The official spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said that the administration of US President Joe Biden takes into account the special security needs that Israel faces with the Gaza Strip, which requires exceptional considerations and arrangements in demanding the United States mandate to treat all Americans equally as a condition for the United States to exempt Israel. An entry visa to the United States.

Miller said in his response to the questions of the Al-Quds.com correspondent regarding Israel’s visa exemption, the pilot program of which ends on September 30, after which Israel will be allowed to participate in this exemption, and why (apparently) Israel requires Gazan Americans to document and prove their residency abroad: “What I will say about that is that in the last few days Israel has announced new travel procedures for Gaza, and these new procedures will allow American citizens registered in the Palestinian population registry in Gaza to apply for visa-free entry into Israel.”

He added: “As we have said all along, we realize that there is a different security situation in Gaza, and therefore there will be different procedures. I - and what I will say about that is that we will monitor the implementation of those measures and make sure that Americans - all Americans - are treated equally in Make any decision regarding Israel's potential admission to the Visa Waiver Programme.

Regarding the new Israeli guidelines that require American citizens on the Palestinian registration list in Gaza to apply for a visa exemption, which contradicts the principle of free entry and exit, Miller responded by pointing out again that Israel announced these measures only a few days ago. The administration will wait for Israel's implementation mechanism for this.

Miller stressed that the decision does not fall on US Secretary of State Blinken, but rather on the Secretary of Homeland Security, and that Secretary Blinken makes a recommendation to the Secretary of Homeland Security, who makes the final decision.

It is noteworthy that 15 members of the US Senate last week called on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to stop implementing the agreement exempting Israelis from requesting prior entry visas to the United States, in light of its failure to adhere to a major clause in the agreement that calls for reciprocity, specifically with regard to the travel of Americans of Palestinian origins. .

The letter sent by the Democratic senators on Friday said, “There are still many unanswered questions by the government of Israel about the terms of the memorandum of understanding for the visa exemption program for Israelis, which raise serious concerns.”

The signatories stressed that "Israel does not comply with the law of reciprocity for all American citizens."

The letter emphasized that “visa exemption may not be provided by discriminating against certain groups of American citizens, and all United States citizens must be treated equally.”