U.S. balks at easier visas for Israelis

TEL AVIV -- Israel wants it to be easier for its citizens to visit the United States, but the State Department has said no.

Israel had asked to join 38 other countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program -- a prestigious club of nations -- whose citizens don't need a preapproved visa to visit.

So far, that request has not only been rebuffed, but Israel has seen a spike in the number of young people and military officers rejected entry to the U.S.

Washington says it has not let Israel into the program simply because it hasn't met the requirements -- and has pointed in part to Israel's treatment of Arab-American travelers. That draws sharp denials by Israeli officials of any discrimination.

U.S. officials say there is no policy in place to make it more difficult for Israelis to get "B" visas, which allow a 90-day stay in the United States for business or travel purposes.

Figures show that the percentage of Israelis whose visa requests are rejected is lower than that of many other countries. Other countries' rejection rates have also grown amid an overall stricter approach taken by American Homeland Security officials. For example, in 2013 Belarus had a rejected rate of 20.7 percent, Bulgaria's was 19.9 percent and Ireland's was 16.9 percent.

Israel saw its visa rejection rate jump to 9.7 percent last year from 5.4 percent the year before.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called on the State Department to "end its widespread, arbitrary practice of denying young Israelis tourist visas."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week that Israelis are still overwhelmingly granted entry.

The 90-day visas are either approved or rejected after a brief interview with a U.S. embassy official in the applicant's country of origin. Americans do not need a visa to enter Israel, though Americans of Palestinian origin often face problems and cannot arrive at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, instead entering either through Jordan or Egypt.

Among younger Israelis, the visa issue has put a damper on plans for a post-army trip to America, a common rite of passage after completing three or more years of compulsory military service.

For this demographic, the American concern appears to be less a matter of security and rather a fear that they will abuse their tourist visas to work illegally and peddle products at malls.

For the Israeli government, the larger issue is membership in the Visa Waiver Program.

As one of America's closest allies, Israel wonders why countries like Slovakia, Iceland and Latvia qualify while they are left out.