Monday, February 2, 2015

Travel Discrimination




"The Government of Israel does not currently permit U.S. citizens with Palestinian nationality (or even, in some cases, the claim to it) to enter Israel via Ben Gurion International Airport.  Many travelers have been sent back to the U.S. upon arrival.  Others have been allowed to enter Israel but told they cannot depart Israel via Ben Gurion without special permission, which is rarely granted.  Some families have been separated as a result, and other travelers have forfeited expensive airline tickets." 


"Access to Jerusalem and the West Bank is controlled

by the Government of Israel." 


File:Us-passport.jpg
From  Wikimedia Commons.

" . . . all persons applying for entry to Israel and the West Bank are subject to security and police record checks by the Government of Israel and may be denied entry or exit without explanation.  U.S. citizen visitors have been subjected to prolonged questioning and thorough searches by Israeli authorities upon entry or departure. Those whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin; those who have been involved in missionary work or activism; and those who ask that Israeli stamps not be entered into their passports may face additional, often time-consuming, and probing questioning by immigration and border authorities, or may even be denied entry into Israel or the West Bank.

"U.S. passport holders who do not hold Israeli or Palestinian passports or Palestinian identity card numbers are generally permitted to enter Israel via Ben Gurion International Airport, subject to the discretion of the Government of Israel." 

File:Palestinian Authority Passport.jpg
From Wikimedia Commons.


 "U.S. citizens with Palestinian passports must use the Allenby  Bridge-King Hussein border crossing to enter or exit  the West Bank.  They are not permitted to transit via Ben  Gurion International Airport."

  "In general, Jerusalem identity card holders are permitted to  enter and exit via Ben Gurion International Airport and the  Allenby-King Hussein border crossing.  They are not allowed  to use the Jordan River-Sheikh Hussein or Rabin-Arava  border crossings unless they obtain a Jordanian visa in advance."


"American citizens have found themselves unable to exit Gaza once they entered.  Exiting Gaza via the Erez crossing into Israel, which is tightly restricted by the Government of Israel, is nearly impossible.  Exit through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt is unpredictable and can involve significant expense." 


Excerpted from: "Entering and Exiting Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza."from the Consulate General of the United States.  Accessed on 12.26.14

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  " . . .  American authorities remain concerned with the unequal treatment that Palestinian Americans and other Americans of Middle Eastern origin experience at Israel’s border and checkpoints . . . "


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 Israel, of course, engages in other discriminatory practices.  Please see our post on 'Freedom of Religion,' including the comments, to find more documentation of discrimination:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/11/freedom-of-religion.html


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Boycott for Peace! 
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2 comments:

  1. Israel does not extend travel discrimination to US citizens only. Here is the first hand story about the "Night of Horror" Israel inflicted on two young French Nationals who were attempting to travel to Ramallah as part of their musicology studies:

    http://mondoweiss.net/2015/04/airport-french-students

    Highlight and right click the URL to read the article.


    ReplyDelete
  2. "The Shin Beth agent stated it very bluntly, "You are Palestinian. Your American passport is worthless. Do not try to deny the fact that you are a Palestinian."

    For the full story please see:
    https://www.facebook.com/PalestinianChristians/photos/a.179158768779783.44970.153125724716421/1081495201879464/?type=1

    ReplyDelete