Israel on Thursday announced a month-long trial during which Palestinian Americans who live in the occupied West Bank will be given unrestricted access to Israel, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said.
It marks a significant moment in the country's decades-long push to join the coveted US visa-waiving programme.
"Today, the State of Israel took another important step towards its participation in the US Visa Waiver Programme," Mr Hanegbi said in a statement.
"The reciprocity outline will allow any American citizen to enter Israel, and subsequently when Israel is accepted into the programme, will allow Israeli citizens to enter the US without a visa.
"This reciprocity outline will apply to all American citizens, including those with dual citizenship and those who are residents of Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip," he said, using the biblical name for the occupied West Bank.
Earlier on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the new policies would "ensure equal treatment for all US citizen travellers, without regard to national origin, religion or ethnicity".
"Our understanding is that this policy will apply to all US citizens, including Palestinian Americans on the Palestinian population registry,” Mr Miller said.
Israeli authorities currently prevent American citizens of Palestinian origin who live in the West Bank or are going to visit relatives there from access to Israel, citing security concerns.
It also prevents them from travelling in and out of Ben Gurion International Airport.
Travellers must fly to neighbouring Jordan and then cross into the West Bank by land, a cumbersome and costly detour.
Exact numbers are hard to come by, but the Arab American Institute estimates between 122,500 and 220,000 Americans are of Palestinian descent. It is unclear how many of them live in the West Bank.
Arab and Muslim Americans travelling to Israel are also often subjected to lengthy questioning at Israeli ports of entry.
The development comes after years of Israeli efforts to join the US Visa Waiver Programme, a sought-after scheme that allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the America for tourism, business or transit, without needing to apply for a visa.
But to be eligible for the VWP, a country must meet specific criteria, including reciprocal visa-free travel for US citizens. Currently, 39 countries participate.
Israel's treatment of Palestinian Americans has so far made it ineligible for the programme.
On Wednesday, Mr Miller said the US government would make a decision on whether Israel should be admitted to the VWP by September 30.
"We will be monitoring their compliance with the policies they are announcing and their compliance with the visa waiver requirements, and we will see at the end of it whether they've met the full requirements for entry into the programme," he said.
Mr Hanegbi said Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog signed a preliminary agreement setting the terms for Israel's possible entry into the programme.
A Reuters report on Wednesday said a delegation from the State and Homeland Security departments would visit Ben Gurion Airport and monitor the situation during the trial period.
Ties between the two allies have been strained over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's extreme right-wing government's controversial plan to overhaul Israel's court system and over its hardline policies towards the Palestinians.
On Wednesday, Israel's President Isaac Herzog gave a speech to the US Congress, stressing “the sacred bond” between the two nations.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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Our family matters legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
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