A few weeks ago, an envelope from the American embassy arrived in Meir's (pseudonym) mailbox. "Inside were personal letters for me, my wife, and each of my children," he recounts.

"In the letters, we were notified that all our US visas had been confiscated, and that we shouldn't dare try to enter America. The letter also 'strongly recommended' that we bring our passports to the American embassy so they could physically remove the visas. My son was supposed to study for a semester at an American university, which won't happen now, and my wife works for an American company. How can I explain to them that she is not approved to enter the US?" Meir wasn't given an official reason for revoking his and his family members' visas, but he doesn't need one. Meir is a senior executive at an Israeli offensive cyber company, and he's far from the only one in this industry whose US visa has been revoked.

As we are revealing for the first time, recently more and more employees at Israeli offensive cyber companies have been receiving letters from the American embassy with similar notifications about the cancellation of their visas and those of their family members, according to senior sources in the industry.

"It's an industry that's collapsing"

This phenomenon, which threatens the future of an industry already in crisis, has remained below the radar until now because most workers whose visas have been canceled prefer not to disclose the matter, fearing they will be fired or struggle to find work in the field. "Do you know what it means for a high-tech worker to have their American visa taken away?" says an industry source. "It's a death blow and grounds for dismissal."

In the past two and a half years, the Americans have taken a series of steps that have caused companies like NSO and Candiru to lose customers and employees, and other companies in the industry, such as Quadream, to shut down completely.

According to testimonies received by Israel Hayom, dozens of industry employees, including "vulnerability" researchers who form the spearhead of offensive cyber, have recently decided to move abroad, where they work for foreign companies.

National interests and commercial struggles involving technology giants are intertwined. According to several Israeli sources we spoke with, there are also antisemitic and anti-Israeli tendencies among senior officials in Washington.

According to several senior executives in the local offensive cyber industry, the State of Israel has not done enough to protect it and has abandoned it to American interests. "We have an entire industry that's simply collapsing," says one of them. "We're businesspeople, but we're not just losing money. Israel is losing an incredible security capability here, and the state is doing nothing to prevent it."

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Australia has rejected a visa application from US conservative commentator Candace Owens for her planned November speaking tour, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke expressing concerns about her potential to "incite discord" in the country, according to the Guardian. The decision, announced on Sunday, comes after scrutiny of Owens' past controversial statements, including comments about the Holocaust and various minority groups.

"From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [notorious Nazi doctor Josef] Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction," Burke said in a statement. "Australia's national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else."

BREAKING: The Australian government just denied Hitler fan and Holocaust denier Candace Owens a visa

LMAOOOOOOOOOO Owned pic.twitter.com/0O3HQdSf8d

— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) October 27, 2024

 The US media personality had scheduled a five-city speaking tour across Australia, with events planned in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Ticket prices ranged from $95 for general admission to $295 for VIP meet-and-greet sessions, with exclusive private dinner options priced at $1,500.

The speaking tour's website had promoted the events as appealing to "audiences seeking alternative viewpoints and in-depth discussions on pressing political and social topics," noting that "Owens' provocative approach often sparks debate, making the event a must-see for those who enjoy candid conversations about controversial issues."

The US Anti-Defamation League has previously criticized Owens for promoting antisemitic rhetoric, while LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD has highlighted her statements regarding transgender issues. During a July broadcast, Owens questioned documented Nazi medical experiments on prisoners, describing such accounts as "completely absurd" and "bizarre propaganda."

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson supported the visa denial, having previously described Owens as "a dangerous antisemite and a conspiracy theorist" during an interview with Sky News.

Zionist Federation of Australia Chief Executive Alon Cassuto welcomed the government's decision. "Bigotry and antisemitism are unacceptable in any form, regardless of whether they originate from the far left or right," Cassuto said. "For the sake of our nation's social cohesion, there is no place in Australia for Candace Owens."

The tour promoter, Rocksman, and Owens' management team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Owens has not addressed the visa rejection on her social media platforms.

During Australia's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Owens had suggested that the US military should invade Australia to "free its people suffering under a totalitarian regime," while drawing comparisons to Hitler, Stalin, and the Taliban.

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Israel said on Tuesday it was moving to an electronic travel authorization system for visitors from visa-exempt countries starting in August, joining Britain, the United States, Canada and other countries that have such systems. Visitors from non-visa countries will need the ETA to stay for up to 90 days in Israel having previously been able to visit the country without it. Entry will continue to be determined by a border control officer, it said, as in other countries with a similar system.

The government says the new system will help keep track of tourists to maintain security. A pilot program for the ETA-IL system will start on June 1 for holders of US and German passports and it will be open to visitors from other visa-exempt countries on July 1. The ETA-IL will become mandatory from Aug. 1 "and visitors will not be able to board a plane to Israel without it", the Population and Immigration Authority said in a statement.

It will cost 25 shekels ($6.80) and stay valid for up to 2 years, or until the current passport expires. Obtaining a new passport or a name or gender change would require an application for a new travel authorization. Visitors from non-eligible countries still need a visa at an Israeli consulate prior to their travel, and do not need to obtain an ETA-IL.

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Ukraine's ambassador to Israel threatened Sunday to block entry for Israelis to Uman for the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage unless Jerusalem "stopped deporting Ukrainians."

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Canceling the visa-free policy with Israel is also being considered, Yevhen Kornichuk said.

According to data, Israel has deported 2,037 Ukrainians since the beginning of 2023, almost the same number deported in all of 2022 (2,705 Ukrainians).

Video: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the NATO summit in Vilnius / Credit: Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week, "I listened to the report ... regarding the attitude toward our citizens – immigrants who are in different countries, and regarding visa policies. The things that citizens of Ukraine actually face in the visa issue. The rights of Ukrainian citizens must be guaranteed."

According to Kornichuk, Zelenskyy was referring to Israel and warned that "Ukraine will not tolerate the humiliation of its citizens upon arrival to Israel."

He said it was "unreasonable that we should go out of our way to host tens of thousands of Israelis in Uman, with a high security risk and major logistical effort, while the Israeli government mistreats our citizens."

He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene personally if "he wants Israeli citizens to be able to continue to travel to Ukraine as tourists."

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The post Ukraine ambassador threatens to block Uman travel if Israel 'continues to deport Ukrainians' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel has met all eligibility requirements to join the US Visa Waiver Program, Israel Hayom has learned, with the only thing to possibly delay the move being the Biden administration's reluctance with regard to what it views as "the most extreme" Israeli government ever. 

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According to Israeli officials involved in the matter, the United States is in the final stages of examining the matter. Although Israel gave the US a carte blanche in terms of demands, it is concerned that the move will not materialize due to political issues. 

Video: Israeli and US official signing an information-sharing agreement for the Visa Waiver Program

We are the closest we have been in over a decade to joining the Visa Waiver Program, one of the officials said. We are at a critical point as the US will have to decide soon whether to allow us to join. The biggest fear is unless Israel is admitted now, it will walk away empty-handed and have to start from scratch again the next time. 

The current round of negotiations with regard to the Visa Waiver Program was launched by former Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked during the Bennet-Lapid government but is now being led by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. 

Hanegbi said in response to an Israel Hayom inquiry that over the past six months, Israel has met all requirements, and from a professional standpoint nothing stood in its way to join the program. 

He said that as per Netanyahu's instructions, all state authorities worked in a coordinated manner so that Israelis would be exempt from a visa to the US. 

"The Knesset committees, especially the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, passed complex legislation on an unprecedented schedule. US Ambassador Tom Nides acted in an exceptional manner with us, and without him, we would not have had a chance to reach where we are. Now the decision lies with the political echelon in the US government: the Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security [Alejandro] Mayorkas."

Hanegbi expressed optimism with regard to the decision – calling both Blinken and Mayorkas "friends of Israel" – and belief "that their considerations will be purely professional."

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The post Is US visa waiver in danger? 'Decision lies with US political echelon' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States and United Nations Gilad Erdan said Friday he had "no doubt" that the US would soon grant visa waivers to Israelis wishing to travel to the country.

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In a statement shortly after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Joe Biden met on Friday, Erdan said he was very optimistic about the president's remarks that his administration will seek to include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program.

"I have no doubt that after the president's words, the efforts to allow Israelis to enter the United States freely without wasting time and money on visas will finally bear fruit," Erdan said.

Until now, Israelis wishing to travel to the US had to get a visa, priced at $150, and wait in long lines. Many were denied permits altogether. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the US was the most popular destination for Israelis. It remained popular during the pandemic as well, and is expected to become even more in-demand with the granting of the US visa waiver.

Four airlines have direct flights from Israel to the US now – El Al, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta. A large number of Israelis travel to the US via a stopover in Turkey (using Turkish Airlines) or Canada (using Air Canada). Israelis are not permitted to fly to the US via a stopover in any European Union country, however, this restriction is also expected to be canceled soon.

Bennett and Biden raised several key topics during their meeting at the White House, including the third coronavirus vaccine shot, the crisis in Afghanistan, the Iranian threat and the security of Israel.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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The United Arab Emirates' top diplomat has publicly acknowledged a so-far unexplained ban on visitors from Pakistan, which travel agents say also targets tourists and laborers from a dozen Muslim-majority countries amid the pandemic and the UAE's normalization of ties with Israel.

Following a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed "the temporary nature of recent restrictions imposed on the issuance of visas due to the outbreak of COVID-19," the UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported Sunday.

He did not elaborate on the visa suspension, which has blindsided expats seeking entry to the federation of seven sheikhdoms, where foreigners outnumber locals nearly nine to one.

The reported visa restrictions targeting countries such as Lebanon, Kenya, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen came just as tourists began arriving in the Persian Gulf country on Israeli passports following the normalization agreement. The Emirati and Israeli governments are hammering out a mutual visa waiver agreement to grant Israeli tourists visas on arrival.

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Hanan Ashrawi, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organization and outspoken activist for Palestinian rights, told The Associated Press that she believed she was rejected for political reasons.

She said she had been invited to a series of speaking engagements at universities and think tanks in the U.S., and was also planning to visit relatives, including a daughter and grandchildren living there.

Educated in the U.S., Ashrawi, 72, said she has visited America many times and typically makes several visits a year. With her fluent English, she is a prominent Palestinian spokeswoman on TV and has met with top U.S. officials over the past three decades.

Asked whether her visa denial was political, she said: "Of course," calling it "pettiness and vindictiveness."

A State Department official declined to provide details about Ashrawi's case, citing confidentiality requirements, but said the U.S. does not refuse visas based solely on people's political views or statements.

The Palestinian Authority severed ties with the Trump administration after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and moved the embassy there from Tel Aviv. The U.S. responded with a series of punitive measures that have increasingly alienated Palestinians, from shuttering the U.S. consulate overseeing relations with Palestinians to slashing humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza.

In a series of tweets about the rejected visa, Ashrawi said: "I just hope someone can explain this to my grandchildren & all the rest of my family there."

The post US denies travel visa to senior Palestinian official appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.