Israel restricts American travel

By Ann Perkins-Parrott
Staff Writer

According to the Consulate of the United States, Israel has begun to issue a new stamp for visas. In an unannounced move the new stamp has begun quietly appearing on the visas of people who arrive in Israel wishing to visit Palestinian areas. The new stamp may be used to restrict travel to areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority which comprises only 17% of the West Bank. Palestine is divided into three areas only one of which is under the Palestinian Authority. Other areas are controlled by Hamas and Israel.

The area under the Palestinian Authority is Area A which is divided into 13 non-contiguous areas. Travel between the areas requires entry into Israeli controlled Areas C, which lie between various Areas A. Since the visas stamp does not technically allow travel in Area C, it brings the question of how one gets from one Palestinian Authority area to another without being caught in an area not covered by the visa stamp.

Visas are also being issued for different lengths of stay, with at least one American being given only one week instead of the normal three month visa. Not only does Israel control the areas one may visit, they also dictate the time one may stay. These visas are not being issued by the Palestinian Authority to allow entry into areas they are supposed to control. Israel decides who gets a visa, where they may go and how long they may stay without the agreement of the Palestinian Authority who ostensibly have the control of the area.

After the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in 2000, Israelis were forbidden entry into the Gaza Strip and Palestinian areas of the West Bank. After British suicide bombers entered Tel Aviv in 2003 traveling through Israel to Gaza and back into Israel to kill themselves and three people, travel by foreigners was also restricted. Further restrictions were added in 2005. Some critics believe the new visa is a violation of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Agreement known as Oslo II. The agreement states that, “Tourists to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from countries having diplomatic relations with Israel, who have passed through an international crossing, will not be required to pass any additional entry control before entry into Israel.” (Annex 1, Article IX “Movement Into, Within and Outside the West Bank and the Gaza Strip” 2 (e))

Anyone indicating that they either have connections to the West Bank, or are planning to travel to the West Bank, may get this stamp, which does not permit them to enter into (or, in the case of Ben Gurion, return to) green-line Israel. Green-line Israel refers to the boundaries established in 1949 and also to areas that Israel captured during the 1967 war. The use of this stamp also prevents entry to areas controlled by Hamas, such as the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Consulate of the United States warning for travel to Israel states, “Since the spring of 2009, Israeli border officials at both the Allenby border crossing and Ben Gurion Airport have begun using a new entry visa stamp that permits travel only in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas,” the Consulate-General warns. “Anyone indicating that they either have connections to the West Bank, or are planning to travel to the West Bank, may get this stamp, which does not permit them to enter into (or, in the case of Ben Gurion, return to) green-line Israel. The Consulate can do nothing to assist in getting this visa status changed; only Israeli liaison offices in the West Bank can assist — but they rarely will. Travelers should be alert, and pay attention to which stamp they receive upon entry.”

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

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