Denied entry into Israel:  The impact of Palestinian Authority (PA) areas-only stamp on Americans

U.S. passport holders are occasionally denied entry into Israel or the West Bank at one of the border crossings.  Entry into Israel and the West Bank is subject to the authority of the relevant border officials.  

The impact of Palestinian Authority (PA) Areas-Only Stamp has been felt by numerous travelers who have filed complaints of the practice to the US Consulate General of Jerusalem.  The magnitude of the complaints and the ensuing international news written on the issue caught US journalists' attention and put US Department of State on the spot during the Daily Briefings conducted by Spokesperson Ian Kelly on 18-19 August 2009.

What are the Entry/Exit issues related to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza?

The Government of Israel considers American citizens who also hold Israeli citizenship or have a claim to such dual nationality to be Israeli citizens for immigration and other legal purposes.  American citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab or Muslim origin are likely to face additional, often time-consuming, and probing questioning by immigration and border authorities, or may even be denied entry into Israel.  If they are determined by Israeli authorities to have a claim to residency status in the West Bank or Gaza, or to have a claim to a Palestinian identification number, such American citizens may be required by the Government of Israel to use a Palestinian Authority travel document to transit Israel to enter the West Bank or Gaza.

The US Consulate General of Jerusalem strongly encourages anyone denied entry into Israel or the West Bank to complete the Denial of Entry form and submit it via e-mail to JerusalemACS@state.gov.

 Please note that Ben Gurion International Airport, the Jordan River-Sheikh Hussein border crossing in the north, and the Rabin-Arava border crossing in the south, fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv  and specific issues involving these crossings should be addressed there.

What is the Palestinian Authority (PA) Areas-Only Stamp? 

Since the spring of 2009, Israeli border officials at the Allenby border crossing have begun using a new entry visa stamp that permits travel only in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.  Anyone indicating that they either have connections to the West Bank, or are planning to travel to the West Bank, may get this stamp, which does not permit them to enter into green-line Israel.  Please note that only Israeli liaison offices in the West Bank can assist -- but they rarely will.  Travelers should be alert, and pay attention to which stamp they receive upon entry.

What does having the PA stamp on your passport mean?

American citizens who hold a Palestinian Authority ID, as well as persons judged by the Israeli authorities to have claim to a Palestinian Authority ID, will be considered subject to Israeli law and to regulations that Israel applies to residents of the West Bank and Gaza, regardless of the fact that they hold U.S. citizenship. Upon arrival, such persons may wish to consider asking Israeli immigration authorities from where they will be required to depart.  American citizens who have (or who are eligible to receive) a Palestinian Authority Identification Number are likely to be refused entry to Israel via Ben Gurion Airport and be told that they must enter Israel from Jordan via the Allenby (also known as King Hussein) Bridge.

In June 2009, the Israeli government began selectively limiting certain travelers to either the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, or to Israel and Jerusalem.  To date, the Israeli government has not provided information about which categories of travelers can expect to be subject to these restrictions.  Nonetheless, Israeli border officials at Ben Gurion Airport began requiring certain travelers to sign a form that states s/he is not allowed to enter territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority unless s/he obtains advance authorization from the Israeli "Territory Actions Coordinator," and that violating this restriction may result in the traveler being deported from Israel and barred from entry for up to 10 years.  At the Allenby Bridge crossing, as well as at Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli border officials also began using a new entry stamp for certain travelers that states "Palestinian Authority Only."  Since travelers entering via the Allenby crossing must transit Israeli checkpoints and Israeli-controlled territory to reach Jerusalem or Gaza, this restriction effectively limits travelers who receive this stamp at Allenby to destinations in the West Bank only.  This stamp has been known to be used even with travelers who have no Palestinian or other Arab ancestry, and who would not seem to have any claim to a Palestinian Authority ID.       

What is the US doing about the issue brought upon by the Palestinian Authority areas-only stamp affecting Palestinian Americans and other American citizens who are faced with having the stamp on their passport?

The United States Government seeks equal treatment for all American citizens regardless of national origin or ethnicity. 

Americans in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip are strongly encouraged to register with the Consular Sections of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv or the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov.  U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Consulate General in Jerusalem at (972) (2) 628-7137, after hours (for emergencies): (972) (2) 622-7250, or the Embassy in Tel Aviv at (972) (3) 519-7575, after hours (for emergencies): (972) (3) 519-7551.

The United States protests the implementation of the new Palestinian Authority (PA) Areas-Only Stamp and marks it unacceptable due to its unequal treatment of Americans traveling to Israel, West Bank or Gaza, to include journalists and humanitarian workers even if they are not of Palestinian or Arab descent.  The United States further seeks to ensure Palestinian-Americans are allowed access to Israel. 

Having the PA stamp on US passports prohibits the passport holder from entering Israel.  The US State Department advises all who are traveling to Israel to research updated information on their website to ensure they are well-informed of the current events regarding entry and exit issues.

Related Resources:

US Consulate General in Jerusalem: Procedures for entering the West Bank

US Consulate General in Jerusalem: New Palestinian Authority Areas-Only Stamp

Related articles:

Travel Warning: Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

Spokesperson Ian Kelly: US position on Israel's new Palestinian Authority (PA) Areas-Only Stamp

“Palestinian Authority Only”: New Israeli Stamp Limits Travel For Tourists

By Gina Alzate, World Tours and Cruises

** Gina Alzate is also the National Interracial Relationship Examiner and the Philadelphia Romance Examiner.   She leads holistic and metaphysical workshops with Holistic Life Designs.

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