Should We Legalize Israel's Discrimination Against Arab Americans?

posted on: Apr 17, 2013

AIPAC is pushing for a provision in the “U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013” which would allow Israeli citizens to enter the US without a visa, but — believe it or not — would allow Israel to continue its discrimination against US citizens of Arab descent.

The State Department notes in its official travel advisory: “US citizens…of Arab or Muslim origin have experienced significant difficulties in entering or exiting Israel or the West Bank.”

There are 37 countries who participate in the “visa waiver program” – a program that allows citizens of those countries to enter the US without a visa. In return, US citizens can enter those countries without visas. These 37 countries are expected to grant all US citizens — without exceptions — the right to enter their territories without a visa.

<a href=”http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FPbwsSCkoVDc09zzHUCmo5fJY4UgyZMz”>Take action: Contact your Senators now!</a> Ask them to drop the provision that would legalize Israel’s discrimination against Arab Americans. Israel’s ethnic and religious profiling of US citizens should not be accommodated by our laws!

In the last few years, ADC has received hundreds of complaints from Arab American citizens who have been denied entry through Israeli borders. If you, or someone you know, were denied entry <a href=”legal@adc.org”>contact our legal department.</a>