US Delegation to Review Israel’s Visa Waiver Status After Flydubai Security Failures

Channel 12 reported that a US delegation will visit Israel in the coming days. Officials will review the country’s compliance with security requirements under the US Visa Waiver Program.

Meanwhile, the delegation is in the United Arab Emirates. There, officials are examining aviation security procedures following last week’s attempted terror attack aboard Flydubai Flight 1073.

Israel joined the US Visa Waiver Program in 2023. As a result, eligible Israeli citizens can travel to the United States using ESTA instead of applying for a visa.

In Israel, the delegation will examine whether the country continues to meet the conditions it accepted when joining the program. The review follows revelations of security failures surrounding foreign airline crews flying into Israel.

The issue came under increased scrutiny after the Flydubai copilot accused of attempting to crash the Tel Aviv-bound plane was found to have previously expressed extremist views and had reportedly been barred from flying in Oman.

Israeli media also reported that approximately 1,240 crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel entered the country over the past year.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Miri Regev has proposed creating a new “aviation visa” system for passengers and crew arriving in Israel. Under the proposal, their information would be submitted for approval by the Population and Immigration Authority 48 hours before departure.

Regev also requested additional funding and staff for the Transportation Ministry to strengthen security oversight of foreign and charter flights.

The Flydubai incident has prompted wider scrutiny of how Israel screens foreign airline personnel. Reports this week said the Shin Bet and National Security Council had previously proposed measures to strengthen oversight, including placing an intelligence official inside the Transportation Ministry.

The US review could determine whether Israel remains in full compliance with the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program.