In a significant move towards being welcomed into the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), Israel will begin easing travel restrictions for Palestinian-Americans, the State Department announced on Wednesday.

Starting from Thursday, US citizens listed on the Palestinian Authority’s population registry will be allowed to travel to and through Israel for up to 90 days, according to a senior State Department official during a briefing with reporters.

This change means that Palestinian-Americans will now join other US citizens who have long enjoyed the privilege of traveling to Israel for up to three months, either for business or pleasure. The policy shift will apply to US citizens residing in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Previously, Palestinian-Americans were barred from using Ben Gurion International Airport, forcing them to travel to Jordan and fly out of Amman, incurring additional fees and travel time, as Israel prohibits the Palestinians from having their own airport.

The new policy marks a crucial step in the US requirement that all VWP countries offer reciprocal travel privileges to all American citizens, just as the US provides to nationals of the 40 countries already in the program. The policy change was formalized in a reciprocity memorandum of understanding signed by US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides and Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog.

“This procedure will allow any US citizen to enter Israel (without a visa), and subsequently, with the acceptance of Israel as a member of the Visa Waiver Program, will allow any Israeli to enter the US without the need for a visa,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement.

Israel has sought to join the VWP for some time as it would allow its citizens to travel to the US for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa beforehand, a process often fraught with challenges and lengthy delays.

US President Joe Biden directed his administration in 2021 to assist in Israel’s entry into the VWP.  The State Department confirmed in January that Israel had met a key benchmark by reducing its visa application rejection rate to below three percent. Subsequently, the Knesset passed several laws related to passenger information sharing, which are currently being implemented by various government agencies in both countries. However, Israel’s commitment to providing equal treatment to all US citizen travelers, regardless of their national origin, religion, or ethnicity, still needs to be fully implemented and tested.

A senior State Department official stated that US agency representatives will be closely monitoring Israel’s implementation of the new measures for US travelers on the Palestinian Authority’s population registry over the next six weeks. The US will decide by September 30 whether Israel meets the criteria for admission into the VWP.

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