Palestinian-Americans accuse Israel of bias
JERUSALEM: A visa-free travel deal between Israel and the United States has raised hopes of easier journeys for Palestinian-Americans, but many still complain of discrimination by Israeli authorities.
The aim of the reciprocal agreement reached in July was for all Americans “to be recognized by Israel as US citizens and receive equal treatment” regardless of their origins, the US State Department said.
It paved the way for some Palestinian–Americans to finally land at Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport — which has been off limits to most of them for years — rather than travel overland from Jordan.
However, despite progress on paper, Palestinian-Americans have complained of unequal treatment in a series of interviews AFP conducted in the United States and the Palestinian territories.
Hanna Hanania, a board member of the US Palestinian Council advocacy group, described the change at arrivals in Ben Gurion airport as an “improvement for everybody.”
But, as he headed back to the US state of Virginia, he said he faced “total profiling” by Israeli officials who searched his car and insisted on seeing his Palestinian passport.
Jerusalem-born Hanania said he was also directed to a queue for additional security checks where he charged that “discrimination (was) very clear.”
“Almost everybody in line one was speaking Arabic,” he told AFP. “You can very clearly tell that it’s mainly Palestinians or Arabs.”
Israel’s immigration authority did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the complaints.
More than 5,400 Palestinian-Americans have arrived in Israel since July 20, according to the Population and Immigration Authority.
Washington is now contemplating whether to admit Israel into its coveted visa waiver program, with a decision due by September 30.
