Washington, 20 Jumadil Akhir 1435/20 April 2014 (MINA) – American intelligence officials are opposing the Israelis program to travel to the country as tourists for 90 days without having to apply for a visa.
Pro-Israeli politicians in the US have been trying to put in place a visa waiver program that will allow them. An Israeli newspaper reported on Saturday that Washington is opposed to ease visa restrictions for Israelis for concerns that the relaxation would increase the risk of Israeli spying in the US.
The report said that the intelligence officials have told Congress that allowing Israelis into the US without visa could harm the country’s national security, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
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The Homeland Security Department and the State Department have also conveyed these concerns to legislators on the House Judiciary Committee, which is the Congressional panel with jurisdiction on the issue of visas.
However, pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington are still pushing Congress to approve the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, which includes the visa waiver program clause.
The Israeli spying has become a sensitive issue in the United States, especially since the arrest of Jonathan Pollard and the fallout over his case.
Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, was arrested in 1985 for providing Israel thousands of classified American documents.
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In 1987, a US court sentenced him for life in prison. Washington has so far rejected repeated Israeli appeals for his freedom.(T/P04/…)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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