Questions at Ben Gurion (Tel Aviv) Airport – Israel: If this is your first time to Israel/Palestine, the prospect of coming through the airport to the West Bank can be daunting. However, the vast majority of people obtain a visa without a problem. If you have stamps in your passport from countries Israel deem a threat, you can expect to wait a bit longer for the visa to be approved, and if they know that you have been to Palestine, they may require you to answer some questions. As long as you are personable, polite, and friendly with them at the airport, there should not be an issue.
Types of Questions
First things first, when you get to the border control desk, they will ask you what you intend to do in Israel. You can either tell them that you plan on visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and that you intend to travel around Israel – an option that will almost definitely allow you to enter without a problem. Or, you can tell them the truth, that you will come to Hebron to teach/study – an option that will make things more difficult.
If you choose to tell them that you are going to Hebron, they will assume on some level that you don’t like Israel, and will treat you with suspicion and make you wait for a potentially significant amount of time. Examples of questions asked are; ‘How are you funding this trip? Do you have any Arab friends? What are your parents’ names and surnames? Why do you want to go to Hebron?’ These are standard. If they want to make things more difficult for you, they may ask more forward questions, such as; ‘Do you hate Israel? Don’t you know that Hebron is dangerous? Who are you meeting there?’ They may ask you for details about your trip, and ask for phone numbers of people. If you decide to do this, as long as you are polite, friendly, and calm, they should allow you in without worry.
Most clearly, they are assessing if you are a security threat for them. But also, if you have expressed desire in coming to Palestine, they then view you as an anti-zionist, and will try and make the experience as long and difficult as possible, so as to dissuade you from coming back again.
Advice
If this is your first time coming to Palestine, I would strongly advise you to not tell them that you are coming to the West Bank, and that you are interested in travelling around Israel. This will make things much easier for you, and will allow you to easily and freely return to the country without issue. If you tell them that you are interested in eating hummus and shakshuka in Tel Aviv, that you want to see the Western Wall, they will almost certainly wave you through without issue, as this is what they do with the vast majority of people.
If you don’t feel comfortable being dishonest at the airport, and want to tell them the truth – do not worry. People are allowed to enter regardless, border control will just try to make your life difficult. Answer all their questions calmly, politely, and with a smile, and they will allow you to enter. However, if you choose to take this option, it is important that you come across as completely apolitical. That is, do not express any pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist tendencies or political views.
If they ask why Hebron, tell them that it was the cheapest school you found. If they ask ‘Why not go to Egypt?’ Say that the Arabic accent is apparently bad. ‘Why not Jordan?’ Say that you want to go to Tel Aviv. As long as in all your answers, you don’t express any animosity towards Israel, and no staunch devotion to the Palestinian cause, it will be ok. It would also help to tell them that you want to travel around Israel.
Getting an Israeli Stamp On Your Passport
The implications of receiving an Israeli stamp in their passport is often of great concern to those who wish to visit Palestine or Israel. Many volunteers and students coming to Engage in Palestine are aware of the complications related to having an Israeli stamp in their passport. Some have heard rumours that having this stamp will severely limit their travel options or make them a target for detainment or expulsion from certain countries.
To put a rest to rumours and provide potential volunteers and visitors with the facts, we will discuss here the visa policies of Israel and the impact of having an Israeli stamp in your passport.
Receiving An Israeli Visa Or Stamp On A Passport
For many years, visitors to Israel, whether entering via air from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, or by one of the border crossings with Jordan or Egypt, would receive an Israeli visa or stamp on their passport, just as they would if they visited any other country.
The impact of this was the potential limiting of travel options for foreign visitors. Prior to the foundation of the State of Israel, the Arab League imposed a boycott of the Jewish community in the former Mandate of Palestine. This boycott was carried over and intensified after the founding of Israel and the wars that followed.
One aspect of the boycott is that participating countries will deny entrance to their country for Israeli citizens and passport holders. A smaller number will deny entry to anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport or evidence of entering the State of Israel. Sometimes this could include stamps from other countries, such as a Jordanian exit stamp at the Allenby Bridge (the Jordanian-Israeli border crossing). Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority signed peace agreements with Israel and no longer participate in the boycott, Mauritania never applied the boycott, and Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia do not enforce it.
The UAE signed a peace agreement with Israel in 2020, normalizing relations with Israel. UAE and Israeli citizens may now travel freely between both areas. However, other Arab and Muslim nations including Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and most of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members will still deny entry to travellers with an Israeli stamp.
To Be Noted
The border security agents are unfortunately guilty of racial profiling. If you have an Islamic or Arab name, they will be suspicious of you and will potentially keep you waiting for a while regardless. Once again, as long as you express no political affiliations, they will allow you through.
In Conclusion
The only way to travel to Palestine is to come via Israel, as it controls all borders and issues all visas for people visiting Palestine. On arrival at the security check, they might stop you and ask you some questions, but this does not mean that they will deny you the visa for 3 months. Many internationals get through the entry without questions or delays.
From our experiences, the Engage In Palestine has hosted more than 1000 internationals from all over the world, 99% get a visa on arrival without any complications. If you are traveling to Palestine/Israel for the first time, we guarantee that 99,9% of you will get the tourist visa.
The procedure sounds complicated and a bit daunting, but it’s really quite simple. Just be patient and you will find even this arrival experience to be fascinating – the beginnings of the learning you’ll experience from your rewarding stay.
Important And Related Articles – Please Click To Read
Any Questions?
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact at Info@ecpalestine.org Whatsapp:+972599479880
Instagram: www.instagram.com/
For more information, please visit our website: https://excellencenter.org
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg
