Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program

Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it expects the United States to announce this week that it will be admitted to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which would allow Israeli citizens visa-free entry to America as of November. The deadline for Israel to show compliance with the U.S. conditions is Sept. 30. If successful, it would offer a win for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist government, whose relations with Washington have been strained over its plans to overhaul the judiciary as well as over its policies towards the Palestinians. "Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program is a diplomatic achievement and good news for all Israeli citizens," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Monday that a final decision on Israel's candidacy had not been made. "The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, will make a determination in the coming days," the spokesperson said. For admission to the program, Washington requires countries to treat all U.S. travellers equally, regardless of whatever other passports they may hold. In Israel's case, that would mean free passage for Palestinian Americans at its airports and when travelling into and out of the occupied Palestinian territories. Some Palestinians have protested at Israel's entry into the VWP, citing what they say are decades of discriminatory treatment of Arab Americans and harassment at Israel's borders.<br/>