Roberta Aguirre
Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza do not have their own airport and must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. In August 2022, Israel announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would be allowed to travel on flights to Turkey from an Israeli airport. More recently, in July 2023, it was announced that most Palestinian Americans would be able to enter and leave Israel through its main airport, as part of a major policy change. This change is part of Israel's efforts to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would enable Israelis to travel to the US without a visa.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza using Tel Aviv airport | Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza do not have their own airport and must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport. |
| Who approves the permits? | Such permits are only approved, if at all, shortly before takeoff. |
| Where do people from the West Bank wishing to fly abroad go? | They must travel to Jordan's capital, Amman, an hour away, through a crowded Israeli border crossing. |
| What are the challenges with the crossing? | The crossing isn't open 24 hours a day, forcing travellers to pay for a hotel stay before their flight. There are also travel costs and crossing fees. |
| What is the situation in Gaza? | Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007, and all movement in and out of the territory is heavily restricted. |
| What is the screening process for Palestinians? | Palestinians would board shuttles from the West Bank, undergo security screening at an Israeli crossing, and then go through the airport like any other traveller. |
| What is the impact of the new policy change in 2023? | Most Palestinian Americans will be able to enter and leave Israel through its main airport, significantly easing access for hundreds of thousands of West Bank residents and Palestinians abroad. |
| What is the purpose of this policy change? | The change is part of Israel's effort to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would allow Israelis to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. |
| What was one of the obstacles to Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program? | Palestinian citizens of the US who are on Israel's population registry have been barred from using Ben Gurion International Airport and had to travel through Jordan instead. |
| What is the impact of the new policy on Palestinian Americans who were directed to enter through Jordan? | They will no longer need to pre-apply, and the screening process is expected to take a maximum of 24 to 48 hours. |
| Are there any caveats to the new policy? | The new terms will not apply to Americans currently living in the Gaza Strip, and their travel requirements will only be slightly eased. |
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What You'll Learn
- Palestinian Americans can now use Tel Aviv airport
- Palestinians from the West Bank can fly to Turkey from an Israeli airport
- Palestinians must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Ben Gurion International Airport
- Flying to Ben Gurion Airport is the easiest way to get to Palestine
- Palestinians with green identification cards cannot travel through Ben Gurion Airport
Palestinian Americans can now use Tel Aviv airport
Palestinian Americans have been barred from using Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport since the early 2000s. They have instead been required to travel through Jordan. However, as of July 2023, most Palestinian Americans will be able to enter and leave Israel through its main airport. This change is part of a major policy shift that will significantly improve access to the country for hundreds of thousands of West Bank residents and Palestinians living abroad.
The change is part of Israel's efforts to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would allow Israelis to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa beforehand. One of the key obstacles to Israel joining the program was the country's barring of Palestinian-American citizens on the population registry from using Ben Gurion International Airport.
Palestinian Americans will no longer need to pre-apply to enter Israel. However, the U.S. has requested that screening takes a maximum of 24 to 48 hours. Additionally, the new terms will not apply to Americans living in the Gaza Strip, who will continue to face cumbersome travel requirements.
The policy change has been viewed as a significant milestone towards Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program. However, some Palestinian Americans have expressed dissatisfaction with the caveats included in the memorandum.
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Palestinians from the West Bank can fly to Turkey from an Israeli airport
Palestinians from the West Bank do not have their own airport and must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Such permits are only approved, if at all, shortly before takeoff. Those in the West Bank wishing to fly abroad must travel to Jordan’s capital, Amman, an hour away, through a crowded Israeli border crossing. The crossing isn’t open 24 hours a day, forcing many travellers to pay to stay in a hotel before their flight. There are also travel costs and crossing fees that make the journey an added financial burden.
On August 9, 2022, the Israel Airports Authority announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would soon be allowed to travel on flights to Turkey directly from an Israeli airport, bypassing the need to travel through Jordan. This was stated as part of a series of gestures Israel says it is making to improve the living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Beginning in late August 2022, there will be twice-weekly flights from the southern city of Eilat's Ramon airport to Antalya, Turkey, for Palestinians. Flights to Istanbul would begin in September.
An Israeli security official stated that Palestinians would board shuttles from the West Bank, undergo a security screening at an Israeli crossing, and then go through the Ramon airport like any other traveller. The official also noted that the initial phase is a pilot project but could be expanded to additional locations if it is successful.
While flying through Israel is theoretically quicker, it is common to be held up for several hours. Nevertheless, it is still recommended as the fastest and easiest way to enter the West Bank.
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Palestinians must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Ben Gurion International Airport
Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza do not have their own airport and must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Such permits are only approved, if at all, shortly before takeoff. This has been the case since 2000, when the airport at Qalandia was closed for civilian travel, and the Israeli Defence Forces took over control.
Palestinians in the West Bank wishing to fly abroad have had to travel to Jordan's capital, Amman, an hour away, through a crowded Israeli border crossing. The crossing isn't open 24 hours a day, and travellers must often pay for a hotel stay before their flight. There are also travel costs and crossing fees that make the journey an added financial burden. Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007, and all movement in and out of the territory is heavily restricted.
In 2022, Israel announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would soon be allowed to travel on flights to Turkey out of an Israeli airport. This was part of a series of gestures Israel said it was making to improve the living conditions of Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, critics say these measures do not address the daily humiliations of the decades-long occupation.
In 2023, it was announced that, for the first time in 20 years, most Palestinian Americans would be able to enter and leave Israel through its main airport, Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. This was part of a major policy change that will significantly ease access to the country for hundreds of thousands of West Bank residents and Palestinians abroad. The change was made as part of Israel's ongoing effort to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would enable Israelis to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.
One of the key obstacles to Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program was that Palestinian citizens of the United States who are on the population registry maintained by Israel have been barred from using Ben Gurion International Airport and must instead travel through Jordan. It remains to be seen whether the new policy will extend to the 700 Americans currently living in the Gaza Strip.
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Flying to Ben Gurion Airport is the easiest way to get to Palestine
Palestine does not have an operating airport within its territory. The Yasser Arafat Airport was destroyed in 2000, and the Israeli Defence Forces took over control of the airport at Qalandia, which was the last remaining airport for civilian travel. As such, it is impossible to get a direct flight to Palestine.
The nearest major airport to Palestine is Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, which is located in Israel. From Ben Gurion Airport, travellers can take a taxi or shuttle to Jerusalem and then continue onwards to major cities in the West Bank, such as Bethlehem, Hebron, and Ramallah. This journey typically takes around 50 minutes. Alternatively, travellers can take a bus from Jerusalem to the Arab central bus station in the Musara Area of Palestine, where connecting buses can take them to other major Palestinian cities.
Due to its proximity to Palestine and the availability of transport options, flying into Ben Gurion Airport is the easiest way to get to Palestine. However, it is important to note that Palestinian ID cardholders cannot travel to Israel or the Palestinian Authority through this airport. Instead, they must fly to Amman, Jordan, and enter via the Allenby Bridge border crossing near Jericho in the West Bank.
In August 2022, the Israel Airports Authority announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would soon be allowed to travel on flights to Turkey directly from an Israeli airport. This marked a significant change, as previously, Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza had to apply for hard-to-obtain airport permits to use Ben Gurion International Airport. These permits were only approved shortly before takeoff, causing additional challenges for travellers.
More recently, in July 2023, a major policy change was announced, allowing most Palestinian Americans to enter and leave Israel through Ben Gurion International Airport. This change is part of Israel's efforts to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would enable Israeli citizens to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa beforehand. This development is expected to significantly ease access to Israel for hundreds of thousands of West Bank residents and Palestinians living abroad.
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Palestinians with green identification cards cannot travel through Ben Gurion Airport
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport is the main airport in Israel. It is the closest major airport to Palestine, with a 50-minute taxi ride to Jerusalem and onward travel to major West Bank cities. However, it has not always been accessible to Palestinians. Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza must apply for hard-to-obtain airport permits to use the airport, and these are only approved, if at all, shortly before takeoff.
In 2022, Israel announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would be allowed to travel on flights to Turkey from an Israeli airport. This was part of a series of measures to improve living conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, critics argue that these measures do not address the daily humiliations of occupation.
In July 2023, it was announced that most Palestinian Americans would be able to enter and leave Israel through Ben Gurion Airport for the first time in 20 years. This was part of Israel's efforts to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would allow Israeli citizens to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Previously, Palestinian Americans on the population registry were barred from using the airport and had to travel through Jordan. While this change is a significant milestone, it does not extend to the 700 Americans living in the Gaza Strip, who will continue to face cumbersome travel requirements.
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Frequently asked questions
Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza do not have their own airport and must apply for a hard-to-obtain airport permit to use Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. However, in 2022, Israel announced that Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would soon be allowed to take flights to Turkey from an Israeli airport. In 2023, it was announced that most Palestinian Americans would be able to enter and leave Israel through its main airport, Ben Gurion International Airport, for the first time in 20 years.
Palestinians who are unable to fly through Tel Aviv must travel to Jordan's capital, Amman, and from there, they can travel to their desired destination.
The change is part of Israel's ongoing effort to join the Visa Waiver Program, which would enable Israelis to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa beforehand.
