US officials confirmed Wednesday that Israel has qualified for the American visa waiver program, enabling Israeli nationals to travel to the United States without pre-demanding a tourist-entry visa.
The Biden adminstation officials called Israel a "key US partner and ally" in a call with reporters.
"This program not only benefits Israel in the United States, but also [American] citizens who live in the West Bank and Gaza can now visit Israel visa-free," they said, explaining that the decision came "not as a favor, but because it benefits both US and Israeli interests."
As part of the negotiations, Israel agreed to ease travel restrictions for Palestinian-Americans from Gaza and the West Bank.
