Aljazeerah.info
Longer stays in the Palestinian territories possible, but two Israeli visas required
PNN, (Ramallah) Rashid Hilal Friday, 29 December 2006
Foreigners going into the West Bank are going to need another visa. In addition to the visa generally received at the border, all of which are controlled by the Israelis, foreigners will need to go to offices inside Israeli boundaries to apply for a visa to enter the West Bank. This is already the case with the Gaza Strip.
Head of the Department of Negotiations in the Palestine Liberation Organization, Dr. Sa’eb Erekat, reported Friday that President Abbas received a letter from the Israeli government relating to the issue.
New stipulations include spouses, international institution employees, representatives of international organizations, businesspeople, investors, pilgrims, journalists, and volunteers. They will be eligible to receive a three- month visa, as is the current case. But now it will be possible to obtain a 27 month renewal visa without having to leave.
However, foreigners will be required to obtain visas from embassies and consulates inside Israeli boundaries before entering the “Palestinian territories,” as the Israelis put it. As it stands, the first question at the border is whether one intends to “go to any Palestinian areas.” This is asked of Palestinians and foreigners alike and if answered in the affirmative, more often than not, leads to a refusal to grant a visa. But for Palestinians holding foreign passports and residing in the West Bank, this could make their lives much easier.
Dr. Erekat said that in the following days more information will be available as this is the preliminary answer to a question President Abbas’ posed to the Israeli Prime Minister during their recent meeting.
http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2006%20News%20Archives/December/29%20n/Longer%20stays%20in%20the%20Palestinian%20ter
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Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant, writer, and commentator based in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine. He is the principal of Applied Information Management (AIM), a consultancy specializing in business development and startup advisory services.
Bahour was instrumental in establishing two of Palestine’s publicly traded companies: the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL) and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers (APSC). He co-founded Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (A4VPE), of which he is now an emeritus member, and served as an independent director on the board of Arab Islamic Bank P.L.C. from 2004 to 2025. He currently serves on the board of Just Vision and The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).
He frequently gives talks to delegations visiting Palestine on the subjects of Palestine’s political economy, Palestinian Politics 101, and a general orientation to the state of affairs under Israeli military occupation.
A prolific writer on Palestinian affairs, Bahour has been published in major international outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera America, Le Monde diplomatique, Al-Monitor, +972 Magazine, The Hill, and Arab News. He has appeared as a commentator on NPR, CNN, BBC, and other broadcast media.
Bahour is the co-editor of Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press, 1993) and was profiled in the bestselling anthology Kingdom of Olives and Ash, edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, in a chapter authored by Chabon titled “The Tallest Man in Ramallah.” He holds an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University, and a Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA — a joint program of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University.
He tweets at @SamBahour, blogs at www.epalestine.ps, and may be reached at sbahour[AT]gmail[DOT]com.
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