Weekly Commentary: USA Visa Waiver Program for Palestinians as Compensation for No Jerusalem Consulate

Weekly Commentary: USA Visa Waiver Program for Palestinians as Compensation
for No Jerusalem Consulate
Dr. Aaron Lerner October 21, 2021

So President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken apparently promised the
Palestinians they would open a consulate in Jerusalem without getting the
approval needed from the sovereign State of Israel.

It has been reported that the Americans are planning to sit with the
Israelis with the idea that if Israel is not willing to permit the opening
of a consulate that Israel will somehow compensate the Palestinians.

But there is an obvious “compensation” which the Americans can offer:
adding the Palestinians to the USA Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

After all, most of the people who were going to interact with this consulate
were going to be Palestinians applying for visas.

There is absolutely no question that adding the Palestinians to the VWP
would be greeted by the Palestinian street as such a huge and dramatic event
that the opening of an American consulate in a city within the PA instead of
Jerusalem will be accepted with understanding.

It would be a win-win all around.

The Palestinians get into the VWP.

Israel’s sovereignty is respected by the USA.

The USA honors the principle that when the USA makes a mistake that has to
be covered that the USA pays the price – not a third party.

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