy in Iran since 1979.
Visa services are readily available at the U.S. Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan. There is no such “security situation,” Important Notice, like the one in Israel, for the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.
But wait, there is a special message on the U.S. Embassy to Kabul, Afghanistan‘s
website.
Never mind. This message simply states that the State
Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is “currently experiencing
technical problems with our visa system. We are operating at a
significantly reduced capacity” because of the backlog. However, this
problem “is not specific to any particular country, citizenship document
or visa category.” And with that, the general information about
obtaining a visa through the U.S. Embassy in Kabul is provided.
Gee, do you think that this has something to do with the Obama administration's disdain for Israel?
Foxman: State Department 'hypocritical, almost irrational'
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, ADL National Director Abe Foxman decried the State Department's denial of visas to Israelis, and US intelligence agencies' refusal to allow Israel to join the visa waiver program, as 'hypocritical, almost irrational.'
The Anti-Defamation League has reacted harshly to reports that several
members of US Congress and representatives of the country’s
intelligence community have cautioned against admitting Israel into the
State Department’s visa waiver program due to concerns over espionage.
During an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, ADL National
Director Abraham Foxman said he could not square such worries with the
“special relationship” and high level of intelligence cooperation
between the two nations.
“Is there a certain amount of hypocrisy? Sure,” Foxman told the Post,
referring to recent revelations of widespread American spying on close
allies. “Every couple of years something publicly surfaces, focusing
the light on Israelis or Israel spying…. It is inordinate and
inappropriate and inaccurate. This is the most recent example of it.”
...
Foxman said he continued to be “disturbed at the level of
preoccupation, primarily in the American government, not just now but
going back for years” in relation to alleged Israeli spying.
“I have a file of people who applied for [a security] clearance,
American Jews who had difficulty getting it and didn’t get it because
of questions which were inappropriate,” the ADL head stated.
“But none of these people wanted to take the case public because they
were afraid it was going to destroy their employment opportunities.”
Foxman alluded to what he believes is an inbuilt institutional bias
connected to a widespread belief that American Jews hold dual
loyalties.
“One out of three Americans believe that they [US Jews] are not loyal,”
and the current allegation of Israeli spying “enhances the stereotype
and it fuels it,” he said. “This is endemic in our political system out
of Washington.”
A 2013 poll by the ADL found that 30% of Americans believe Jews are
“more loyal to Israel” than to the United States, a number that remains
unchanged from a previous poll taken in 1964.
Such attitudes predate the arrest of Jonathan Pollard, a
Jewish-American intelligence analyst convicted of passing information
to Israel. The Pollard case, Foxman averred, gave those concerned with
Israeli spying “legitimacy” but did not create such worries.
“The exchange of information and data and specific research on
technology is very high, and so at the same time to say we have to be
careful of Israelis who come here on tourist visas because they can spy
on us is almost irrational,” he said. “But if we are talking about
being motivated in part by stereotypes, stereotypes are not rational.
It’s a prejudice.”
That should make all you American Jews feel warm and cozy as you head back to work on the morning after the Passover holiday, no?
In the latest and possibly most (sur)real excuse for barring Israelis from the US, Roll Call reports that US intelligence agencies are opposed to making Israel part of the US visa waiver program.
Until now, U.S. officials have said they have refused Israel’s entry
into the program only because the Jewish state does not meet specific
requirements for inclusion, including a rate of refusal for Israelis
seeking U.S. visas no higher than 3 percent and reciprocal courtesies
for U.S. citizens visiting Israel.
Several senators are pushing a bill that would effectively waive those requirements for Israel.
But this is the first time congressional aides have indicated
that intelligence and national security concerns also are considerations
in weighing Israel’s admission into the Visa Waiver Program.
“The U.S. intelligence community is concerned that adding
Israel to the Visa Waiver program would make it easier for Israeli spies
to enter the country,” a senior House aide said.
Spies? A shpy? Like this guy?
Let's go to the videotape.
Yes, a shpy.
Several congressional aides said that members of the intelligence
community, as well as officials from the State and Homeland Security
departments, expressed those concerns in a classified briefing to
lawmakers and staffers on the House Judiciary Committee, which has
jurisdiction over visa issue.
Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte,
R-Va., “has heard reservations from the intelligence community about
allowing Israel into the visa waiver program because of concerns that it
would allow in Israeli spies,” a House Foreign Affairs Committee aide
said.
Judiciary staffers conveyed those concerns to the Foreign Affairs Committee, aides from the Foreign Affairs panel said.
A U.S. official confirmed the Goodlatte briefing, saying
officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the
FBI and the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive took
part.
Here's a list of the countries who are currently part of the visa waiver program.
Israel is one of nine countries on a list of countries that are 'nominated and roadmap countries.' You can see a list of the rejection rates for every country here. (Scroll down to the bottom). Among the countries with a lower rejection rate than Israel are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Malaysia. Something is really wrong here.
The reason for Israel's rejection is surreal, but it also may finally be the real reason. How do you prove a negative?
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?
More excuses: IDF officers, young Israelis routinely denied visas to the US
Over the past three weeks, we've heard several excuses for the denial of visas to the United States for Israelis. We've been told that visas were denied in order to remove Israel from the 'white list' of countries whose citizens qualify for longer-term visas. We've been told that the United States has been systematically denying visas to Shin Bet (General Security Service)
and Mossad agents, to representatives of the IDF and to executives of
companies in Israel's defense industry, and it was implied that was out of a fear of competition in the defense industry. And we've been told that the denial of visas was a reprisal for what's seen as discriminatory treatment of Arab-Americans by Israel.
And now, there are two new excuses. It's claimed that the United States is trying to weed out IDF officers who have committed 'human rights' violations in Judea and Samaria (the number of which can likely be counted on the fingers of one hand), and that the United States is systematically denying visas to young, post-army Israelis whom it deems likely to sell Ahava cosmetics in shopping malls (because it's Ahava which comes from Judea and Samaria or because they're violating the terms of their visas by working in the US?).
[C]ongressional sources told Globes that in recent months,
several lawmakers have been looking into information about alleged
efforts to screen IDF officers and other security personnel who may have
contributed to “violating the human rights of Palestinian Arabs.”
Maariv reported earlier this month that hundreds of Israelis
with connections to the security establishment were denied visas into
the US in the past year – or were given a single entry visa for three
months, as opposed to the multiple entry visas for periods of up to 10
years that were usually given Israelis until now.
According to ultra-leftist site Mondoweiss, “the most compelling
explanation” for this development “is that the State Department has
begun implementing recommendations contained in a 2011 Inspector General
report examining operations at the US embassy in Tel Aviv. A crucial
finding of the Inspector General’s report was the need for the State
Department to provide the U.S. embassy with 'updated guidance on vetting
Israeli military personnel under the Leahy Amendment.'”
The Leahy Amendment requires the US to withhold assistance from
foreign military units or officials who are known to be involved in
human rights violations.
Mondoweiss added that in response to a request for information about
the denial of visas to Israeli military officials, a State Department
spokesperson said visa requests were “adjudicated individually” and in
accordance with the law, noting, “When any individual makes a U.S. visa
application anywhere in the world, a consular officer reviews the facts
of the case and makes a determination of eligibility based on US Law.”
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said that there is a sharp increase
in the number of young Israelis who have been denied visas by the US
Embassy in Tel Aviv. In a March 6 letter ot Secretary of State John
Kerry, Schumer said that the reason for the change in policy was the
concern that the youths would work illegally in the US
...
“After receiving inquiries from several constituents, my staff
contacted your legislative affairs staff and learned that our consulates
apparently have a policy to presumptively deny all tourist visa
applications for young Israeli nationals who wish to visit the United
States during the period in between the completion of their military
service and the resumption of their university education,” Schumer
wrote.
“When my staff asked your staff why this arbitrary policy toward
Israel was in place, we were informed that the State Department is
concerned that these young Israeli nationals were going to violate the
terms of their visas by, for example, selling Dead Sea cosmetics at
shopping malls across the United States.”
You can't make this stuff up.... But something tells me that all these concerns will go away once a Republican retakes the White House.
State Department claims Israeli treatment of Arab Americans behind lack of visa waiver program
Three weeks ago, I reported on a dramatic increase in the number of Israelis being denied visas to the United States. One way to resolve the issue would be for Israel to become part of the United States' visa waiver program. Israel has been seeking acceptance to that program for years, but the Obama administration says Israel isn't getting in because it discriminates against 'Palestinian Americans.'
“The Department of Homeland Security and State remain concerned with the
unequal treatment that Palestinian Americans and other Americans of
Middle Eastern origin experience at Israel’s border and checkpoints, and
reciprocity is the most basic condition of the Visa Waiver Program,”
Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, said March 21 in her daily
briefing with reporters.
The State Department warns Americans of Arab descent that they may be
delayed or even turned back when arriving at Israeli points of entry.
Israel
says its rate of refusal of entry for Arab-Americans is not
disproportionate and notes that under the Oslo agreements with the
Palestinians, foreigners of Palestinian descent undergo a different
entry protocol.
There have been a number of efforts in Congress
over the years to exempt Israel from visa waiver rules; the most recent
is stalled in the Senate.
Psaki’s remarks came after several weeks
in which a number of lawmakers, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.),
have criticized US consular services for their rate of refusal of young
Israelis.
The required maximum rate of refusal of entry for
entering the US visa waiver program is 3 percent. Last year, Israel’s
was at 9.7 percent, up from 5.4 percent the year before.
Given some of the riff raff to which Obama is granting citizenship, I don't think we really want them here. And besides, Israel must have the right every other country has to exclude people whom it feels are a danger. For example, just because the Obama administration is willing to admit the likes of Tariq Ramadan doesn't mean Israel has to.
And by the way, are we excluded from the visa waiver program because we don't let enough Arabs in or because the US doesn't let enough Israelis in?
'Most pro-Israel administration evah' systematically bars Shin Bet and Mossad agents, IDF representatives and defense industry execs from visiting US
In an earlier post, I reported that the 'most pro-Israel administration evah' has presided over an 80% increase in the rate of visa denials for Israelis traveling to the United States. Maariv on Tuesday reports on some of those being denied visas. Maariv reports (link in Hebrew) that the US has been systematically denying visas to Shin Bet (General Security Service) and Mossad agents, to representatives of the IDF and to executives of companies in Israel's defense industry. The denials have an economic cost to the United States, as Israel's defense industries do not place orders for American products unless they are able to travel to the United States to see them.
Neither government has commented on the report, but the defense industry has been discussing behind closed doors tens of instances in which visas to travel to the United States were denied.
In addition to the denials, many visas have been limited to three months once the applicant's workplace was disclosed.
Additionally, the IDF's representatives in the US (who usually work on defense procurement) have been given visas for one year, and then have to leave to Canada for weeks on end to await visa extensions.
Behind closed doors, Israeli defense officials reject the possibility that the denials are connected to Defense Minister Yaalon's sharp comments about US Secretary of State John FN Kerry. However, they believe that they may be connected to an attempt to prevent Israel's defense industries from competing effectively with US defense industries.
The US embassy in Tel Aviv would not comment, but they did say that each visa request is examined individually.
'Most pro-Israel administration evah' presides over 80% rise in rejection of Israeli visa requests
The year 2013 saw an 80% increase in rejections of Israeli applications for tourist visas to the United States. Israel's foreign ministry thinks that the cause is political.
The figures, which were published Monday morning in Yediot Aharonot,
show that last year about 125,000 Israelis requested tourist visas to
the US, with 9.7% of them being refused. The previous year in 2012, that
figure was at 5.4%.
The percentage of rejected requests has risen dramatically in the
past years. As recently as 2007, a mere 2.5% of the requests were
denied.
Due to the recent upsurge in visa request rejections, Israel has lost
its place on the "white list," the list of countries whose citizens can
visit the US without a visa. Only nations with a visa rejection rate of
less than 3% are allowed on the list.
Sources in the Israeli Foreign Ministry's consular branch claim the
increase in rejections stems from political motives and is unwarranted.
They add that the rejections were meant to remove Israel from the "white
list."
"We meet all the requirements to receive an exemption (from visas),
aside from the rate of rejections," noted an official in the Foreign
Ministry, who criticized the move as "political."
Cairo Airport refuses inbound flight from Syria, 'Palestinians' deported
The new Egyptian government knows how to do one thing right. Actually, make it two. On Monday, they sent an arriving flight from Syria back to its origin because the passengers didn't have visas, and 'Palestinians' arriving from all over the world were sent back to their departure points.
Officials at Cairo International Airport on Monday have refused an
inbound Syrian Airlines plane and requested it fly back to Latakia with
all its passengers on board, according to new regulations which state
that Syrian nationals must obtain a visa and security approval before
arriving in Cairo.
Syrian Airlines flight number 203, flying from Latakia with 95
passengers, had arrived in Cairo without foreknowledge of the new
procedures.
Fifty-five other Syrians arriving on a Middle East Airlines flight
from Beirut, and 39 others arriving on other airlines, were also denied
entry into Egypt.
Syrian nationals did not previously require visas to enter Egypt.
Electronic Intifada co-founder Ali Abunimah meanwhile reported that
Palestinians attempting to return home to the Gaza Strip via Cairo
airport have been deported by Egyptian authorities.
Palestinians have been deported to countries they arrived in Egypt from, reportedly at their own expense.
Palestinian writer Yousef M. Aljamal was forced to return to Kuala
Lumpur airport in Malaysia, after flying there from Auckland, New
Zealand, to obtain an Egyptian visa.
"All Palestinians who arrived yesterday were sent back to the
countries they came from," Aljamal tweeted on Monday, reporting that he
had also seen Palestinians being forced to travel back to Algeria,
Jordan, Tunisia and Canada.
And you thought the 'Palestinians' couldn't afford anything. Boo. Hoo.
Knesset speaker cancels delegation trip to US after MK refused visa
In 2009 and again last month, I reported that the United States refused to grant an entry visa to MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union), who was a follower of Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D (May God avenge his blood). Now, as a result of the American refusal to grant Ben Ari a visa, Knesset speaker Ruby Rivlin (Likud) has canceled the entire Knesset delegation, of which Ben Ari was supposed to be a part, which was supposed to visit Congress.
MKs Einat Wilf (Independence), Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) and Zehava Gal-On (Meretz) were supposed to attend a female empowerment conference in Washington DC at the end of the month. The conference includes a panel with female members of Congress at the Israeli embassy.
Rivlin decided to cancel the delegation, because the State Department will not allow Ben-Ari to visit the US because the MK is connected to a terrorist organization.
Ben-Ari was a student of Rabbi Meir Kahane, and still refers to himself as a disciple of the controversial rabbi. Kahane’s Kach political party was banned from the Knesset for being racist in 1988 and declared a terrorist organization by the State Department in 1994.
“The US claim that an MK is a terrorist is unacceptable and disrespects the entire Knesset,” Rivlin said.
I wonder whether the State Department would have any problem granting a visa to MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad), who was aboard the Mavi Marmara. I suspect not.
It's funny how the State Department has no problems granting a visa to Abu Mazen, the financier of the Munich Olympics massacre.
If you're Israeli and you want to visit Egypt, you may have a small problem: Israeli travel agents report that Egypt is not issuing visas to Israelis.
Israeli travel agents said Sunday that Egypt has stopped issuing visas for Israelis to visit the country. Yossi Patael, head of the Israeli Travel Agents Association, said that while no specific ban has been implemented, the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv has not issued a new visa for visitors in several weeks. Those who seek a visa are generally told to call back in a week, as the situation in the country does not allow for the issuing of visas at this time.
Visas for visitors to Sinai, on the other hand, are being issued without delay, said a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry. The spokesperson said that the Egyptian government had indeed halted the issuing of visas for Israelis during the period of protests because of security concerns, and Cairo has indicated that the issuing of visas will begin again in the coming weeks.
Maybe around the time they resume selling us natural gas....
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
