An American official who spoke with Israel Hayom on Sunday voiced criticism over new restrictions announced by Israel on foreigners visiting Palestinian cities, but stressed that the disagreement was unrelated to the ongoing efforts by both countries to have Israel join the Visa Waiver Program.
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The conventional wisdom has long been that if the restrictions on US citizens continue to be a bone of contention, this could potentially stall the progress on the visa issue but the official did not make the connection, saying simpliy that "we want equal treatment for our citizens on both sides of the Green Line."
The official conveyed these concerns after the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a unit within the Ministry of Defense in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, announced the new measures. US officials believe that Israel should not impose restrictions on American citizens who engage in lawful behavior but Israel has allegedly been trying to use various measures to prevent the arrival of potential anti-Israel activists.
Although COGAT stepped back from a number of controversial restrictions that had appeared in a draft of the rules published earlier this year – such as a requirement that people who form romantic relationships with local Palestinians register with Israeli authorities – many of the changes in the 90-page document released late Sunday appeared to be largely cosmetic.
The publication also had US Ambassador Tom Nides make a statement in which he conveyed disappointment over the measures. Nides said he had "aggressively engaged" with Israel on the draft and would continue to do so ahead of the rules' formal implementation
"I continue to have concerns with the published protocols, particularly regarding COGAT's role in determining whether individuals invited by Palestinian academic institutions are qualified to enter the West Bank, and the potential negative impact on family unity," he said. "I fully expect the Government of Israel to make necessary adjustments" during a two-year pilot program to ensure "fair and equal treatment of all US citizens and other foreign nationals traveling to the West Bank."
"The Israeli military is proposing new restrictions in order to isolate Palestinian society from the outside world and keep Palestinian families from living together," Jessica Montell, executive director of Israeli human rights group HaMoked, said.
The wide-ranging policy imposes rules on foreigners who marry Palestinians or who come to the West Bank to work, volunteer, study or teachin Palestinian areas. The initial draft included a requirement that a foreigner who forms a serious romantic relationship with a local Palestinian notify the Israeli military within 30 days of the "start of the relationship," defined as an engagement, wedding or moving in together.
The 30-day notice was removed from Sunday's rules. But it nonetheless says that if a foreigner starts a relationship with a Palestinian, "the appointed COGAT official must be informed as part of their request to renew or extend the existing visa."
The new rules also dropped earlier limits on the number of foreign students and teachers allowed to study or work in the West Bank. The amount of time they can stay in the territory was also lengthened.
Yet COGAT continues to hold great discretion over who is allowed in. It must approve the academic credentials of a university lecturer invited by a Palestinian institution, and holds the right to screen potential students if there is "suspicion of misuse" of a visa.
Restrictions on foreign spouses of Palestinians also remain in place. Spouses are only entitled to short-term visits and can be required to deposit up to 70,000 shekels (about $20,000) to guarantee they will leave the territory.
The new rules offer some potential relief for foreign spouses, including a longer-term visa of 27 months that can be renewed and include multiple visits in and out of the territory. It also drops a previous "cooling off" period that required spouses to leave for lengthy periods between visas.
Israel hopes to reach a visa-waiver program with the United States, which has long resisted the move in part because Israel treats Palestinian-Americans differently than other US citizens. The European Union, which sends hundreds of students and professors on academic exchanges to the West Bank each year, did not immediately comment on the Israeli announcement.
COGAT officials declined further comment, while the Palestinian Authority had no immediate reaction. Montell said her group would continue its legal challenges.
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